Prices have reportedly leaked for the Asus Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally handhelds, and while no one expected either model to aggressively target the Steam Deck, it's still surprising to see that the Xbox Ally X could cost as much as $999. This would be twice the cost of the base Steam Deck LCD, and you would have some cash spare for more than a few games, too.
The new Asus Xbox Ally X could earn a spot on our extensive guide to the best gaming handheld if it lives up to expectations, but value plays a big role, and this reported price leak could make the handheld a difficult sell. In fact, this handheld would be the most expensive Xbox-branded console ever, if reports are correct.
This price leak comes from the Asus webstore in Spain and was initially reported by Notebookcheck but has since been removed. However, the below image was featured in the article and shows the Asus Xbox Ally with a price of €599 and the Xbox Ally X with a price of €899.01.
Using the current currency conversion, this could place the Xbox Ally X at $1,050, which would more than likely be rounded down to $999, but that's just our best estimate. Either way, it would be more expensive than the base Ally X, and the most expensive gaming handheld from a mainstream Steam Deck rival, alongside the MSI Claw since its price rise earlier this year.
As for the Xbox Ally, this would cost $699 based on current currency conversion, which seems a lot more reasonable, but until we know more about the power of the AMD Ryzen Z2 chip, it's hard to say what its gaming performance will look like.
Given the huge power advantage over the Steam Deck, it's unsurprising to see the Xbox Ally models reportedly come in so far over the price of Valve's handheld. However, we're slowly creeping over the $1,000 price point for handhelds. This is a spot currently occupied by brands like Ayaneo and AOKZOE, which are often devices that are made to order through crowd funding campaigns.
Time will tell whether this leaked price is correct, so take it with a grain of salt for now. In the meantime, you can check out our comprehensive guide to buying the best gaming PC if handhelds aren't quite your speed.
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