ASUS Republic of Gamers and Microsoft are bringing their collaboration to market with the worldwide release of two new gaming handhelds on October 16, 2025. Designed to fit different playstyles and preferences, these handhelds bring the heart of your Xbox library directly into the palm of your hand. The devices also integrated with ASUS’s high-performance hardware with the versatility of Windows and the accessibility of the Xbox ecosystem, ensuring that players can easily access their games, stay connected with friends, and maintain their progress across platforms
Pricing and Availability
The ROG Xbox Ally X carries an estimated retail price of $999.99 USD, positioning it as the premium option designed for performance-focused players. The standard ROG Xbox Ally is priced at $599.99 USD, making it accessible to a broader audience ranging from casual gamers to dedicated enthusiasts. Regional pricing will be confirmed as pre-orders become available in each market.
Pre-orders opened starting September 25, 2025, across thirty countries:
Initial Markets
| No | Country | No | Country | No | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 11 | Italy | 21 | Saudi Arabia |
| 2 | Belgium | 12 | Japan | 22 | Singapore |
| 3 | Canada | 13 | Mexico | 23 | Spain |
| 4 | Czech Republic | 14 | Netherlands | 24 | Sweden |
| 5 | Denmark | 15 | New Zealand | 25 | Taiwan |
| 6 | Finland | 16 | Norway | 26 | Turkey |
| 7 | France | 17 | Poland | 27 | United Arab Emirates |
| 8 | Germany | 18 | Portugal | 28 | United Kingdom |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 19 | Republic of Korea | 29 | United States |
| 10 | Ireland | 20 | Romania | 30 | Vietnam |
Additional Markets (joining October 16)
| No | Country | No | Country | No | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 4 | Indonesia | 7 | Thailand |
| 2 | Greece | 5 | Slovenia | 8 | Ukraine |
| 3 | Hungary | 6 | South Africa |
Customers can place pre-orders through Xbox’s official channels, the Microsoft Store (in the United States), the ASUS eshop, and authorized local retailers. The devices will also become available in markets where ROG Ally products currently sell, including Brazil, China, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Philippines, and Switzerland, with further expansion details to follow.
Integration with the Xbox Ecosystem
The development team focused on creating a genuinely console-like experience within a portable form factor. Both handhelds run on Windows 11 but feature a full-screen Xbox interface specifically optimized for gaming. The system architecture has been refined to minimize background processes and postpone non-essential operations, ensuring maximum resources remain dedicated to active gameplay.
A hardware Xbox button provides immediate access to an enhanced Game Bar overlay, allowing players to navigate home screens, browse their game libraries, manage active titles, communicate with friends, and access ROG’s Armoury Crate SE software. The unified library interface aggregates games from Xbox, Game Pass (in supported regions), Battle.net, and other PC gaming platforms, eliminating the need to switch between multiple launchers.
The physical design incorporates Xbox controller-inspired grips, engineered to support extended play sessions without discomfort. Each purchase includes a three-month Xbox Game Pass subscription, granting access to hundreds of titles across devices. Complete terms for this offer will be released before the October 16 launch date.
Flexible Play Options
The Xbox Ally handhelds support three distinct methods of accessing games. Native play allows users to run PC games directly from any digital storefront installed on the device. Through Xbox Play Anywhere, over 1,000 titles can be played across console, PC, and handheld with a single purchase. This cross-platform functionality already accounts for the majority of Xbox console playtime, now extending to portable scenarios.
Remote play enables streaming from a user’s Xbox console to the handheld anywhere within their home network, utilizing an interface optimized for portable use. Xbox Cloud Gaming Beta extends this capability beyond the home, allowing players to stream their console game library while traveling or commuting, resuming progress from any location where the service is available.
To address compatibility concerns inherent in handheld gaming, Xbox is introducing the Handheld Compatibility Program. This initiative identifies games that perform well on portable devices, with thousands of titles designated as either Handheld Optimized or Mostly Compatible at launch, helping players make informed decisions about which games will deliver quality experiences on their devices.
Accessory Ecosystem
A range of compatible accessories is launching alongside the handhelds, available for separate purchase. Pre-orders for these accessories opened today, concurrent with the device pre-orders.
For expanded storage capacity, SanDisk is offering microSD cards engineered specifically for the Xbox Ally series, providing up to 2TB of capacity with read speeds reaching 200MB/s. Seagate’s FireCuda 530R SSD delivers higher performance with Microsoft DirectStorage support and capacities up to 4TB across 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB configurations.
The ROG Xbox Ally Premium Carrying Case offers protection with its water-repellent exterior and soft fleece interior lining. The co-branded case includes a detachable pouch sized for a 65W charger (sold separately) and features a streamlined design that fits easily into larger bags while protecting against scratches and impacts during transport.
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