It’s official. Following a number of leaks surrounding both the price and release timing, Microsoft’s first foray into partnered Xbox hardware – the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X has a release date. Curiously, the price remains a mystery – at least for now.
Xbox Ally Release Date Confirmed for October 16th
The previous leaks on the release date appear to have been correct. Both versions of the Xbox Ally – from the standard White version to the more powerful Xbox Ally X with impulse triggers are releasing on October 16th, worldwide.
What is now under some scrutiny is the price for both the devices, which has not yet been revealed.
The word here on the ground at Gamescom is that following the leaked prices, ASUS and Microsoft closely monitored reactions. The original plan was indeed to reveal both the release date and pricing, including how and when pre-orders would go live. Instead, it seems both ASUS and Microsoft are working to further subsidize the handheld devices, in an effort to perhaps improve the pricing in the eyes of consumers. Any pricing you’re seeing right now it seems, is merely placeholder.
It’s an interesting step for this new hardware relationship, but overall I think the delay in detailing pricing for the Xbox Ally is a promising sign.
One, it shows a desire to give the relatively new ‘Handheld Xbox’ a genuine chance at being more than a hardcore, niche product. Two, it shows that Xbox and ASUS are very much paying attention. Sure, it would have been smoother to share all the information in one hit, but if an improvement on the rumoured ‘placeholder’ pricing is on the way, that can only be a good thing.
We went hands on with the Xbox Ally X during Summer Game Fest, and to describe it as a vast improvement on the existing ROG Ally is perhaps, and understatement. I shared my thoughts here, saying: “As a current ROG Ally X owner, holding the Xbox Ally X in your hands you can’t help but notice the immediate improvement in how the device sits in your hands. It really does feel like holding a slight heavier Xbox Elite Controller. As someone who already delights in pads that let you add additional weights, it felt great.“
We look forward to getting a deeper hands on with Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, and will bring you a full hardware review closer to launch. As for how much that will cost you, we’ll have to wait and see.
