The New Xbox Handhelds Are Priceless (for Now)
Xbox users, I’m going to hold your hand when I say this … we still don’t know how much those handhelds will cost yet. Over two months after dropping a dramatic trailer for the ROG Xbox Ally and the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X, Microsoft and Asus haven’t confirmed pricing or preorder information for the products, which will allow Xbox customers to play PC games without a console. Microsoft and Asus did deign to announce that the long-awaited devices will be available for purchase on October 16 in the United States and multiple other international markets. Asus has promised that pricing and preorder information will be released “in the coming weeks,” per Gizmodo.
Could Xbox’s venture into the handheld market steamroll competitors like Steam Deck or make gamers decide to Switch devices? Attendees at Gamescom 2025 in Germany will be the first to test out the handhelds this week, but it seems difficult for them to make value judgments before we know how much customers will be expected to shell out. So why the secrecy? The Verge reports that the exact cost could still be under wraps because of uncertainty related to Donald Trump’s global tariffs. MAGA doesn’t stand for Make America Game Again.
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