Microsoft has taken a lot of beating lately, and that's even before the decision to raise the price of Xbox Game Pass. Criticism has come from former employees, fans and rivals alike, all questioning the company's strategy. To add to all of this, the ROG Xbox Ally X also underperforms for its $1,000 price tag, especially since the performance just isn't worth the cost.
While the console's features and performance are something Asus and Xbox will have to figure out in time, questions are still being asked about the console's price tag. Despite the Xbox name being attached to it, Xbox president Sarah Bond has said it was a call Asus made after careful market research.
Asus set the price at $1000, not Xbox
In an interview with Variety (via PC Gamer), Bond said the price provides a lot of value for gamers, especially considering all the features that come with the console. “We looked at how do we create more options for people? And it was really Asus, because this is their hardware,” she said. “It's all their insight into the market, into the feature set, into what people want, to determine the final prices of the devices.
“I feel really good about the value we're giving gamers for the price, based on the reception of the hardware.” Bond also said she thinks the price is justified, and that pre-orders selling out prove that even gamers think it's worth it. Even if this is true, only the final sales figures will prove if Bond is correct.
Then again, Xbox sometimes seems unsure of its own decisions. It has scaled back the Game Pass price hike in some regions, while reiterating its commitment to consoles after making it sound like it was moving to a platform-first strategy. Perhaps the price of the ROG Xbox Ally X could be reduced if future sales are not as predicted.
- Stamp
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Xbox / ROG
- Operating system
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Windows 11 Home
- Processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor
- Show
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7″ IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
- Resolution
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FHD 1080p
- Original release date
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2025
