Xbox's Handheld Has A Price, And It Costs More Than An Xbox

"When Microsoft announced the release date for the handheld ROG Xbox Ally but didn't say the price, it seemed immediately likely it was going to be uncomfortably high. The figures are now known, and yup, even the cheaper model will cost you more than a brand new Xbox Series X. There are two models of the Xbox Ally, the ROG-made handheld console that'll either play or stream not just Xbox games, but also games via multiple other storefronts including Steam: ROG Xbox Ally 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD: $599.99 ROG Xbox Ally X 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD: $999.99"

"Crikey. Right now on Amazon the Xbox Series X with a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM will cost you $549.99. Other places are charging $599.99, the same price as the lower-spec Ally. Ouch. But how does that compare with the Xbox Ally's main rival, Valve's Steam Deck? Well, Valve rather cannily just put its lowest spec 256GB LCD model on sale at $319.20, but given that's below either of the Ally models it's not the fairest comparison. (But still a mighty fine device.) Fairer is the mid-spec OLED Steam Deck with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, so directly equivalent with the cheaper Ally-that'll cost you $549, so only marginally cheaper (and, importantly, older tech). The 1TB version still only has the 16GB RAM, but only costs $649.99, so massively cheaper than the pricier Xbox handheld."

"The Steam Deck, of course, came out in 2022, so is pretty dated in computing terms. It'll still play The Witcher 3 for sure, but it's definitely struggling with some high-end games. It also makes the price comparison somewhat inaccurate, given the Xbox Ally is using AMD's new Z2 CPU (although there's speculation how much better it is), with the Ally X using the Z2 Extreme. A thousand bucks for the top-end Ally X seems like a colossal ask to me. It's nearly twice the price of the Xbox Series X, and you could get a very punchy desktop PC for the same price. It'll be fascinating to see if people embrace the price-point. It's now available to pre-order at Best"

The ROG Xbox Ally arrives in two configurations: a 16GB RAM/512GB SSD model priced at $599.99 and an Ally X with 24GB RAM/1TB SSD priced at $999.99. The base Ally costs more than many current Xbox Series X listings, while comparable Steam Deck configurations remain generally cheaper. The Steam Deck launched in 2022 and can struggle with some high-end titles. The Ally uses AMD's newer Z2 family (with the Ally X on Z2 Extreme), leaving questions about real-world performance advantages. The top-tier Ally X’s $999.99 price is notably high and is available for pre-order.

Read at Kotaku