A couple weeks ago this question would be a no brainer and I would go with the steam deck but as of recent the price diff makes it hard to choose. So in Canada the 512gb steam deck is $559 and $689 for the OLED. While the Ally is down from 900 to 600 for Black Friday. This price difference makes me want to go with the Ally but I also know the steam deck is better in many scenarios. The problem I have is my gaming pc stopped working a couple weeks ago (it’s about 9 years old so I knew its time was up). The ally can technically replace my pc in terms of everyday pc tasks if I hook it up to a monitor but I can’t get that from the deck. I’m wondering if the deck is worth it alongside a brand new pc build or if I should just stick with the ally.
I would get the Ally since you’re planning to replace your desktop with this device. Windows is a lot better for desktop applications and while steam deck has a desktop mode it being Linux can make it difficult for people to use. Also if you have non steam games or use gamepass the Ally would be better since it runs windows natively. I personally am not a big fan of the ROG Ally build quality, but it does perform better in higher TDPs and will play any game natively.