Right, So the New Xbox Ally Drops, And Bloody Hell, That Price Tag Is Wild.
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Microsoft and Asus have revealed the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X pricing: $599.99 for the base model and a hefty $999.99 for the premium version, launching October 16th. Jeff ponders if the cutting-edge specs justify the cost against competitors like the Steam Deck OLED and the upcoming Switch 2, while questioning the 'seamless Xbox experience' promise on a Windows handheld.
Right, so Microsoft and Asus have pulled back the curtain on the pricing for their new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, and fair dinkum, my digital tea leaves are showing a lot of numbers that might make your wallet feel a bit... lighter. We’ve been waiting for this, haven’t we? Like waiting for a particularly potent spell to resolve, wondering if it'll give you superpowers or just turn your cat into a newt. Well, buckle up, because the price reveal is a bit of both – a dash of cutting-edge magic and a whole lot of 'is that *really* worth it?' skepticism.
First up, the base model ROG Xbox Ally is clocking in at $599.99. Now, if you’re a savvy gamer (and I reckon most of you reading this are), that number probably rings a bell. It puts it squarely in the sights of the Steam Deck OLED, which also sits around the $600 mark for its mid-range configuration. On paper, these two are duking it out in a pretty even match: 512GB storage, 16GB RAM. But here's where the wizardry gets granular. The Ally boasts a faster, higher-resolution IPS panel, which sounds lovely for those crisp visuals. The Steam Deck OLED, however, well, it’s got *OLED*. And if you’ve seen an OLED screen in action, you know it’s like seeing colours for the first time after living in a monochrome dimension. It’s all about those deep blacks and vibrant hues. So, it's a bit of a trade-off, isn't it? Raw speed versus visual fidelity that makes your eyes sing. I'm always wondering what makes a screen *feel* better in practice, not just on a spec sheet, and that's where the real magic happens.
But wait, there's a bigger, bolder, and frankly, more eye-watering number in this announcement. The ROG Xbox Ally X – the 'premium' option, as they like to call it – is set to cost a whopping $999.99. Yep, you read that right. One thousand dollars. For a handheld. My spellbook just burst into flames from the sheer heat of that price tag. Leaks had us prepped for something around $899.99, which still felt chunky, but a grand? That’s like accidentally buying a dragon's hoard instead of a single gold coin.
What are you getting for that princely sum, then? Well, the Ally X is packing some serious firepower: 1TB of storage (double the base), a generous 24GB of RAM (because who *doesn't* need more RAM for their portable Witcher 3 sessions?), and an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. Now, for the cutting edge of handheld gaming, those are some undeniably impressive specs. It's built to chew through pretty much anything you throw at it, making it a proper portable PC. But at $1000, it’s also wading into some seriously deep financial waters.
Its closest competition? Ironically, it’s up against Asus’s *own* ROG Ally (which is a bit confusing with the naming, eh?) at $799, and Lenovo’s Legion Go S at $829. Both are cheaper, yes, but they’re also running on the earlier Z1 Extreme processor. So, you’re paying an extra couple of hundred quid for that bleeding-edge performance, the extra RAM, and that luscious 1TB of storage. Is that jump in power and capacity worth the significant leap in price? That’s the million-dollar question – or rather, the thousand-dollar question, isn't it? It’s a bit like deciding if you need a slightly more powerful wand that also costs twice as much for essentially the same incantations. Sometimes, the incremental gains aren't quite worth the exponential cost.
Then there’s the big grey elephant in the room, lumbering around with detachable controllers: the Nintendo Switch 2. At $449 (dock included!), it makes the Xbox Ally line look like it’s been dipped in unobtainium. Now, granted, the Switch 2 isn't going to match a PC handheld for raw power or the sheer breadth of its game library. You’re not getting Cyberpunk 2077 running natively on a Switch (unless Nintendo figures out some dark magic we don't know about). But it offers unparalleled flexibility and, dare I say it, a different *kind* of gaming experience at a significantly lower entry point. Remember when the Switch’s original price seemed a bit steep? Ah, those were simpler times. The Ally and Ally X are definitely targeting a different beast – folks who want their entire PC gaming library (Game Pass, Steam, Battle.net, the lot) wherever they go, with the full Windows experience.
And that's Microsoft and Asus’s whole pitch: a seamless, full-screen Xbox experience, easy Game Pass access, and bridging the gap between those notoriously finicky Windows handhelds and the much more streamlined SteamOS. 'Seamless' and 'Windows handhelds' in the same sentence always makes my eyebrow twitch a little. It's like trying to get a mischievous imp to follow instructions perfectly – theoretically possible, but often involves unexpected detours and a fair bit of shouting. We've all tinkered with Windows on these small screens, and while it's getting better, 'seamless' feels like a stretch goal more than a current reality. Will they finally crack the code and make a Windows handheld that truly *feels* as plug-and-play as a console? Or will we be back to driver updates and fiddly settings menus? That's the real magic trick they need to pull off.
So, on October 16th, we'll find out if these handhelds genuinely deliver on their promises and, crucially, if they justify those hefty price tags. For the everyday gamer, that base Ally is already a significant investment, putting it up against some very compelling competition. And for the Ally X? Well, it’s clearly for those who demand the absolute peak of portable power, regardless of cost. It’s like equipping yourself with the most advanced, slightly overpowered magical artifact – brilliant for those who can wield it, but potentially overkill (and over-budget) for most of us just trying to cast a decent fireball. Will these new Allies blow a hole through reality for portable gaming, or just through our wallets? Only time will tell, mate.
Tags: Handheld Gaming, Xbox Ally, Gaming Hardware, PC Gaming, Tech Analysis
Original article: Polygon