Gamers hoping to take their Xbox Game Pass subscription to-go can finally pre-order the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally. The handheld duo from ASUS and the folks at Xbox will be the first hardware to get the brand-new Xbox user interface (UI). Pre-orders have begun, but fans won’t get their hands on the new hardware until they launch globally on October 16.
After continued speculation, tentative retail prices have been released. Xbox’s news release says, however, that “[p]ricing is set at an Estimated Retail Price (ERP) for each device (exact prices will be announced per region as pre-orders go live):”
- ROG Xbox Ally X: $999.99
- ROG Xbox Ally: $599.99
Pre-orders are available through Xbox, the U.S. Microsoft Store, and ASUS. Both handhelds will also be available for purchase via select local retailers, though you’ll likely have to make some calls and confirm firsthand.
About the new Xbox handhelds
In the news release, Xbox touts the new Ally and Ally X as “distinctly Xbox experience[s] in the palm of your hands … that travels with you wherever you go.”
A few of the devices’’ features, aside from the new interface, include a dedicated Xbox button, improved Xbox Game Bar, access to ROG’s Armoury Crate SE, controller-like grips, and a cohesive gaming library that allows quick access to your purchases and Game Pass subscription, as well as your download from other digital storefronts.
The new UI, launching for the first time alongside the new ASUS handhelds, will free up memory and obscure the desktop.
Wait, how much?!
We’ve been in the middle of a handheld renaissance since 2020. But since the start of this year, the stakes have only gotten higher, thanks in large part to fluctuating tech tariffs.
The Nintendo Switch 2, available in only one variation, retailed at launch for around $450 (or $500 if you opted for the Mario Kart World bundle). From the moment retail values were revealed, prices for the system as well as its peripherals and software were widely criticized by cost-conscious consumers. Alongside those affordability worries also came regional shortages, price hikes, and delays. That being said, the console was a record-breaking commercial success. One that’s likely incentivized bolder pricing for other high-end handhelds.
But even Xbox’s most-affordable handheld will sell for $599 — about $150 more than the Switch 2, and $100 more than the Xbox Series X sold for when it launched five years ago. What’s more, pricing confirmation follows Microsoft’s latest console price hikes, which it announced just last week.
If you’ve been waiting, now’s the time — pre-order the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X before they launch on October 16.
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