ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders just dropped - here's where to buy the new handheld ahead of release

It's official, ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders have landed. The heavily anticipated Xbox device starts life at $599.99 but ramps all the way up to $999.99 for the X version, and is now available to order ahead of the official October 16 release date.

I'm admittedly not too shocked at the entry-level model's MSRP, but I'm sorry to report that the best gaming handheld you'll probably want comes in at just under $1,000.

Asus claims that pre-orders are going live at its own and Microsoft's store, but also includes 'local retailers' in that equation. That means I've hauled all my go-to sites together so that you can head straight to the good stuff.

• US | From $599.99 at Microsoft
• UK | From £499.99 at Microsoft

I've been tracking high profile pre-orders all year round, and I've been buying my own handhelds for far longer than that. You'll find all the ROG Xbox Ally pre-order spots I'm hitting today just below.

Where to pre-order ROG Xbox Ally in the US

Microsoft | From $599.99
Microsoft should be one of the first retailers offering ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders in the US. This is, after all, an officially endorsed Xbox handheld.

ROG Xbox Ally X | $999.99 at Microsoft

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Asus | From $599.99
Asus has a full listing page live for its Xbox ROG Ally handheld, and should be hot out the gate for pre-orders today. It's worth noting that the site splits the ROG Xbox Ally from the ROG Xbox Ally X on the site.

ROG Xbox Ally X | $999.99 at Asus

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Best Buy | Check stock
Best Buy is my next best bet after Microsoft and Asus. The retailer was the first to offer the original Ally devices when they launched a couple of years ago and had a strong exclusive supply of the handhelds for a while to boot. The store also has listing pages live for both models.

Xbox ROG Ally X | Check stock

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Amazon | Check stock
Amazon was later to stocking the original Ally and doesn't have any product pages live yet. That's not surprising, though, this is a retailer that likes to move fast - often only making its listing pages visible at the moment it lists pre-orders.

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Walmart | Check stock
I'm less convinced by Walmart, as its marketplace setup means we could easily see some inflated prices from third party sellers. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on as the launch progresses.

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Where to pre-order Xbox ROG Ally in the UK

Microsoft | From £499.99
Just like in the US, I'll be heading to Microsoft first for ROG Xbox Ally pre-orders in the UK. Both handhelds are teased on the site itself.

ROG Xbox Ally X | £799.99 at Microsoft

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Asus | From £499.99
Asus makes up the other half of this partnership, and has been named as an official pre-order spot today. I'd keep this page open at the same time as Microsoft.

ROG Xbox Ally X | £799.99 at Asus

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Currys | Check stock
Currys was one of the few retailers offering the original Xbox ROG Ally straight after launch, so it may be a preferred retailer for today's pre-order brawl.

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Amazon | Check stock
Amazon is actually a little more reliable in the UK than it is in the US. That said, listing pages can still be elusive until stock actually drops.

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Very | Check stock
Very is a slight wildcard here. It might not be the first retailer you think of, but it's got a strong supply of handhelds from other brands and it's often one of the first stores to drop high profile pre-order stock in the UK. I wouldn't count this one out as a possibility.

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That's right, the ROG Xbox Ally starts at $599.99 / £499.99 with the ROG Xbox Ally X sitting at $999.99 / £799.99.

In a press release announcing the planned pricing, Asus says, "these competitive prices make both the handhelds an easy choice compared to competitors."

I hate to admit it, but that is a fair statement considering the MSI Claw A8 and Lenovo Legion Go 2 are gunning for similar price points. However, that doesn't change the fact that these devices are vastly more expensive than their first-generation counterparts, as the OG Asus ROG Ally debuted for $699.99.

What can I say? Handhelds are getting ludicrously expensive, and that could be a shock to console fans who are used to traditional home system prices. The scene is inching close to the sort of MSRPs tied to the best gaming laptops, and while you can get cheaper devices, performance naturally scales with price.

That's not to say the ROG Xbox Ally isn't worth buying. In fact, there's every chance that the X model will become one of the punchiest powerhouses around, and even the base version should outpace the Steam Deck OLED. You're getting plenty of console comforts too, like a PC controller grips around the back and various Windows 11 optimizations that'll help everything feel more streamlined.

I'll hopefully be providing my full verdict ahead of next month, and I'll be carefully weighing up whether the handhelds offer true value for money. At $1,000, the ROG Xbox Ally X has its work cut out for it, as I'll be expecting dramatically better performance from its Ryzen Z2 Extreme chipset.

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