Xbox Ally X pricing is up AGAIN — is your region affected?
The gaming handheld’s cost has increased in Australia, following a similar regional jump in Japan earlier this year.
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The ROG Xbox Ally X just went up in price, though only in Australia. The price increase is the second region-specific jump we've seen this year — the cost of the gaming handheld went up in Japan recently.
As spotted by our colleagues at PC Gamer, the ROG Xbox Ally X is now listed for AU$1,799 at retailers in Australia such as JB Hi-Fi and ASUS. That's an AU$200 increase, which is quite significant.
Given the current landscape of electronic devices, it's normal to see prices fluctuate, and that's assuming you can find your favorite gadgets in stock. But even in a market affected by the ongoing RAM crisis, an AU$200 increase is a lot.
The Xbox Ally X increasing in price is just the latest example of the AI tax. AI requires a massive amount of computing power, which has driven up the price of RAM, storage, and other components.
It's also delayed devices like the Steam Machine and PlayStation 6 (reportedly).
The Xbox Ally X and its less powerful yet more affordable sibling, the Xbox Ally, launched last year. They offer a unique form factor in the increasingly crowded gaming handheld space.
"ASUS ROG and Microsoft have hit it out of the park with this next-gen handheld gaming PC. It's solid performance, sleek design, comfortable grips, and useful ports work together to make it one of the best Windows handhelds on the market right now." — Rebecca Spear, Gaming and News Editor.
Windows Central review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
In our Xbox Ally X review, the device received praise for having the best grips on a handheld. The design of the Xbox Ally X is complemented by the gaming handheld's 7-inch IPS display with 120Hz and VRR and AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor.
Those specs make the Xbox Ally X one of the best gaming handhelds. It is also one of the more expensive gaming handhelds (though not the most expensive).
Some question if any gaming handheld is worth $1,000, regardless of specs or design. For the same price, you could get a solid gaming laptop, though that's not an apples-to-apples comparison.
If the Xbox Ally X goes up in price in more markets, it could be priced out for everyday consumers and even enthusiasts with bigger budgets.
What do you think about gaming handheld price increases?
Is $1,000 too much for a gaming handheld, regardless of how good it is? How much would the Xbox Ally X have to increase in price to no longer be worth it? Let us know in the comments below.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.
Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.
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