We’re less than a month away from the ROG Xbox Ally — the official Xbox handheld device(s) — releasing in stores, yet there’s no price tag. This is perhaps the longest any product has gone in the this industry without a price attached to it, especially considering it’s been unveiled and tested, even previewed to the general public earlier this summer. Marketing has been fully underway for it, yet Microsoft is holding its cards close to the chest. What makes this concerning is that Xbox prices have increased substantially in 2025.
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Back in May, Xbox prices increased across by the board by $80-$130, with the Xbox Series X going up by $100 itself. It became the most-expensive base Xbox that Microsoft had ever released, tying with the original PS3 at $599. Now, just five months later, Xbox prices are going up again — this time by $20-$70, with the highest-end version, the 2TB Xbox Series X, going for a whopping $799. That would’ve been unheard of a year ago, when the base console was actually on sale for $350 (almost half of what it will be come October). So, what does this mean for the ROG Xbox Ally?
How Expensive Will the ROG Xbox Ally X Be?
In their statement, Microsoft attributes both rounds of Xbox price increases to the “macroeconomic environment” in the United States, referring to the tariffs that the US government has placed on countries around the world, particularly China. It’s led to price increases on various products, but for gaming, it hasn’t been exclusive to Xbox. Recently, Nintendo increased the price of the Switch (after Switch 2 released) and Sony hiked up PS5 prices; it’s possible both will go up again as well. Because it’s such a dynamic environment at this time, it begs to reason the ROG Xbox Ally will be higher than people expected.
Currently, Microsoft has partnered with Asus and their Republic of Gamers brand to create an Xbox version of the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, dubbed the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. The original versions sell for $649 and $899, respectively, given the X is much more powerful and capable of higher-demanding games. It’s possible Asus will increase the prices of those handhelds in the future — either in 2026 or around the time the Xbox handhelds come out. For the latter, at this point, it’s far more believable that the high-end ROG Xbox Ally X will be at least $999, if not higher.
ROG Xbox Ally X Will Need to Be Over $900, But Will It Come With an Incentive?
Cost of materials, licensing, distribution, and marketing, among other things, will most likely drive up the price. If a base Xbox Series X, which released five years ago, is now $300 more than it cost around this time last year, a brand-new system that is based on another device, which itself is already $900, would undoubtedly be more expensive. Microsoft now wants its cut, and is no longer purely interested in getting people on Game Pass, it seems.
The thing is, a partnership like this normally would come with a subsidy or some sort of incentive from Microsoft to establish foundation of players for the device — and ecosystem. That’s always been the driving factor for selling consoles at a loss out the gate, but that changed with the tariffs and other economic uncertainties. Recently, Sony reportedly began offering $100 PSN credit to some PS4 owners who upgrade to the PS5, following the latter’s price increase this summer. Perhaps Microsoft will offer a similar incentive for the ROG Xbox Ally devices. But right now, while there’s no telling what the price will be, I can’t imagine it’s less than $999. And if it is, I don’t see it staying there long-term.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
