Earlier this month, XboxEra’s Jon Clarke claimed that the “word on the ground at Gamescom” was that Microsoft and Asus had postponed the ROG Xbox Ally price reveal to discuss reducing the cost because of the backlash to the leaked figures. However, it was just announced that the handheld will retail at $599/$999, even more expensive than earlier reports had suggested.
Some have cast doubt on XboxEra’s claims in light of this news, but Insider Gaming editor-in-chief Tom Henderson has corroborated them, arguing that “If you were even remotely connected within the industry, you’d know that this was, in fact, true at the time. But they obviously couldn’t do it for whatever reason.”
It didn’t work out. Reporting on what’s going on behind the scenes on stuff like this is risky, but what he is saying wasn’t made up.
Why it didn’t work out is unknown, but Henderson is adamant that XboxEra’s reporting was accurate and that discussions were had behind the scenes about reducing the price. Whether the current price will work out for Asus and Microsoft remains to be seen, as no sales figures have been revealed yet.
What we do know is that the hardware sold out immediately. But it’s worth noting that this could be a marketing tactic, with Microsoft and Asus only providing limited stock to make it appear as though there’s a huge demand. Again, until we have sales figures, it’s unclear.
The ROG Xbox Ally Isn’t The Only Expensive Hardware Under Xbox’s Belt
Many had hoped that the ROG Xbox Ally’s price would be readjusted to be more consumer-friendly, making the hardware appeal to a broader audience. It being more expensive was certainly a shock, but it’s hardly the first Xbox product to jack up its prices. The Series S and X recently went up again to $399.99 and $649.99, respectively, despite Microsoft lagging behind in the last two generations.
In fact, Costco recently stopped selling Xbox consoles altogether in what it plainly called a “business decision”, marking what many believe to be a damning lack of interest in the hardware, no doubt made worse by skyrocketing prices. Whether its handheld fares any better remains to be seen, but with the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 both being cheaper, and rumours that a PS6 adjacent handheld will follow suit, Xbox continues to be the most expensive and least popular option.
- Brand
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Xbox / ROG
- Operating System
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Windows 11 Home
- Processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
- Display
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7” IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
- Resolution
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FHD 1080p
- Original Release Date
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2025
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