ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally Price Finally Revealed — Microsoft Goes for $1,000 for Most Powerful Version Amid Tariff Uncertainty

Microsoft has confirmed the terms of the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally up of the merchandise of some handheld gaming PCs connected October 16.

The institution has gone for $999.99 for the much almighty ROG Xbox Ally X, and $599.99 for the ROG Xbox Ally.

The pricing announcement comes successful blistery from Microsoft, with conscionable a fewer weeks to spell until the handhelds launch. At gamescom successful August, Microsoft and Asus told IGN the companies inactive needed "more clip to fig retired the macro-economic interaction to pricing,” a connection issued amid often shifting marketplace conditions fuelled by ever-changing U.S. tariffs.

"This is ever a challenge," Jason Ronald, Microsoft's vice president of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystem, told IGN past month, "and you ever effort to find the close equilibrium betwixt affordability and terms point, and I deliberation particularly successful a mobile signifier origin that besides adds successful dimensions specified arsenic artillery beingness successful arsenic well. And then, arsenic you said, the macro-economic clime is challenging."

"I deliberation we volition person to... we request much clip to fig the macro-economic interaction to pricing, and that's wherefore we'll beryllium sharing much later, successful September and October," Asus elder vice president Shawn Yen added.

As portion of the aforesaid interview, we besides asked Ronald astir Microsoft's interior plans to marque a first-party Xbox handheld, pursuing a study that suggested the thought had been sidelined.

The ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally motorboat into an progressively competitory marketplace for handheld gaming hardware, with the cheaper Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 present firmly entrenched. Meanwhile, Microsoft has travel nether occurrence for repeatedly hiking the terms of its Xbox hardware. Just past week, Microsoft announced that Xbox console prices would spell up erstwhile again successful the U.S. aft already rising backmost successful May.

Microsoft said the Xbox console terms increases occurred "due to changes successful the macro-economic environment," and added that successful the future, it would "continue to absorption connected offering much ways to play much games crossed immoderate surface and providing worth for Xbox players.”

This determination comes arsenic galore video crippled companies are raising prices connected everything from consoles to accessories to games, with terms hikes affecting the U.S. successful peculiar amid ongoing tariff fluctuation and uncertainty. Last month, Sony implemented a terms summation successful the U.S. connected its hardware, and aft releasing its Nintendo Switch 2 astatine $450, Nintendo raised the terms connected its archetypal Switch 1 and assorted accessories arsenic well. Video games and subscriptions are being impacted: Xbox raised its prices for Game Pass earlier this year, Mario Kart Tour launched astatine an unheard-of $80, and Xbox announced it would besides present $80 games this holiday, though it backtracked connected that determination soon after.

We've antecedently spoken to adept analysts astir the rising prices of each gaming items, and they explained that the increases are apt occurring owed to a substance of accrued manufacturing costs, competition, and U.S. tariffs, with the second peculiar applicable successful cases wherever prices are climbing successful the U.S. and obscurity else.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has issued statements connected the interaction of tariffs successful the U.S., with ESA spokesperson Aubrey Quinn telling IGN successful April: "There's going to beryllium a existent interaction careless of company. This is company-agnostic, this is an full industry. There's going to beryllium an interaction connected the full industry.”

ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally prices globally:

• ROG Xbox Ally X: $999.99 / £799 / €899 (ERP)
• ROG Xbox Ally: $599.99 / £499 / €599 (ERP)

Alongside its pricing announcement, Microsoft has opened up pre-orders for some the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally done the Microsoft Store, ASUS eshop, and prime planetary retailers successful 38 countries.

Here’s the authoritative blurb connected the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally from Microsoft:

One of our halfway goals with the Xbox Ally was to present a distinctly Xbox acquisition successful the thenar of your hands. With the Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally, you tin look guardant to an approachable gaming acquisition that travels with you wherever you go, featuring respective caller and first-of-its benignant features connected some devices.

Here’s what you tin look guardant to connected your Xbox Ally handheld:

• Launch straight into the Xbox afloat surface experience, a dedicated acquisition purpose-built for gaming, powered by Windows 11, and inspired by the console idiosyncratic experience. With caller modifications that minimize inheritance enactment and defer non-essential tasks, much strategy resources are dedicated specifically to gameplay.
• A dedicated Xbox fastener opens an enhanced Game Bar overlay for Windows 11, making it casual to instrumentality home, browse your library, motorboat oregon discontinue games, chat with friends, entree ROG’s innovative Armoury Crate SE, and more.
• An aggregated gaming room gives you speedy entree to games from Xbox, Game Pass (where available), and installed games from Battle.net and different starring PC stores.
• Xbox controller-inspired grips, with ergonomics that let you to play comfortably for longer gaming sessions.

Whether you emotion playing connected PC, console, oregon streaming your games connected the go, the Xbox Ally opens up caller ways to entree your Xbox library, through:

• Native play, which allows you to play PC games from immoderate store that are installed and tally straight connected the device. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, you tin play much than 1,000 supported titles from Xbox crossed console, PC, and handhelds with a azygous purchase. Today, Xbox Play Anywhere titles are wherever the bulk of console players walk their clip connected Xbox, and you tin present acquisition those aforesaid games connected the spell with the Xbox Ally handhelds.
• Remote play, which allows you to watercourse your afloat console room from your Xbox console anyplace successful your location – each via a creaseless and intuitive idiosyncratic acquisition built for handheld.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), which takes portability adjacent further by allowing you to watercourse your Xbox room of console games to your handheld connected the go. Whether you’re traveling, commuting, oregon conscionable stepping out, you tin prime up wherever you near disconnected (where available).
• Our Handheld Compatibility Program, a caller Xbox inaugural that indicates which games play large connected handheld. At launch, thousands of titles volition beryllium Handheld Optimized oregon Mostly Compatible, making it easier to find games that are acceptable to play connected your Xbox Ally.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].