Microsoft points finger at Asus for the ROG Xbox Ally’s hefty pricing

The article discusses the hefty pricing of the new ROG Xbox Ally handheld, which costs $600 for the base model and $1,000 for the upgraded Xbox Ally X. Microsoft's Xbox president, Sarah Bond, has pointed the finger at Asus, stating that the pricing was Asus' decision based on their market insights and feature set. However, the article suggests that it's hard to believe Microsoft didn't have significant input on the final prices, given the close collaboration between the two companies. The pricing of the ROG Xbox Ally is compared to other similar devices with Ryzen hardware, such as the Lenovo Legion Go S and Go 2, which are also in the same price range. The article also notes that consoles are generally sold at a loss, with the expectation of making up the difference through game sales. If Microsoft wants the ROG Xbox Ally to be considered an "Xbox," it may need to push harder on the consumer scales to get the price down, especially with the more affordable $400 Steam Deck as a competitor.