ROG Ally Release Date, Price, and Everything Else You Need to Know

Microsoft and Asus have made some big announcements regarding their upcoming handheld console, ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. In their recent official blog post, Microsoft shared the official release date, along with many other details about the product, except for the official price and preorder details. 

However, thanks to leaks, insider reports, and reviews from content creators, we have a sense of what the handheld console may cost in the US. Below, we have shared everything we know so far about the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X.

According to Microsoft, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X will launch globally on October 16, 2025, in over 30 markets, which include:

The Xbox Ally X will be available in China at launch, with the standard Ally following in early 2026. Markets like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Thailand will see releases later. 

Details on pre-orders as well as finalized pricing are expected in the upcoming days, with Microsoft promising to make an official announcement soon. 

The release date announcement from Microsoft was made very strategically. Thanks to the recent prominence of Xbox at Gamescom and the updates on the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong, which will be available on the console through Game Pass, have created a lot of hype around the ROG Ally that is very likely to have a direct effect on sales in October 2025.

While official pricing is still pending, recent leaks suggest the ROG Xbox Ally will retail for $549.99, targeting 720p gaming, and the premium ROG Xbox Ally X at $899.99, aimed at 1080p performance. However, in a short video, reviewing the console back in August 2024, tech YouTuber, ZachsTechTurf, revealed the price of the console to be $799.99, saying it “costs almost double of what the Steam Deck costs.”

The delay in confirming the price could be due to the recent confusion and uncertainty caused by the U.S. tariffs. However, looking at the prices of previous ROG handhelds, I don’t think we will see anything too far from the prices shared above.

Both handhelds feature a 7-inch 1080p IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium for smooth, tear-free visuals. They run Windows 11 with a custom Xbox full-screen interface to minimize system overhead.

ROG Xbox Ally:

ROG Xbox Ally X:

Both devices feature Xbox-inspired contoured grips, ABXY buttons, a D-pad, analog sticks, and a dedicated Xbox button for quick Game Bar access. The Ally X’s NPU enables AI features like Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) and highlight reels, which will arrive in early 2026. 

Xbox Full-Screen Experience

The handhelds boot directly into a console-like Xbox interface, reducing Windows 11’s resource usage by up to 2GB of memory and cutting idle power consumption by two-thirds. This “Xbox full-screen experience” prioritizes gaming, but you will still have the option to switch back to the traditional Windows interface if you want. 

Handheld Compatibility Program

Microsoft’s new Handheld Compatibility Program is working in the back to make sure the games that you own run smoothly on the handheld device. Once you boot up the console, you will see games in your library are labeled accordingly to their compatibility. There labels are: 

A Windows Performance Fit indicator (“Should play great” or “Should play well”) will also give the appropriate signals to help you determine what you may expect from the games’ performance. 

According to Microsoft, thousands of games have been tested on the device, with more to be optimized post-launch, making it easy to jump into games, especially titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong, which Xbox is promoting heavily in their trailers for the console.

Remote Play

This is a no-brainer; the handheld’s main focus is to give you a much more mobile platform to enjoy your favorite games. Both of the Ally devices support native play, Xbox Cloud Gaming (where available), and Remote Play from your Xbox console. 

The aggregated game library pulls titles from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net, Steam, Epic Games Store, and more. Xbox Play Anywhere ensures progress and achievements sync across Xbox consoles, PCs, and these handhelds for over 1,000 titles. You can also run apps like Discord or Twitch thanks to the Windows interface.

AI-Powered Features (Only for Ally X)

The Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme’s NPU unlocks advanced features for the Ally X, which will be launched in early 2026. These AI features are: 

More AI features are planned, and details will be made available in the upcoming days by Microsoft. 

Upcoming Enhancements

Microsoft and Asus have also made some lofty promises about their upcoming improvements with features like “Advanced Shader Delivery” that sound amazing on paper. These include: