Key Highlights:
- The ROG Xbox Ally devices are currently up for pre-order.
- The devices start at $600 and extend up to $1000.
- This makes them quite undesirable when compared to the competition.
The handheld gaming market is blowing up currently, and we are witnessing the release of multiple, varied devices. It’s an exciting time to be a handheld gamer, and Xbox seems keen to capitalize on the same with the launch of its ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X PC handhelds, on October 16, 2025.
That being said, these handhelds don’t appear to be quite as appealing as the first generation ROG Ally, Steam Deck or even Nintendo Switch 2 for that matter. If anything, this handheld seems to miss the mark spectacularly, especially if we take into account its listed pricing.
ROG Xbox Ally Pricing Emerges Online, and It’s Quite the Disappointment
Xbox has showcased its upcoming ROG Xbox Ally devices quite a few times prior, promising a Xbox centric experience in the palm of your hands. The console will be available in two flavors, with quite a few stark differences internally (in terms of performance and memory configurations).
Ready to take your gaming anywhere?
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 26, 2025
Pre-order the @ASUS_ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X today: https://t.co/bYD2J1oTKv pic.twitter.com/fq7DrmmG1g
Regardless, both handhelds run on full, fat Windows 11 (x86 based) and ship with Xbox’s new game mode UI for Windows. Microsoft had decided to keep the prices of these handhelds under wraps for quite some time now, but it has officially revealed the same recently.
The cheaper (and weaker) ROG Xbox Ally will cost exactly $599.99, while the stronger (and more expensive) ROG Xbox Ally X will set buyers back by $999.99, which is really quite expensive.
This makes it quite a pricey handheld to purchase brand new, more so for the ROG Xbox Ally X, which costs around $1000, an asinine amount for a handheld device. To make matters worse, the handhelds cannot be pre-ordered in most regions just yet, forcing potential buyers to wait even longer.
Its Pretty Bad Value All Around
If we consider the ROG Xbox Ally devices in a vacuum, they seem to be mighty fine handhelds. Both iterations offer modest battery life, in addition to just about enough performance for running the newest AAA tiles along the way (assuming that the game in question appears to be optimized well enough).
However, things start to fall apart once we take a look at the competition. The likes of Valve’s Steam Deck offer a good enough experience for most players, and is far more accessible at its starting price of $319.20, cut down from its original $399 price.
The handheld is more or less as performant as a ROG Xbox Ally, and while it may not have the best IPS display out there, it more than makes up for it thanks to an easy to use user interface that actually feels designed for controllers, consuming far fewer system resources in the process.
Also Read: You Can Never Play Borderlands 4 on Switch 2, Here’s Why
Even outside of the handheld gaming PC niche, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X fail to live up to the likes of the Nintendo Switch 2, which offers a far superior, exclusive library of games.
However, it should be noted that both devices are fundamentally different here, and as such there isn’t going to be an apples to apples comparison.
To make matters worse, the original ROG Ally from 2023 is still available for ridiculously low prices from Amazon and Best Buy’s refurbished sections, and it offers almost identical performance. While the battery life takes a hit, it can be easily remedied by using some third party solution (or by keeping the device plugged in at all times).
Xbox’s handheld UI is also slated to arrive for the original Ally sometime later. Taking all of this into consideration, there really isn’t much reason to purchase a ROG Xbox Ally console, at least until the prices fall down drastically.
