Xbox ROG Ally pre-orders finally open, and you’re not going to like the price

Months after showcasing and drumming up all the hype, Microsoft has finally opened up the pre-orders for the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally gaming handhelds. Pre-orders have gone live in 38 countries, and soon it will also expand to more markets where ROG Ally hardware was previously available, including India and China. But it’s the asking price of the console that really deserves some attention.

What’s the big picture?

The standard ROG Xbox Ally costs $599.99, while the ROG Xbox Ally X will set you back by a cool $999.99 a pop. You can book your pre-orders from the Xbox, the Microsoft Store, and the Asus web store in the United States. And yeah, the numbers are definitely higher than expected. So far, leaks had predicted a lower entry point, starting somewhere around $549.999 and reaching $849.99 for the more powerful X variant.

In case you need a price perspctive from a comparative lens, you’re paying $150 higher than the Nintendo Switch 2. In some markets, it will be even pricier than a regular Xbox console. But hey, you have to pay the handheld tax.

The competition isn’t doing much better, either. For the Asus ROG Ally X, you have to shell out $800, while the standard version costs $600. The massive $999 MSI Claw 8 AI Plus also falls in the same price ballpark as the ROG Xbox Ally X model, while the Lenovo Legion Go 2 climbs all the way up to $1,349 with the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip.

What do you get?

One of the biggest draws of these new Xbox-branded handhelds is the software. “The best part of that is that Microsoft has slashed how many pieces of Windows runs while that view is open. Anything that’s not necessary to gaming simply won’t be active, so you won’t have to worry about the calendar app suddenly taking you out of games,” said our hands-on preview with the console.

Here’s a detailed look at everything you get with these consoles:

Another big draw is the improved ergonomics on this one, aside from the streamlined game launcher experience. In case you need more detailed comparisons, you can check out our head-to-head articles for the ROG Xbox Ally X vs. Steam Deck and the ROG Xbox Ally X vs. Switch 2.