The Xbox handheld is on the horizon. It was shown off at Gamescom, and the release date is set for October 16th. Shortly after this announcement, prices showed up at Best Buy, and it will cost you a pretty penny. Can the current market handle the prices set for the Xbox ROG Ally, and more specifically, the Ally X?

Like the ASUS products, Xbox will have a ROG Ally and ROG Ally X versions. The prices have been set at $549.99 and $899.99 USD, respectively. Many people online balked at the price, especially that of the Ally X. While the price may not be much of a sticker shock to PC gamers who are used to paying a pretty penny for customized and high-performing builds, but it certainly is for console users. The almost $1,000 price tag certainly surprised me and caused me to wonder if the market can bear these prices. Even the consoles aren’t that expensive, with the Xbox Series X costing $599.99 and the PlayStation 5 Pro costing $749.99. Why pay even more for a handheld? Well, there are certainly lots of benefits to handhelds, such as the growing “mobile” market (as in, a desire to play on the go) and flexibility. But enough talk, let’s take a look at the price and existing competitors:

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• Xbox ROG Ally: $549.99
• 7-inch screen
• 720p
• 16 GB memory
• 512 GB storage
• CPU: AMD RYZEN Z2A APU

VERSUS:

• ROG Ally: $649.99
• 7-inch screen
• 1080p
• 16 GB memory
• 512 GB Storage
• CPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor

VERSUS:

• Legion Go: $699.99
• 8.8-inch screen
• 1440p
• 16 GB memory
• 512 GB Storage
• CPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor

VERSUS:

• Steam Deck LCD: $399.99
• 7-inch screen
• 1280p
• 16 GB memory
• 256 GB Storage
• CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t

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Here is a honed-in look at the premium version:

• Xbox ROG Ally X: $899.99
• 7-inch screen
• 1080P
• CPU: AMD RYZEN AI Z2 EXTREME
• 24 GB memory
• 1 TB storage

VERSUS:

• ROG Ally X: $899.99
• 7-inch screen
• 1080p
• 24GB memory
• 1T Storage
• CPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor

VERSUS:

• Steam Deck 1TB OLED: $649.99
• 7-inch screen
• 1280p
• 16 GB memory
• 1TB GB Storage
• CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t

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If we dug even deeper into specs and nuances, we’d be here for months; however, it’s safe to say Xbox has set their handheld products on par with the other Window’s based handheld devices. The Steam deck is understandably less costly given its limited OS.

How about comparing it to the Xbox Series X 1TB? It has 16GB memory, 1TB storage, 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU, and 4K optic drive. Not bad for $599.99, and that’s after the price increase.

What makes this conversation interesting is how Xbox is shifting its marketing campaign. The “This is an Xbox” ad promotes the ability to play Xbox across several platforms. It certainly seems like they are distancing themselves from the traditional console, but with a dedicated Xbox button on their ROG Ally handheld, I wonder how many people will own both the console and the handheld. It certainly isn’t required so long as you have an Xbox account; however, the jury is out on how many people will purchase the handheld only. Keep in mind that because this is a Window’s based handheld, it can only play PC games natively. It can’t play console games natively, and Microsoft’s answer to that is the Xbox Play Anywhere feature. It allows players to buy a single digital license, where achievements and save data are synchronized between devices. However, not every game is available in Xbox Play Anywhere. So, it’s either that or play via the Cloud.

What do you think of the Xbox ROG Ally price point, and do you think most purchases will come from current Xbox console owners? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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Sources: Xbox, Steam, Lenovo, ASUS, Windows Central

Featured Image Source: ASUS