ROG Xbox Ally Preorders Just Dropped — Buy the Hot New Handheld Before It Sells Out

Portable Xbox gaming just went from rumor mill to real thing. Asus has opened pre-orders for its ROG Xbox Ally handheld, with the base model starting at $599.99 and the upgraded ROG Xbox Ally X landing at a spicy $999.99. Both go on sale ahead of the official October 16, 2025 release. If you were hoping this would be cheap and cheerful, sorry. The one most people will want is basically a grand.

The basics: models, prices, release date

Two versions are up for grabs: the standard ROG Xbox Ally at $599.99 in the US and £499.99 in the UK, and the ROG Xbox Ally X at $999.99 or £799.99. Pre-orders are live now through Asus and Microsoft, with Asus also pointing to unspecified 'local retailers' jumping in too.

"These competitive prices make both the handhelds an easy choice compared to competitors."

Where to pre-order right now

Asus and Microsoft both say pre-orders are live, and a handful of usual suspects are either listing the devices or warming up. Here are the retailers I would check first, plus what to expect from each:

• Microsoft - US: from $599.99, Ally X at $999.99, and this is the officially Xbox-blessed handheld; UK: from £499.99, Ally X at £799.99.
• Asus - US: from $599.99, Ally X at $999.99, with separate product pages for the base and X models; UK: from £499.99, Ally X at £799.99.
• Best Buy - US: check stock; historically first with the original Ally and had a strong exclusive window, with listing pages up for both models.
• Amazon - US: check stock; was late on the original Ally and often flips listings live right as pre-orders open; UK: generally more reliable than the US side, but product pages may appear only when stock actually drops.
• Walmart - US: check stock; marketplace setup means third-party sellers can inflate prices, so approach with caution.
• Currys - UK: check stock; carried the original Ally right after launch and could be an early mover again.
• Very - UK: check stock; a bit of a wildcard, but often one of the first to post big pre-orders and typically has decent handheld supply.

Price check: where this sits in the handheld arms race

Asus calls the pricing competitive, and honestly, that is not wild spin. The MSI Claw A8 and Lenovo Legion Go 2 are circling similar numbers. The sticker shock is real, though. The Ally X at $999.99 is a big jump over the original Ally's $699.99 launch tag. The twist: this new base model actually undercuts that OG price at $599.99. So you are paying less to get in the door, but quite a bit more if you want the fully loaded X.

The broader trend is not subtle: handhelds are creeping into entry-level gaming laptop territory. Console-only folks used to fixed-price boxes may find these MSRPs... motivating to keep playing on the couch. Performance and price scale together here, for better and worse.

What you are actually getting

If the specs land like they should, the Ally X could be one of the stronger handhelds around this cycle, and even the base model is expected to edge out the Steam Deck OLED on raw performance. Asus is leaning into 'console comfort' too - think controller-style grips and a Windows 11 setup tuned to make launching and switching games feel less like wrestling a tiny PC and more like, well, using a handheld.

One big swing is inside the X model: a Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. At $1,000, it needs to earn that name with a clear performance gap. I will be looking for that to show up in real-world play, not just charts.

Timing, in plain English

Pre-orders went live at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, September 25, 2025, which is 1:00 am BST on Friday, September 26. Street date is Wednesday, October 16, 2025. I will have a verdict before launch, with a hard look at whether the Ally X justifies its premium and how the base model stacks up as the practical buy.