The ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming system from Asus and Microsoft debuted final month, and there have been quite a lot of questions in regards to the new portable. The massive query about worth may need been answered by a leak, and it appears like this handheld will not be low-cost.
A Google search screenshot confirmed a list for the Xbox Ally and upgraded Ally X at 599 and 899 euros, as first noticed by Spanish gaming web site 3DJuegos on Sunday and reported by Insider Gaming. This may put the Xbox Ally at roughly $700 and the Ally X at roughly $1,050.
Microsoft and Asus did not instantly reply to requests for remark.
Whereas this is perhaps the European worth, it does not essentially imply will probably be the US worth. When the Xbox Collection X launched again in November 2020, the US worth was $499 whereas the EU price was 499 euros, which might have transformed to roughly $590 on the time. It’s normal for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to maintain the identical worth quantity throughout the completely different frequent Western currencies resembling {dollars}, euros and British kilos — although the latter two embrace tax at 20%. (Costs quoted to shoppers have to incorporate gross sales tax, generally known as VAT, in these areas.)
If we do some back-of-the-napkin math, the euro costs with out tax can be 479 and 719 euros respectively. Changing these to US {dollars} provides $559 and $839. As compared, Asus’ ROG Ally price $700 when it was launched in 2023. The ROG Ally X got here out in 2024 for $800.
There may be, nonetheless, a giant concern with the Xbox Ally and that includes President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Microsoft already elevated the Xbox Series console’s prices in Might resulting from tariffs. China has been the primary buying and selling companion affected by the tariffs, as most different nations had been a part of a 90-day pause Trump declared again in April, solely days after revealing his plan. That pause is because of come to an finish on Aug. 1, and one nation that might be affected is Vietnam, the place quite a lot of digital units are made.
The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X might be massive competitors for the Steam Deck, which at present dominates the hand held market. A flaw within the authentic ROG Ally and different Home windows-based moveable units is that Home windows just isn’t optimized for a handheld system, whereas SteamOS is constructed for the Steam Deck. This implies Home windows handhelds can come off as laggy when booting up video games and sluggish whereas enjoying, though they’ve higher processors and extra reminiscence. The Xbox Ally appears to offer an Xbox-like expertise by incorporating the console’s UI into the system. An early look at the device suggests the brand new UI can be a welcome enchancment over the usual Home windows 11 setup.
Each the Xbox Ally and Ally X are anticipated to launch later this yr, more than likely through the vacation interval.
