ROG XBOX Ally X20 Handheld Price Could Enter Expensive Territory, ASUS Warns

XBOX‘s handheld ambitions took a major leap forward last month when ASUS and Microsoft jointly unveiled the ROG XBOX Ally X20. For those unaware, it’s a more powerful follow-up to the existing ROG XBOX Ally lineup designed around a deeper XBOX experience.

ASUS says ROG Xbox Ally X20 was built “extremely fast, extremely early” but it could end up denting your wallet

While Microsoft and ASUS stopped short of announcing a release date or price during the reveal, new comments from ASUS suggest the company moved unusually fast to bring the device to market, and buyers may need to prepare for a premium price tag.

Announced on June 1, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 builds on the current Ally X with a larger display, an OLED panel, upgraded TMR joysticks, and several hardware refinements aimed at improving both gaming performance and long-term durability.

Speaking to Forbes, Gabriel Meng, ROG’s Director of Product, Gaming, explained why ASUS accelerated development on the handheld (via PureXbox). “What I would call the opportunity of a lifetime showed up,” Meng said. “There was an opportunity to seize and bring it to the market extremely fast, extremely early.”

Those comments strongly suggest the device remains on track for a 2026 launch window, even though ASUS has yet to confirm a specific release date. Pricing, however, remains a major question mark. The gaming industry is currently facing the heat of rising memory costs and ongoing component shortages, which also had some analysts believe that Sony’s PS6 release could slip into 2028 or 2029.

Speaking of the effects, Meng adds that ASUS may have little choice but to pass those costs on to buyers. “If those components end up costing us more, then that’s unfortunately something that’s going to be unable to be subsidized,” Meng said. “That will pass through the consumer.”

Speaking of pricing, ASUS has not revealed how much the ROG XBOX Ally X20 will cost. However, with upgraded hardware and growing supply chain pressures, expectations are already pointing toward a significantly higher price than the current Ally X lineup.