Steam Deck vs Xbox Ally: Why I Do not Advocate Valve’s Gaming Handheld Anymore

Ever because the Steam Deck debuted in 2022, it has been one in every of my favourite units. It was comparatively inexpensive for a handheld gaming PC, however nonetheless highly effective sufficient to play just about something I’d realistically play on the go. And whereas I nonetheless love the factor, it is virtually inconceivable to suggest to anybody proper now, after the worth will increase a pair months in the past.

Right now, if you wish to purchase a Steam Deck from Valve, it will price you $789 for a brand new, 512GB OLED Steam Deck, or $949 if you wish to bump the storage as much as 1TB. You can, in fact, avoid wasting money by shopping for a refurbished Deck from Valve, which begins at round $279 for the 64GB LCD mannequin, however at the least in my area, each refurbished Steam Deck is out of inventory.

Even on Ebay, getting a used Steam Deck will most likely set you again about $450-$500 proper now, and there is not any actual assure that you’ll get one thing that works correctly.

This is all, in fact, due to the RAM disaster that we’re all coping with, as a result of seemingly each firm is making an attempt to construct AI datacenters, driving up the prices of laptop {hardware}. There aren’t actually many units which have escaped going up in worth this yr, with every little thing from the PS5 to the Steam Machine being affected in come what may.

But one way or the other, Asus has insulated its Xbox Ally handhelds from worth will increase – to date at the least. The primary Xbox Ally remains to be $599 at Best Buy, and the extra highly effective Xbox Ally X is $999, the latter of which is kind of a bit extra highly effective than the Steam Deck. I actually do not know the way lengthy Asus’s costs are going to remain like this, however for now at the least, the white Xbox Ally is the most effective price range handheld, particularly if you happen to do not wish to take care of the used market.

Back when Asus launched its newest handhelds, I solely received to evaluation the Xbox Ally X. But, not too long ago, Asus despatched alongside the common Xbox Ally, and whereas it isn’t practically as highly effective, it goes neck-and-neck with the Steam Deck. In Time Spy, as an illustration, the Xbox Ally will get 1834 factors, in comparison with 1715 from Valve’s handheld. That’s mainly the identical degree of efficiency, which was as soon as an argument in opposition to the Xbox Ally. But now that costs have shifted in the best way they’ve, Asus gives roughly the identical degree of efficiency as Valve, however for $200 much less. That math is not laborious to determine.

Quite merely, in case you are available on the market for a handheld, and you do not have a thousand bucks (or extra) to spend on a high-end gaming handheld, the Xbox Ally is the best way to go proper now. But, once more, if I’ve realized something this yr, it is that every little thing has the potential to go up in worth. I simply hope the Xbox Ally stays inexpensive for a short while longer.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC elements queen. You can observe her @Jackiecobra