Xbox launches preorders of its new handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally X and the Xbox Ally

Microsoft’s new Xbox handhelds, the ROG Xbox Ally X and the Xbox Ally, are now available for pre-order. The company also said the devices will be available for pre-order in 38 countries.

Pre-orders are available in countries, including the U.S., the UK, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates. The handhelds are set to launch on 16th October with 8 new markets, including Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, Slovenia, Hungary, South Africa, Ukraine, and Thailand.

Xbox handhelds offer new features

The ROG Xbox Ally X will come with 24GB RAM and 1TB of storage and will retail at an Estimated Retail Price of $999.99. The ROG Xbox Ally will come with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage, retailing at $599.99. Xbox said more pre-order opportunities will be coming soon in other select markets. 

The company urges its customers to visit Xbox’s main website to locate participating retailers if pre-orders are available in their market. According to the report, the handhelds can also be pre-ordered through the Microsoft Store in the U.S. (ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally), ASUS e-shop, and select local retailers. 

The gaming company acknowledged that the handhelds will also be available in additional markets where ROG Ally series products are currently sold. Those markets include China, India, Brazil, Luxembourg, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Switzerland.

The new devices’ price differs from the Xbox Series X, which currently costs 499.99 euros for its disc drive edition with 1TB of storage. The company’s all-digital Series S retails for 299.99 euros for its 512GB edition.

The gaming company revealed that both handhelds combine ASUS hardware and Windows to keep players’ games, friends, and progress within reach. Xbox added that players will get to launch the Xbox Ally handhelds directly into the Xbox full-screen experience, which is powered by Windows 11. The new devices also come with new modifications that minimize background activity and defer non-essential tasks, with more system resources dedicated to gameplay. 

The Xbox Ally handhelds will have an Xbox button that opens an enhanced Game Bar overlay for Windows 11. The company said the feature makes it easy for players to return home, browse their library, launch or quit games, chat with friends, access ROG’s Armoury Crate SE, and more.

Xbox added that the Xbox Ally handhelds will feature a gaming library and a Game Pass, and games will be installed from Battle.net and other top PC stores. It will also have controller-inspired grips with ergonomics and come with three months of Xbox Game Pass. The company said it will share more information about the Game Pass offer before October 16.

Xbox includes compatible accessories for its new handhelds

Xbox revealed that the handhelds come with accessories that give players more ways to customize their play experience on the devices. The handhelds will have a SANDISK microSD Card specifically engineered for the Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally. Storage options will be sold separately and offer up to 2TB of storage to provide players with up to 200MB/s read speeds for instant play, anywhere.

The handhelds will also come with a Seagate FireCuda 530R SSD storage option to offer faster speeds. Xbox said the FireCuda 530R SSD supports Microsoft DirectStorage and will be available in 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB capacities.

Xbox will also offer an ROG Xbox Ally (2-in-1) Premium Carrying Case, which will be co-branded to fit Xbox Ally handhelds. The company said the case will have a water-repellent exterior, soft fleece lining, and a zipper. The case will also include a detachable pouch for a 65W charger, which will be sold separately, and will protect the devices from scratches or bumps.

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