Microsoft and Asus open Xbox Ally preorders — the X costs $999

Microsoft and Asus have officially opened preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X gaming handhelds. The Xbox Ally is priced at $599 in the US, while the more powerful Xbox Ally X costs $999. These prices vary across different regions, with the Xbox Ally ranging from €599 to $799 AUD and the Xbox Ally X ranging from €899 to $1599 AUD. The Xbox Ally X will be exclusive to Best Buy, the Asus Shop, and Microsoft in the US, while the standard Xbox Ally will be available at a wider range of retailers. Both handhelds are set to ship on October 16th. The pricing of these devices has been a topic of discussion, as they are more expensive than traditional consoles like the Xbox Series X. However, the handhelds offer the ability to play games on the go, which can be appealing to certain users. The devices also feature a new build of Windows that is optimized for gaming. The article also mentions that the Xbox Ally X is powered by the same AMD Z2 Extreme chip found in some gaming laptops, potentially making it a compelling option for PC gamers. Overall, the release of these Xbox-branded handhelds represents an expansion of Microsoft's gaming ecosystem.