If you were hoping to reserve your ROG Xbox Ally this week, you’re going to need a little more patience. Despite solidifying the consoles’ October 16 release date at Gamescom 2025, Microsoft and ASUS surprised everyone by holding off on one crucial detail: the price.
The ROG Xbox Ally and its upgraded sibling, the ROG Xbox Ally X, are both set to hit shelves mid-October. Better yet, fans attending Gamescom can get some early hands-on time with both handhelds starting August 20. But you’ll notice something missing: no official price tag, and no pre-order live buttons either.
So, what’s going on with the price?
Turns out, there’s a pretty complex reason behind the delay.
Speaking to IGN, representatives from Microsoft and ASUS explained that they’re taking “more time to figure out the macroeconomic impact” affecting global pricing. Translation? With inflation, currency shifts, and semiconductor costs still in flux globally, slapping a static price on new hardware is trickier than ever.
This cautious move explains why there are no pre-orders yet, even though insider leaks had pegged August 20 as the start of ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders. Looks like those plans were shelved at the last minute due to persistent economic uncertainty. Instead, Microsoft reassured players that full pre-order and pricing details will land “in the coming weeks.”
Leaked prices, but don’t bet on them … yet
Still, the rumour mill isn’t slowing down. Prior leaks suggested that the standard ROG Xbox Ally would price at €599 (approx. $700 USD), while the beefier ROG Xbox Ally X would hit closer to €899 (roughly $1,050 USD). Tempting figures? Sure. But the economic lens Microsoft’s using hints that those leaks may already be outdated, or at least subject to change.
Let’s not forget, Microsoft has already hiked prices on Xbox hardware and Game Pass subscriptions in response to economic headwinds. So, while surprises do occasionally happen — like the recent price drop for The Outer Worlds 2 — a price increase seems more likely than a discount for these premium handhelds.
The hype train is still rolling
It’s worth nothing how far we’ve come since early whispers of a portable Xbox device surfaced. First chalked up to fantasy, the ROG Xbox Ally line is now very real, blending ASUS’s top-tier hardware with Xbox’s vast gaming ecosystem. Whether you’re dreaming of Xbox Game Pass on a sleek handheld or eager to see how these devices stack up to competitors like the Steam Deck, the demand is undeniable.
Fans had been speculating wildly about Xbox dipping its toes into portable gaming waters. Now that it’s confirmed, the only big unknown left is how much it’ll cost to dive in.
What happens next?
All eyes are on Microsoft and ASUS to deliver the final numbers. If their track record is anything to go by, we should expect an official update — not just on pricing, but also pre-order windows — by early- to mid-September at the latest. Until then, it’s a waiting game.
Either way, October 16 is fast approaching, and there’s still a lot to unpack: battery life, software support, and how these handhelds will fit into the broader Xbox hardware strategy. For now, we’ll just have to dream up the possibilities, and maybe, keep refreshing that pre-order page.