Microsoft and ASUS have finally set a date for the second generation of their Xbox-branded handhelds, October 16, ending a stretch in which buyers could only guess when they might hold one. The machines bring larger grips, a game-first Windows 11 experience that opens onto the Xbox home screen, and newer processors, though the prices that surfaced along the way came from a retailer page since edited and remain unconfirmed. Like many technology launches, this one is less a single event than a waypoint: it asks whether the promised upgrades will justify the wait, and whether the familiar retaile
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Handheld Lands October 16, Priced at $899.99 Per Best Buy Listings
Still expensive for a handheld, but you won't be paying more for it
Mark
So what actually changes between the old ROG Ally and this one?
Mimi
Mostly the feel and the software. Bigger, more defined grips, and a launch experience that opens on the Xbox homepage rather than the Windows 11 desktop. The chips are new too: Ryzen Z2 A in the Ally, Ryzen Z2 Extreme in the Ally X.
Mark
And the date is settled?
Mimi
October 16, announced by Microsoft this week. It lines up with an earlier leak.
Luke
That part is firm. The prices are a different matter. They came from Best Buy listings that were later pulled, spotted by Wario64 on X. Neither company has confirmed them.
Mark
Still, $549.99 for the Ally looks like a drop.
Mimi
By $100 compared with what the original ROG Ally is listed at on Best Buy now. The Ally X at $899.99 matches the earlier price.
Luke
Worth noting that comparison is against a current retail listing, not necessarily the original launch price.
Mark
What about where it will be sold?
Mimi
Microsoft doesn't say. The earlier Allys were Best Buy exclusives, so that's the guess.
Luke
A guess is all it is. And the performance claim is similar: the source says the new chips should be more powerful, but nobody has benchmarked anything yet.
Mark
Anyone waiting longer?
Mimi
Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, and India get it later, and the base Ally reaches China only in early 2026.
Le Pouls
- A long stretch of uncertainty ends abruptly with a firm launch date of October 16 that most buyers had been waiting to hear.
- Prices of $549.99 for the base model and $899.99 for the Ally X appeared on Best Buy listings, then vanished, leaving shoppers unsure what is real.
- The base Ally's price drop of $100 against the original ROG Ally sets off interest, while the Ally X holds steady at its previous cost.
- Regional rollout splits the market, with Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, and India waiting longer and China not seeing the base model until early 2026.
- Everything now hinges on whether Microsoft and ASUS confirm the Best Buy figures and whether Best Buy again becomes the sole seller.
Microsoft and ASUS have finally set a date for the second generation of their Xbox-branded handhelds, October 16, ending a stretch in which buyers could only guess when they might hold one. The machines bring larger grips, a game-first Windows 11 experience that opens onto the Xbox home screen, and newer processors, though the prices that surfaced along the way came from a retailer page since edited and remain unconfirmed. Like many technology launches, this one is less a single event than a waypoint: it asks whether the promised upgrades will justify the wait, and whether the familiar retailer pattern of the first generation will repeat.
Microsoft has finally given the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X a launch date: October 16. For many buyers, the date was the detail they wanted most and could least pin down, and it matches a leak that surfaced earlier this month.
These are ASUS's second-generation handhelds, with a few meaningful changes. The grips are larger and more defined, closer to a standard controller. The system still runs Windows 11 but leans into gaming, booting straight to an Xbox homepage where installed games live. The base model uses the Ryzen Z2 A and the Ally X uses the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which should make both more capable than their predecessors.
Microsoft did not say where the devices will be sold or what they will cost. Prices surfaced anyway, spotted by Wario64 in Best Buy's listings before they were removed. Since that retailer page was later edited, the figures remain unconfirmed. They show the Ally at $549.99, $100 less than the original ROG Ally's current Best Buy price, and the Ally X at $899.99, unchanged from before.
Most regions get both models on October 16. Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, and India will wait a bit longer, and the base Ally will not reach China until early 2026.
What comes next is whether Microsoft and ASUS confirm those prices, and whether Best Buy again becomes the exclusive seller, as it was for the originals.
Microsoft has finally given a date for the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X: October 16. The announcement this week ends a stretch in which the launch date was one of the details buyers most wanted and could least pin down. It also matches a leak about the date that surfaced earlier this month.
The Xbox editions are ASUS's second generation of handhelds, and they carry a few changes from the originals. The most visible is physical: larger, more defined hand grips, closer to what you would feel on a standard controller. The software is different too. The system still runs Windows 11, but it takes a more game-focused approach and boots straight into the Xbox homepage, where your installed games live, instead of the usual Windows 11 home screen.
ASUS also swapped the chipsets. The ROG Xbox Ally uses the Ryzen Z2 A, while the ROG Xbox Ally X gets the Ryzen Z2 Extreme. Most of the other hardware is unchanged from the earlier models, but the new processors should make both machines more powerful than their predecessors.
Microsoft's announcement left two things out: where the handhelds will be sold and what they will cost. The original ROG Ally and ROG Ally X were Best Buy exclusives, and the new ones may follow that pattern, though that is an inference rather than anything Microsoft has said.
Prices did surface. Wario64 on X spotted figures for both models in Best Buy's official listings. The prices have since been removed, though the listings themselves remain. Because they came from a retailer page that was later edited, they should be treated as unconfirmed until Microsoft or ASUS states them.
According to those listings, the ROG Xbox Ally costs $549.99. That is $100 less than the original ROG Ally is listed for on Best Buy's site right now. The ROG Xbox Ally X is listed at $899.99, the same as before, so it stays expensive for a handheld, but buyers would not be paying more than they did for the previous generation.
Both models are due on the same day in most of the world, with a few exceptions. Thailand, Brazil, Indonesia, and India will get them a bit later. The less expensive ROG Xbox Ally will not reach China until early 2026.
What to watch now is whether Microsoft and ASUS confirm the Best Buy figures, and whether Best Buy turns out to be the exclusive seller as it was for the originals.
Citations marquantes
Microsoft announced the October 16 launch date but did not mention where the handhelds will be sold or what they cost.— Android Headlines reporting on Microsoft's announcement
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