Microsoft wants to sell you a Steam Deck in 2025 for $600 as Xbox Ally pricing unveiled

An ROG Xbox Ally X and Ally shown during Microsoft's Xbox stream in June 2025.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

At last, we have pricing for the long-awaited ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. So, get ready to prostrate your wallet, because even the basic ROG Xbox Ally is 600 bucks. Yeah, really. The top-spec ROG Xbox Ally X, meanwhile, is $1,000. Sorry, what?

Lest you have forgotten, the basic ROG Xbox Ally runs AMD's "new" AMD Ryzen Z2 A chip. Entirely contrary to the implications of the "Z2" branding, this is a very elderly SoC indeed.

But it's still LCD, not OLED, and frankly, given the modest performance of the AMD Ryzen Z2 A, all that 1080p-ness and 120 Hz flexing is probably for naught. Anything demanding ain't gonna run at 1080p and 120 Hz on this thing.

Then there's the whole Xbox-skinned Windows 11 versus Steam. Time will tell, but I suspect that's no contest, and it's the Microsoft platform that's not in the running. At least you get a 512 GB SSD on the ROG Xbox Ally, I suppose.

I'm not sure the ROG Xbox Ally X is much better. Sure, it runs the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, which is AMD's latest APU for handhelds. But it's actually the now-familiar AMD Strix Point APU, which isn't a huge step from its predecessor on account of being based on the same TSMC N4 silicon.

Personally, I'd argue we're going to have to wait for AMD to release a 3nm handheld APU before we get a really worthwhile performance step. All of which means that's $1,000 for pretty mediocre gaming performance.

I'd far rather chuck $319 at a basic Steam Deck, go in with very modest expectations and have them met than pay $1,000, rightly anticipate a high-end experience and be disappointed. As for paying $600 for the non-X model, that's a complete non-starter. What are Microsoft and Asus thinking?

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MSI Claw 8 AI+

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Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.

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