Xbox Official Xbox thread

[Madmick]

Well I would add that its not just a cheaper alternative it's also plug and play. A PC is not plug and play and while they are much easier to use than they used to be there is still issues that come up with PC gaming.

In this situation from what I heard is PCs are exempt and consoles aren't from tariffs.

I'm one of the most vocal proponents of PC gaming on this forum, obviously, everyone here knows that, but even I think it's pretty silly to compare a price someone allegedly paid for a PC years ago to the price of consoles now after a price hike due to tariffs. The Galaxy 2TB is $729. Today if you were building economically but sensibly it would run you ~$950+ to build a R5-7600X + 4060 Ti + 16GBRAM + 2TB SSD PC even without including Windows, a keyboard, and a mouse.

But, IMO, the reason that particular offering looks so stupid at that price point is because the PS5 Pro exists at $749.

Between their comparatively inflated price hikes relative to their competitors, and the price leaks of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally units, assuming those are accurate, it would seem Microsoft really will be pushing their chips into handheld gaming moving forward.


Current MSRPs (vs. Original Launch MSRP)

PS5 Digital: $499 (+20%)
PS5: $549 (+10%)
PS5 Pro: $749 (n/a; launch price)

XSS 500GB: $399 (+33%)
XSS 1TB: $449 (+29%)
XSX Digital: $599 (+33%)
XSX 1TB: $649 (+30%)
XSX 2TB: $729 (+22%)

NS Lite: $229 (+15%)
NS LCD: $339 (+13%)
NS OLED: $399 (+14%)
NS2: $449 (n/a; launch price)

Steam Deck LCD 256GB: $399 (-25%)
Steam Deck OLED 512GB: $549 (n/a; launch price)
Steam Deck OLED 1TB: $649 (n/a; launch price)

 

[KaNesDeath]

Apparently the majority of Americans voters actually want to pay more for things for some reason.

One more thing about the pricing: I built a Ryzen 5 7600/4060 Ti 16GB machine for my son for about the same price as the Galaxy Black Xbox. Pretty crazy when you think about it. Consoles are supposed to be the cheaper alternative to gaming PCs, but while the upfront cost is usually lower, the added expenses of online subscriptions and pricier games really narrows that gap.

With consoles its a bunch of contributing factors causing their price to increase instead of being at minimum 50% cheaper like previous generations. Things like lack of exclusive game titles, inability for the console maker to break into the live service market, stagnating user market, tariffs, production allocation and inflation play a role. Biggest contributor is that the console age demographic has drastically increased. Target audience is no longer children to young adults who rely on their parents disposable income. An because of that Microsoft, Sony and even Nintendo abandoned past console pricing trends.

For its really strange that five year old released gaming hardware thats based off seven year old Pc gaming hardware is more expensive to purchase in 2025.

 

[Strychnine]

As a person who doesn't play scary games, I must admit this looks crazy good.

But...

No thank you... No thank you

 

[method115]

As a person who doesn't play scary games, I must admit this looks crazy good.

But...

No thank you... No thank you

Haha it sucks man because horror games these days look so good but I just can't handle it.

 

[Strychnine]

 

[Strychnine]

Haha it sucks man because horror games these days look so good but I just can't handle it.

I know, right! I played and beat Alien: Isolation because it was sci-fi and I thought of it as giant game of Hide and Seek. But with OD and that knocking at the door?!

No thank you

 

[Strychnine]

 

[rikwebb]

Not gonna lie i found it funny Forza themselves leaked it by accident a few hours before the show on IG

 

[Slobodan]

That's awesome

 

[rikwebb]

Prices for the Xbox branded ROG Ally's are up

• Europe: 599€ for non X and 899€ for the X
• UK: £499for non X, £799 X
• Australia: 799 AUD for non X, 1599 AUD for X
• Canada: $799 CAD for non X, $1299 CAD for X
• US: $599 for non X, $999 for X

Xbox Ally Prices Revealed: Handheld Console Will Cost Up to $1,000

Microsoft has set the prices for its new Xbox Ally handheld gaming consoles, revealing the premium version will run customers nearly $1,000.

variety.com

 

[avenue94]

Prices for the Xbox branded ROG Ally's are up

• Europe: 599€ for non X and 899€ for the X
• UK: £499for non X, £799 X
• Australia: 799 AUD for non X, 1599 AUD for X
• Canada: $799 CAD for non X, $1299 CAD for X
• US: $599 for non X, $999 for X

Xbox Ally Prices Revealed: Handheld Console Will Cost Up to $1,000

Microsoft has set the prices for its new Xbox Ally handheld gaming consoles, revealing the premium version will run customers nearly $1,000.

variety.com

I wonder if people realize(ie the leaks everyone got excited about) that Best Buy tags are e-paper and quite easy to change on the fly.

 

[Strychnine]

That's awesome

Mt. Fuji kicked my whole entire @$$. I was 40 and IN-SHAPE. The only problem was I had never been at altitude before.

Lord have mercy, I've never felt that ever in my entire life.

 

[Madmick]

Prices for the Xbox branded ROG Ally's are up

• Europe: 599€ for non X and 899€ for the X
• UK: £499for non X, £799 X
• Australia: 799 AUD for non X, 1599 AUD for X
• Canada: $799 CAD for non X, $1299 CAD for X
• US: $599 for non X, $999 for X

Xbox Ally Prices Revealed: Handheld Console Will Cost Up to $1,000

Microsoft has set the prices for its new Xbox Ally handheld gaming consoles, revealing the premium version will run customers nearly $1,000.

variety.com

Well that's unfortunate, but that higher end unit is still blowing away any other premium handheld on the market in terms of pricing, as I mentioned in my edit on the previous page with the comparison to its closest major analogue in the Lenovo Legion Go 2. In fact, it's not even appropriate to compare the $1049 base unit of the Go 2 because that only has the Ryzen Z2, not the Ryzen Z2 extreme. It's a full step down.

The competitor to the $999 ROG Xbox Ally X is this variant of the Go 2-- it costs $1349 from Best Buy, and it still has an inferior chipset:

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/legion-go-2-8-8-144hz-2k-oled-gaming-handheld-amd-ryzen-z2-extreme-32gb-1tb-windows/JJGH3YZPLW

 

[method115]

Mt. Fuji kicked my whole entire @$$. I was 40 and IN-SHAPE. The only problem was I had never been at altitude before.

Lord have mercy, I've never felt that ever in my entire life.

I went up to pikes peak which in Colorado. I tried to run to my GF and thought I'd never get my breath back after doing that. I almost freaked out but just stopped, closed my eyes, and focused on breathing. I was ok after that.

 

[Madmick]

Apparently the ROG prices were supposed to be cheaper in accordance with the leaks, but the deal those prices depended on to be possible, requiring Microsoft to (more heavily) subsidize ASUS for the hardware, fell through in the final weeks.

The ROG Xbox Ally Could Have Been Cheaper​

Discussions between Microsoft and ASUS to make the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X cheaper than $599 and $999 did not proceed, according to sources familiar with the situation. Microsoft and ASUS were reportedly discussing ways to subsidize the ROG Xbox Ally to keep prices below expectations, though those discussions bore no fruit...

While the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are currently priced at $599 and $999, respectively, there was reportedly a point where each price could have been lower. As reported by TheGamer and XboxEra's Jon Clarke, Microsoft and ASUS considered subsidizing the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds after previously leaked prices caused fan backlash and negative feedback. This choice led both companies not to reveal the prices of the ROG Xbox Ally lineup at Gamescom, despite sharing the October 16 launch date. Instead of subsidizing consumer costs, the prices were increased to their current $599 and $999 marks, meaning whatever choices Microsoft and ASUS had discussed never panned out.

It's not hard to see why Microsoft balked with the higher end unit. Considering the price of its closest competitors with similar hardware, which are all $250+ more expensive even at its $999 MSRP, there was no pressure to price that one lower. But it is disappointing they couldn't put the lower-end unit at $499/$549 instead of $599. It's a niche product no matter what, but the cheaper unit is the one that will ship a higher volume. Now there's not really any reason to buy it, either.

With the Nintendo Switch Lite at $159, the Steam Deck LCD 256GB at $319, the Nintendo Switch 2 at $449, and the Lenovo Legion Go S at $549...who is gonna want this thing? Who could recommend it?

 

[avenue94]

Apparently the ROG prices were supposed to be cheaper in accordance with the leaks, but the deal those prices depended on to be possible, requiring Microsoft to (more heavily) subsidize ASUS for the hardware, fell through in the final weeks.

The ROG Xbox Ally Could Have Been Cheaper​

It's not hard to see why Microsoft balked with the higher end unit. Considering the price of its closest competitors with similar hardware, which are all $250+ more expensive even at its $999 MSRP, there was no pressure to price that one lower. But it is disappointing they couldn't put the lower-end unit at $499/$549 instead of $599. It's a niche product no matter what, but the cheaper unit is the one that will ship a higher volume. Now there's not really any reason to buy it, either.

With the Nintendo Switch Lite at $159, the Steam Deck LCD 256GB at $319, the Nintendo Switch 2 at $449, and the Lenovo Legion Go 2 (2025) at $649...who is gonna want this thing? Who could recommend it?

As I said earlier, anyone hoping for prices in the neighborhood of $800 for the higher end configuration doesn't know what PC components cost (a base Windows license alone is ~$70 these days) or understand that Asus has performed the worst this year in navigating tariffs.

There's no point in comparing any handheld's costs to the Steam Deck either, Valve takes an absolute bath on that. Ditto with a Switch since the economies of scale aren't remotely close with those of a PC handheld (buyer demographics are also quite different).

I wouldn't be surprised if it hits 999 or even more. They were the slowest to shift production and are last in line with a lot of ODMs outside of China, so they've had real trouble hitting laptop volumes in the US.

 

[Strychnine]

Apparently the ROG prices were supposed to be cheaper in accordance with the leaks, but the deal those prices depended on to be possible, requiring Microsoft to (more heavily) subsidize ASUS for the hardware, fell through in the final weeks.

The ROG Xbox Ally Could Have Been Cheaper​

It's not hard to see why Microsoft balked with the higher end unit. Considering the price of its closest competitors with similar hardware, which are all $250+ more expensive even at its $999 MSRP, there was no pressure to price that one lower. But it is disappointing they couldn't put the lower-end unit at $499/$549 instead of $599. It's a niche product no matter what, but the cheaper unit is the one that will ship a higher volume. Now there's not really any reason to buy it, either.

With the Nintendo Switch Lite at $159, the Steam Deck LCD 256GB at $319, the Nintendo Switch 2 at $449, and the Lenovo Legion Go 2 (2025) at $649...who is gonna want this thing? Who could recommend it?

BINGO.

MS is in a position that they could sell the handhelds at a loss and who wouldn't be down to join gamepass and get all those games on the go?!? Why wouldn't I get the 256GB Steam Deck and load in my Steam library?

Swing and a miss here.

 

[Madmick]

BINGO.

MS is in a position that they could sell the handhelds at a loss and who wouldn't be down to join gamepass and get all those games on the go?!? Why wouldn't I get the 256GB Steam Deck and load in my Steam library?

Swing and a miss here.

Yeah, that's what I predicted they'd do to keep the price at >$500/>$900, but they didn't do it. But that comes full circle to how I don't understand what the hell their strategy is, anymore. After all, why subsidize the hardware if they're not going to lock down the marketplace on the handheld? So instead they've put out a handheld that's pricing has made the cheaper unit that could sell noncompetitive, and the more expensive that was never gonna sell...sell even less. It's as retarded as putting first party games on Playstation.

 

[Strychnine]

Yeah, that's what I predicted they'd do to keep the price at >$500/>$900, but they didn't do it. But that comes full circle to how I don't understand what the hell their strategy is, anymore. After all, why subsidize the hardware if they're not going to lock down the marketplace on the handheld? So instead they've put out a handheld that's pricing has made the cheaper unit that could sell noncompetitive, and the more expensive that was never gonna sell...sell even less. It's as retarded as putting first party games on Playstation.

I don't have a clue what in the BLUE FUDGE they're doing!

 

[avenue94]

BINGO.

MS is in a position that they could sell the handhelds at a loss and who wouldn't be down to join gamepass and get all those games on the go?!? Why wouldn't I get the 256GB Steam Deck and load in my Steam library?

Swing and a miss here.

The problem is GamePass makes money but in turn cannibalizes traditional game sales at a time when Microsoft wants cost discipline to bankroll AI. Overall, they still see their position in gaming as strong (they don't differentiate between console and PC anymore, it's the same demand planning team). Whether or not that's accurate is another story, but it's why they still shoot themselves in the foot by requiring pricier components (fingerprint reader, for example).

Yeah, that's what I predicted they'd do to keep the price at >$500/>$900, but they didn't do it. But that comes full circle to how I don't understand what the hell their strategy is, anymore. After all, why subsidize the hardware if they're not going to lock down the marketplace on the handheld? So instead they've put out a handheld that's pricing has made the cheaper unit that could sell noncompetitive, and the more expensive that was never gonna sell...sell even less. It's as retarded as putting first party games on Playstation.

If you subsidize Asus, that means you have to subsidize Lenovo, Acer, and MSI too. That adds up very fast since we aren't just talking handhelds at that point, but the entire PC market.