- A reliable insider corroborates the rumor that Microsoft and Asus were planning to lower the ROG Ally X price.
- Fan backlash after the leaked prices made both companies consider lowering the pricing, but plans fell apart.
- The handheld is now priced at $999, leading to a lot of controversy and criticism across the industry.
Xbox is now diving headfirst into the booming handheld market to challenge the competition after the rest of the gaming giants. Microsoft is launching its new lineup of ROG Ally and ROG Ally X handhelds in a partnership with Asus, but not everything is turning out well.
The ROG Ally X has been criticized due to its exorbitant $999.99 pricing, making it one of the most costly handhelds on the market. However, new rumors suggest that Microsoft & Asus tried to lower ROG Ally X pricing around Gamescom, but the plan fell through.
Why it matters: The Xbox ROG Ally X handheld would have been more affordable and within the budget of many gamers if both companies had been successful at lowering its price. Now, it may end up as a niche product instead.
As corroborated by notable insider Tom Henderson, the release date for ROG Ally X was announced without its pricing at Gamescom because Asus and Microsoft were monitoring the fan backlash that came out of leaked prices earlier this year.
Both collaborators wanted to ‘further subsidize’ the handheld pricing to something that would appeal more to gamers. As we know, the plans didn’t eventually materialize, which could likely be due to tough market conditions.
Exactly what he said, but it didn’t work out.
-Tom Henderson, industry insider.
ROG Ally X could turn out to be a niche product due to high pricing. Its stock ran dry within a day after pre-orders went live, which implies that it may have legs that Xbox is expecting—or it may mean the stocks were quite low to begin with.
Another major criticism of ROG Ally X is that it cannot run your entire Xbox library since games need to be supported by Xbox Play Anywhere.
Do you think the Xbox ROG Ally X would have generated more anticipation if it had cost less? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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