Microsoft and Asus open preorders for the first Xbox handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally for $599 and the ROG Xbox Ally X for $999 in the US, shipping October 16
“The hype is real!” says Microsoft. Marcus Stewart / Game Informer : Xbox ROG Ally Prices Revealed, Pre-Orders Now Live Joelle Daniels / GamingBolt : ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds Are Already Going Out of Stock Dylan Horetski / Dexerto : ROG Xbox Ally prices finally revealed as Xbox handheld preorders go live Tomas Franzese / Android Police : The ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will cost you up to $1000 Kyle Orland / Ars Technica : Asus' new ROG Xbox Ally X set to break the bank at $999.99 Pure Xbox : Where To Buy The ROG Xbox Ally & ROG Xbox Ally X Handhelds Paul Lilly / HotHardware : ASUS ROG Xbox Ally & Ally X Pricing Confirmed As Preorders Go Live Steve Vegvari / iPhone in Canada : ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds Pre-Order in Canada: Starting at $799 Adam Vjestica / The Shortcut : Microsoft says ‘the hype is real’ as Asus ROG Xbox Ally X preorders are ‘sold out’ Kunal Khullar / Tom's Hardware : Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X available for pre-order worldwide - U.S. pricing starts at $599 and $999 respectively Isa Muhammad / PocketGamer.biz : Microsoft prices ROG Xbox Ally X handheld at $1,000 Rishaj Upadhyay / Windows Report : How & Where to Pre-order ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X Chris Reed / IGN : Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X Are Up for Preorder - Out October 16 ASUS Pressroom : ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X Now Available for Pre-Order Alex Forbes-Calvin / PC Games Insider : Xbox Ally consoles cost $599.99 and $999.99 James Peckham / PCMag : Asus ROG Xbox Ally Gaming Handhelds Cost Up to $999.99, Preorders Open Now Chris Kerr / Game Developer : Microsoft's high-end Xbox handheld will cost $999 in the United States William Hughes / The A.V. Club : Microsoft hold-my-beers Nintendo, announces $1,000 Xbox handheld Rob Dwiar / TechRadar : ASUS ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders live: stock of both variants of the handheld are available now Microsoft Store : ROG Xbox Ally X Chris Scullion / Video Games Chronicle : The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X price has finally been confirmed O Ports / VideoCardz.com : ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X officially priced at $999, ROG Xbox Ally at $599 Aashish Kumar Shrivastava / Business Standard : ROG Xbox Ally series coming to India on October 16, pre-orders start today James Archer / Rock, Paper, Shotgun : The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X prices aren't too bad in the UK, but tariffs bite in the US Oli Welsh / Polygon : The ROG Xbox Ally X costs $1000 Mike Lowe / T3 : Finally, Xbox's handheld console gets official pricing - it might surprise you James Bentley / PC Gamer : The ROG Xbox Ally X priced at $1,000 and available to preorder in October, making it officially the most expensive ‘Xbox’ ever Microsoft Store : ROG Xbox Ally Brad Linder / Liliputing : $599 Asus ROG Xbox Ally and $999 ROG Xbox Ally X now available for pre-order Simon Batt / XDA Developers : Microsoft aims for SteamOS's crown as it reveals everything to expect from its handheld console debut Rog Xbox Ally / Xbox.com : ROG Xbox Ally X IGN : ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally Price Finally Revealed — Microsoft Goes for $1,000 for Most Powerful Version Amid Tariff Uncertainty Shannon Grixti / Press Start : The Aussie ROG Xbox Ally/Xbox Ally X Prices Have Been Revealed And Pre-Orders Are Live Now Jeremy Laird / PC Gamer : Microsoft wants to sell you a Steam Deck in 2025 for $600 as Xbox Ally pricing unveiled Kris Holt / Forbes : Microsoft Actually Thinks You'll Pay $1,000 For Its Handheld Xbox PC As Pre-Orders Go Live Paul Thurrott / Thurrott : You Can Preorder the ROG Xbox Ally Now! Adam Corsetti / Notebookcheck : Microsoft announces ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X prices and opens pre-orders for gaming handhelds Steve Wright / Stevivor : ROG Xbox Ally X pricing confirmed: $1,599 AUD (or $1,000 USD) Kyle Barr / Gizmodo : We Finally Know How Much the Xbox Handheld Will Cost John Kanellakos / Pocket-lint : We finally have pricing for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally, and it's an expensive handheld XboxEra : ROG Xbox Ally Price Revealed, Pre-orders now open LinkedIn: Mat Piscatella : I imagine I should post a take on the ROG Xbox Ally. — Form factor & tech are nifty — New UI better (but anything is when compared to Win 11 on a portable) … Forums: r/hardware : [The Verge] Microsoft and Asus open Xbox Ally preorders — the X costs $999 r/gamesEcultura : Saiu preço do ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally r/SteamDeck : “Microsoft and Asus open Xbox Ally preorders — the X costs $999” - The Verge r/TwoBestFriendsPlay : The ROG Xbox Ally X & ROG Xbox Ally are available for pre-order, available October 16th r/consoles : Rog Xbox Ally Prices Announced: $999 For The Ally X And $599 For The Ally r/gaming : Rog Xbox Ally Prices Announced: $999 For The Ally X And $599 For The Ally r/pcgaming : Players Can Now Pre-Order the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally In 38 Countries (price reveal) r/ROGAlly : Microsoft and Asus open Xbox Ally preorders — the X costs $999 r/xbox : ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally pricing and pre-ordering revealed r/Games : Ready to Play Anywhere? Players Can Now Pre-Order the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally In 38 Countries
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft and Asus first presented the Ally pair as PC gaming handhelds able to run Windows games from multiple storefronts in their June product unveiling. Microsoft also positioned the device around a full-screen Xbox-oriented Windows experience intended for handheld use.
The confirmed US pricing turns that earlier product strategy into a retail choice: a $599 entry model and a $999 premium model, with October 16 set as the delivery date.
First-order effects
- US buyers can now reserve either Xbox-branded handheld, giving Microsoft and Asus a concrete demand signal ahead of October shipments.
- The $400 spread separates the lineup into entry and premium tiers, making the Ally X a substantially higher-commitment purchase than the base Ally.
Second-order effects
- Preorder performance will determine how much demand the partners can attribute to Xbox branding and its handheld interface rather than to Asus hardware alone.
- The premium price raises the importance of the handheld-focused Windows experience Microsoft had previously shown running full-screen on the Ally, since the software layer must help distinguish the devices across their two price tiers.
Third-order effects
- If this partnership converts Xbox branding and a tailored Windows interface into sales, it supports a model in which Microsoft extends Xbox through partner hardware rather than limiting the brand to a single console form factor.
- The lasting constraint remains software usability: an earlier ROG Ally review found that Windows was difficult to use on a handheld, so broader adoption depends on whether the optimized interface materially resolves that friction.
The trend: Xbox is increasingly becoming a software and interface layer that can reach players through partner-built Windows handhelds and multiple PC game storefronts.