Xbox handheld release date confirmed as final prices leak

Microsoft has officially announced when you can get your hands on the ROG Xbox Ally, although you might want to start saving now.

Earlier this year, Microsoft revealed two Xbox handhelds in collaboration with Asus, called the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X.

These handhelds are basically Xbox-branded variations on Asus’s existing ROG Ally gaming devices, albeit with some improvements over the original models and an Xbox interface.

While a number of details have leaked in advance, Microsoft officially announced during its Xbox Gamescom livestream both the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X will launch worldwide on October 16, 2025.

The prices for these devices are yet to be confirmed, but reliable leaker billbil-kun has recently corroborated past leaks around how much they’ll cost.

According to the leaker (via Bluesky), the ROG Xbox Ally will cost $549.99 in the US, while the more powerful ROG Xbox Ally X is priced at $899.99. This is largely in line with past leaks, although they suggest the former might cost more in Europe, at €599 and €899 respectively.

If true, it’s likely the devices will cost around £499.99 and £799.99 in the UK. However, all these prices are yet to be officially announced.

The reason why Microsoft and Asus are holding off on the price is because they need ‘more time to figure out the macro-economic impact to pricing’ (via IGN), which likely refers to the fluctuation in US tariffs.

As for the difference between the two handhelds, the more expensive ROG Xbox Ally X comes with double the storage (1TB versus 512GB), a superior battery, special ‘impulse’ L and R triggers, a better processor, 24GB over 16GB of memory, and a Thunderbolt 4 compatible USB 4 port.

As part of the release date announcement, Microsoft introduced a new initiative called the ‘handheld compatibility program’. These are basically labels which determine whether a specific game has been optimised for handhelds or not, split between ‘handheld optimised’ and ‘mostly compatible’ badges, which will show up in your game library.

While ‘handheld optimised’ means what you’d expect, the ‘mostly compatible’ label, according to Xbox, indicates ‘games that may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld’.

There will also be something called a Windows Performance Fit indicator, split between ‘should play great’ and ‘should play well’ for 60fps and 30fps respectively, to help you see how well each respective title will run.

Microsoft might be gunning for the Christmas rush with these handhelds, but as we’ve seen with devices like the Steam Deck and the original Asus ROG Ally, the PC handheld space is still a niche market when compared to other handheld hardware like the Nintendo Switch 2.

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