I really shouldn't be surprised at Asus ROG Xbox Ally X price hikes, given the carnage RAMagedon is already inflicting on the best gaming handheld scene. Yet, upon hearing that the portable PC now costs around 21% more in Japan, I couldn't help but burst into a fit of nervous laughter.
The bad ROG Xbox Ally X news comes courtesy of Japanese publication AutomationMedia, with a report claiming the handheld now costs 169,800 yen (around $1,094.72). That's a 30,000 yen increase compared to the portable's 139,800 yen launch price, and it's what you'll pay when buying direct from Asus if you're in Japan.
Weirdly, Microsoft's official page still claims the ROG Xbox Ally X costs 139,800 yen, so Japanese handheld players are in for an annoying shock when they click through to Asus as a retailer. The "good news" is that the base white ROG Xbox Ally is still wearing its original 89,800 yen price tag, which is nice considering its Steam Deck OLED rival is now out of stock thanks to "memory and component shortages," fuelled by AI demand.
Before you start waving your arms around in a panic, breaking open piggy banks to see if you have enough for a handheld you probably couldn't afford in the first place, I should stress that the Xbox Ally X increase only applies to Japan right now. If you've got a thousand bucks to spare on what is admittedly a solid handheld for PC games, you can still grab it for $999.99 at Best Buy. You can even grab the white version for $499.99 if you're not looking for top-end performance, but I wouldn't get too comfy with current pricing.
It's safe to say it's not just the realm of handhelds dealing with the struggles of RAM shortages. Yes, as a gaming hardware expert, I'm pretty focused on whether a Steam Machine release date will actually happen, but most consumer electronics makers are now scrapping for components. The short of it is that AI companies are buying out entire inventories of memory modules and storage, and even giants like Western Digital say they're out of hard drives for 2026 already.
Circling back to pricey gaming doodads, if the Xbox Ally X pricing situation is a sign of things to come, this year could be pretty rough for hardware. In fact, even the next generation of consoles might be put on hold, as reports from earlier this week claim the PS6 could be pushed to as late as 2029. I'd argue that's potentially a blessing if you still can't even afford a PS5, and next-gen delays might be the key to fighting ridiculous MSRPs to come.
At least, I'm hoping that's what's happening with the Steam Machine this year. If all else fails, I guess I can always run off to the woods and play Zelda on Nintendo's Game and Watch handheld and pretend everything's fine.
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