Asus ROG Xbox Ally Pricing Leaked, Looks Ludicrous
If a recent leak of European pricing for the Xbox-branded ROG Ally varieties is to be believed, gamers may well be paying an arm and a leg.
Spanish gaming outlet 3DJuegos has unearthed a possible price leak for the upcoming Xbox-branded Asus ROG Ally varieties (Spanish language article). If the leak is to be believed, the prices will be significantly higher than any existing mainstream portables.
According to the leak, the likely pricing for the two new models is as below:
Pricing and Specs
| Model | Specs | Euro Price (as leaked) | USD price (converted) | AUD price (converted)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROG Xbox Ally | AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 RAM, 512GB SSD, 60Wh Battery | €599 | $699 | $1,060 |
| ROG Xbox Ally X | AMD Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme Processor, 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, 1TB SSD, 80Wh Battery | €899 | $1,040 | $1,599 |
* Australia tax is likely to come into play here, and the prices will be at least somewhat higher.
Microsoft have announced two varieties of the handheld - the ROG Xbox Ally, a baseline model boasting a Ryzen Z2 A Processor, 16GB of high speed LPDDR5X RAM, a 512GB SSD and 60Wh battery. The Ryzen Z2 A is built off the significantly outdated Zen 2 architecture, and while I've not seen any benchmarks, I'd say this model is likely to be on par or even less capable than the first generation of handhelds.
The flagship ROG Xbox Ally X is likely to be significantly more capable. In the X, expect to find a AMD Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme (Zen 5) processor, 24GB of faster LPDDR5X RAM, a newer iGPU, and a larger SSD and battery. This SKU is the one that looks exciting. As AMD iGPUs are highly sensitive to RAM speed, it's likely that the much faster RAM will have a large impact on the capability of the machine.
The base model for me is an interesting one. On paper it looks like it won't measure up to the first generation of handhelds, such as the Lenovo Legion Go, but is priced at a higher starting point. The flagship model however should be head and shoulder above the competition in terms of the current lot of models.
An Xbox Handheld Though?
There's been some interesting chat recently about Microsoft hardware, with former Microsoft Games Studio executive producer Laura Fryer stating that she believes the Xbox hardware business is "dead". From this point of view it makes sense that Microsoft would outsource the development of future devices. It's also the same approach Google took prior to launching its Pixel line of phones and tablets.
But with SteamOS and Bazzite available, the question remains why Microsoft is pushing so hard for a Microsoft-branded handheld?
It seems at this stage as though Microsoft's gaming business exists purely to sell Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Until recently Game Pass was only available through the Windows Xbox app, which doesn't run on Linux - a key selling point. However, Game Pass games have started to pop up on the launcher for Battle.net (now owned by Microsoft) which does run on Linux, so even this selling point is falling short.
Will you be buying the ROG Xbox Ally?