Microsoft allegedly has a release date in mind for its Xbox handhelds, with pre-orders starting very soon.
During its Xbox games showcase earlier this month, Microsoft admitted that the long-rumoured Xbox handheld from Asus was real, revealing two models dubbed the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X.
The announcement was brief though, and omitted two key details: a precise launch date, beyond a Christmas 2025 window, and how much the two models will cost.
A recent rumour purports to know the answer to both questions, but a separate report claims that while the release date is accurate, the price is still subject to change.
The original rumour comes from eXtas1s, who frequently leaks details surrounding Xbox Game Pass. In a YouTube video shared over the weekend, he said the handhelds are aiming for an October 2025 launch and suggested the standard model will cost $499 and the more powerful Ally X model could cost $799.
These are exactly how much Asus’ own ROG Ally and ROG Ally X handhelds cost in the US, so it’s reasonable to assume their UK prices – £599 and £799 respectively – would also match.
This was already a safe assumption since making the Xbox handhelds cheaper would risk undercutting the Asus models. Why buy one of those when the Xbox models are near enough identical and cost less?
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However, according to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, Microsoft hasn’t settled on any exact pricing, even though Corden’s sources also point to an October launch.
The obvious explanation is that this is due to the uncertainty of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs, which have already had a significant impact on the video game scene and led to Sony and Microsoft bumping up prices for their hardware.
Corden’s report states that Asus has manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, Mexico, and Czechia; all of which Trump has imposed tariffs on to varying degrees.
On its own, this essentially makes importing the Xbox handhelds into the US more expensive, but it doesn’t help that the rules have kept changing over the past couple of months.
No doubt this has made Microsoft wary about committing to a price, lest a sudden adjustment force them to increase it, which would only tick customers off and potentially lead to reduced sales.
If Microsoft is indeed aiming for an October launch, though, then it doesn’t have much longer to make a decision since pre-orders are expected to go live in the coming months, with eXtas1s alleging they’ll begin in August.
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