Microsoft has confirmed the pre-orders for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X & ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, starting at $999 & $599.
Microsoft’s Official Gaming Handhelds Now Available For Pre-Orders: ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X For $999 & ROG Xbox Ally For $599
Announced back in June, Microsoft is now officially offering its new ROG Xbox Ally X & ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, built by ASUS, for pre-orders. These two handhelds are powered by the new AMD Z2 APUs, offering a mix of Zen cores and RDNA GPUs. Microsoft is also confirming the prices for its handhelds & they are listed for $999 for the Ally X and $599 for the standard Ally. Several retailers have already listed both devices for pre-orders, which are linked below:
ROG Xbox Ally X (24 GB + 512 GB) – $999 US (BestBuy US)
ROG Xbox Ally (24 GB + 512 GB) – $999 US (Amazon US)
ROG Xbox Ally X (24 GB + 512 GB) – $999 US (ROG Store US)
ROG Xbox Ally (16 GB + 512 GB) – $599 US (AntOnline US)
ROG Xbox Ally (16 GB + 512 GB) – $599 US (BestBuy US)
ROG Xbox Ally (16 GB + 512 GB) – $599 US (Walmart US)
ROG Xbox Ally (16 GB + 512 GB) – $599 US (ROG Store US)
The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is the fastest of the two Microsoft handhelds. It features a 7″ 120Hz display with a maximum resolution of 1080p, a 70Wh or 80Wh battery, 24 GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, 1 TB storage capacity, and the latest AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme CPU. The chip itself is based on the Zen 5 core architecture with up to 8 cores and 16 threads, up to 5 GHz clocks, 16 MB of L3, 8 MB of L2, and a TDP range between 15-35W (28W by default). The chip packs 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units running at up to 2900 MHz, and also has the powerful XDNA 2 NPU that delivers 50 TOPS of AI compute.
The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally is the more cost-effective design, which goes with the same IPS display but packs 16 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory, 512 GB of M.2 SSD storage, which is upgradeable, and features a 60Wh battery. The ROG Xbox Ally adopts the AMD Ryzen Z2A APU, which offers 4 cores, 8 threads based on the Zen 2 core architecture, and operates at up to 3.8 GHz clocks. This chip packs 4 MB of L3 and 2 MB of L2 cache and has a TDP rating between 6-20W (15W by default). The chip features an RDNA 2 iGPU with 8 compute units clocked at 1800 MHz and doesn’t have any NPU capabilities.
So there will be a stark difference in terms of performance levels between the Microsoft ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally based on their specs alone. That is why the price difference is also $400 US between the two handhelds. I would personally consider the lower-end model to be priced around $500 US for it to be more attractive, while the ROG Xbox Ally X can hold its premium positioning.
Furthermore, with the tariffs in place, there’s no telling how long these prices will hold, as Microsoft and Sony have adjusted the prices of their standard gaming consoles recently, and the handhelds might be affected by these global developments, too. So for those who are looking forward to getting their hands on one of the new handhelds, it’s better to pre-order now.
AMD Ryzen “Z” Series Gaming Handheld APUs:
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Starts at $999, ROG Xbox Ally For $599, Pre-Orders Begin, Availability Next Month
