We’re officially in the Gamescom cycle, which means a steady stream of previews, like our hands-on impressions of Hollow Knight: Silksong, and news tidbits. Xbox provided the latter today, announcing that its upcoming handheld line, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, will hit store shelves on October 16, just two months from now.
However, while the release date is clear, we don’t yet know how much either product will cost. In a roundtable interview with IGN, Asus senior vice president Shawn Yen said, “I think we will have to… we need more time to figure the macro-economic impact to pricing, and that’s why we’ll be sharing more later, in September and October.” Because the prices aren’t yet live, neither are pre-orders.
The handheld is made in partnership with Asus, a company that has been producing the ROG Ally handheld for a few years now. The cheaper models currently retail for around $500 USD, so it’s likely that a partnership between Asus and Xbox would go for around that amount or higher.
Xbox’s release date announcement also detailed some of the handheld’s new features, including a handheld compatibility program, which helps to indicate which games are best suited for handheld play, similar to the Steam Deck’s verification program. On Xbox, games will either be “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible,” with the latter requiring “minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld.” There’s also a “Windows Performance Fit” rating to judge how well the game will run on your device.
Stay tuned to our Game Informer coverage to see our hands-on impressions with these devices. In the mean time, catch up on the coolest games we’ve played at Gamescom 2025, which we’ll be updating as the week continues.
