Xbox has never had more range and more variety as it aims to be more things to more people. Thatâs the platformâs message as it addresses next-gen hardware questions and the sticker shock of the ROG Xbox Ally X, even as some fans wonder if they should still bother investing in the companyâs growing multiplatform ecosystem.
While those players continue to question just how committed Microsoft is to console gaming, Xbox representatives continue to beat the same drum: new dedicated hardware is coming. Will that be a traditional console, a Windows gaming PC in an Xbox shell, or something in-between? The company isnât saying just yet, but continues to hint at a next-gen lineup that breaks with its past.
âWe are 100 percent looking at making things in the future,â Xbox President Sarah Bond told Variety last week. âWe have our next-gen hardware in development. Weâve been looking at prototyping, designing. We have a partnership weâve announced with AMD around it, so that is coming. What we saw here was an opportunity to innovate in a new way and to bring gamers another choice, in addition to our next-gen hardware. We are always listening to what players and creators want. When there is demand for innovation, weâre going to build it.â
That focus on âwhat players and creators wantâ was reiterated by Xbox corporate vice president of gaming devices Roanne Sones. âWe have a variety of innovations in store that Iâm really excited about, and theyâre going to sit side by side with this collaboration that we have with ASUS,â she recently told The Hollywood Reporter. âYouâve seen how weâre willing to take some of the hardware IP that we do have and use that to kind of boost and get more choice and more flexibility to players. At the end of the day, thatâs what should be guiding us, not some weird boundary.â
Why is the ROG Xbox Ally X $1,000?
Both interviews came alongside the launch of the new Xbox-branded Asus PC gaming handheld. The Xbox Ally X is in contention for being the best Windows gaming device out there right now, even if it has a bunch of OS kinks that still need to be worked out. But any recommendation is overshadowed by the glaring price tag.
At $1,000, the premium Windows handheld experience is double the price of a standard Switch 2 and Steam Deck, and still $200 more than last yearâs ROG Ally X Z1 Extreme. If the Xbox Ally X came in at $800 or less, it would feel like compelling competition that wasnât just aimed at high-end enthusiasts. So why is it priced so much higher?
âWe looked at, how do we create multiple options for people? And it really was Asus, because this is their hardware,â Bond told Variety. âThat is all of their insight into the market, into the feature set, into what people want, to determine the ultimate prices of the devices.â
While it may have been Asusâ decision to make, the main culprit is President Trumpâs tariff-fueled trade war with China and other East Asia manufacturing hubs. âItâs all to do with the macroeconomic factors,â Sones told The Hollywood Reporter. âIâm not going to specify specifics around what prices were or werenât, but I think the dynamic of why you see the price as it is, is because of what we are dealing with more broadly in the consumer electronics industry.â
Maybe that means weâll eventually see a more competitively priced Xbox Ally X in the future, or maybe Microsoftâs next-gen ambitions will be torpedoed by the Trump administration before they can even get off the ground. Even at $1,000, though, Microsoft says the Xbox Ally X is selling out.
âI feel really good about the value that weâre giving gamers for the price, based off the reception to the hardware,â Bond said.
