The ROG Xbox Ally X from ASUS and Xbox with Hollow Knight: Silksong displayed onscreen.

AFP via Getty Images

Pre-orders for the ROG Xbox Ally handheld systems have opened up ahead of the devices arriving on October 16. That means we now know how much the systems cost. And it’s so much worse than the rumors suggested.

The lower-spec ROG Xbox Ally is $600 (that’s the same as a Xbox Series X digital edition, for those keeping score at home). As for the higher-end ROG Xbox Ally X, that will set you back 1,000 American dollars – or the equivalent in your local currency.

What are you doing here, Microsoft? That’s wildly expensive and even more than the $900 that the Ally X was rumored to cost. I can’t imagine Xbox and ASUS (ROG’s parent company) are going to sell too many of these. In fairness, tariffs are most likely a factor in why these prices are so high.

But that’s so much money, even if it is in line with the pricing of other handheld gaming PCs. You could get a decent (and more powerful) gaming laptop for that price

I do like the idea of being able to run many Xbox games natively on a handheld right out of the box, without having to install Windows on a Steam Deck or resort to cloud gaming. Having Game Pass integration built in is pretty neat. I would like to try one of these systems out. Plus, they certainly look more ergonomic than a Switch 2.

But there’s no way I’d pay $1,000 (or, in my case, $1,300 CAD) for one. That’s obscene. Nor will I pay $600 ($800 CAD) for the lower-spec system. We can’t rule out the notion that Microsoft will increase the prices of the Xbox Ally systems in a few months either, as it has done with its consoles several times.

I have zero need for an Xbox Ally, really. But hey, I might pick one up if they somehow plummet in price.

Other Handhelds Are Far More Affordable Than The Xbox Ally

My Switch 2, Steam Deck, Playdate and even my phone more than fulfill my on-the-go handheld gaming needs. (I have a PlayStation Portal as well, but that requires a solid, stable internet connection. I can’t really use that on public transit or flights so it’s mostly for sneaking in extra PS5 gaming time when I’m in another room at home.) For now, I’ll keep playing Xbox games on my PC, console or via the cloud rather than on an Xbox Ally.

The Switch 2 and the Steam Deck are both far less expensive than an Xbox Ally and will run many of the same games. They maybe won’t have quite the same level of optimization for certain games and, on the Steam Deck side, there’s some tinkering required to run Game Pass titles. But the price difference should easily outweigh other tradeoffs.

Pre-orders for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are now open in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.

The ROG Xbox Ally systems are also coming to Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Slovenia, South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine on October 16. I can already imagine the long lines that won’t be outside electronics stores around the world on that day.

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