The ROG Xbox Ally X costs $1000

Microsoft and Asus have finally announced the pricing for their joint venture, the ROG Xbox Ally handheld consoles. The base ROG Xbox Ally will cost $599.99, while the premium Xbox Ally X is priced at a whopping $999.99.

The Xbox-branded Windows handhelds will be released on Oct. 16. Pre-orders are now available via Xbox.com, the Asus eshop, and “select local retailers” in 38 countries worldwide. Full details can be found on Xbox Wire.

The pricing is even higher than expected; leaks had previously pegged the consoles at $549.99 and $899.99 respectively. At $599.99, the base Xbox Ally is a little more expensive than the mid-range Steam Deck OLED model. Both have 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM, and they’re closely matched on power. The Steam Deck’s OLED display is likely prettier, while the Xbox Ally has a faster and higher-resolution IPS panel.

The Xbox Ally X’s huge price tag reflects its premium specs: 1 TB of storage, 24 GB of RAM, and an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. Even for a top-end handheld, $1000 is a lot. The Xbox Ally X’s closest competition is probably Asus’ own ROG Ally X ($799) and Lenovo’s SteamOS-powered Legion Go S ($829). Both are cheaper, but are built around an earlier generation of processor, the Z1 Extreme. It’s an eye-watering amount of money, but this is what it costs to be at the cutting edge of handheld gaming.

Both Xbox Ally models face a tough comparison with the Nintendo Switch 2 at $449, including its dock. Remember when that seemed incredibly expensive? Nintendo’s console is not so far off the base Xbox Ally in terms of power, and it’s much more flexible in some ways (detachable controllers, TV dock included), but of course it can’t match a PC handheld for sheer utility and the size of its game library.

Microsoft and Asus’ pitch for the Xbox Ally is a handheld console that can provide a seamless, full-screen Xbox experience, with easy access to Game Pass, alongside other PC gaming libraries like Steam and Battle.net — and also one that closes the gap in usability between the notoriously finicky Windows handhelds and the much more streamlined SteamOS. We’ll find out if they achieved it — and justified the price tag — on Oct. 16.