Microsoft has finally announced the pricing for both the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X just a couple of weeks before their launch. These gaming handhelds are quite expensive, with the most expensive one costing $1000.
While Microsoft announced the handhelds in June and their release date in August, it had been hesitant to confirm pricing until now. That may be because of the broader economic conditions in the United States that have caused the company to raise the price of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S twice this year.
What are the prices of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X?
They are more expensive than the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch 2
Microsoft took to Xbox Wire to announce the pricing of it and ASUS’ upcoming gaming handhelds and the opening of pre-orders. Through that, we learned that the base ROG Xbox Ally model will cost $600, while the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X will retail for $1000.
That’s pretty pricey for a gaming handheld, as those historically felt like the cheaper alternative to console or PC gaming. Looking at the basic model, the ROG Xbox Ally is about $50 more expensive than a Steam Deck OLED and $100 more expensive than a Switch 2. If you want an ROG Xbox Ally X because of its even better specs, then those price gaps increase even further.
Still, Microsoft hopes that the appeal of a gaming handheld specifically tailored to Xbox gamers will be enough to attract potential buyers. This is technically an OEM Xbox-branded handheld made by ASUS, but Microsoft has worked with them to make a specially tailored version of Windows 11 for the handhelds.
As a result, they are going to be able to directly boot into Xbox’s full-screen experience, support remote play and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and even aggregate your gaming libraries from other storefronts like Steam and Epic Games Store. Microsoft also says the handhelds will come with three months of Xbox Game Pass, but it hasn’t said what tier of the subscription service it means yet.
The launch of the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X will be the tip of the spear for a busy month for Xbox, as it will also be launching first and second-party games like Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2 in October.
ROG Xbox Ally X
