admin It’s no secret that the ROG Xbox Ally X is an expensive handheld gaming PC. With a retail price of $999.99, it’s more than double the cost of the Nintendo Switch 2 and significantly more expensive than even the 1TB Steam Deck OLED. So, as a bit of a thought experiment, I researched how many different devices you can get your hands on for the same price, and the results might surprise you.
First, though, a bit of context. The ROG Xbox Ally X is the premium version of the slightly cheaper ROG Xbox Ally, which retails for $599.99. For an extra $400, you’re getting the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, additional RAM, and a bigger battery. It all adds up to a pretty impressive device, one that our own Sam Comrie gave a decent 7/10 score to in our ROG Xbox Ally X review. That $999.99 price is the main point of contention, though, which is where we got the idea to see what else you could pick up for the same amount of money.
First things first, the ROG Xbox Ally is a handheld gaming PC, so you’re likely going to want an equivalent. The best options here are the 512GB Steam Deck OLED for $549.99 or the Z1 Extreme version of the Asus ROG Ally for $649.99. Given the Steam Deck’s position at the top of our guide to the best handheld consoles, that’s what I’d go with, so it gets the place on our imaginary shopping list, but if you’re more interested in pure power, the ROG Ally might be better for you.
So, now we’ve blown a $550 shaped hole in our budget, which, if math isn’t your forte, is more than half. What’s next? Well, there are a couple of ways we could go, depending on your gaming preferences. The remaining $450 happens to be just enough to bag yourself a Nintendo Switch 2, and between that and Valve’s handheld, you’d have access to all the games on the Nintendo eShop and Valve’s Steam marketplace. I’d say I spend more than half my gaming time on either of those two consoles, but again, there are alternatives.
@pockettactics Our first impressions of the Xbox Ally @gamescom are in, and despite the high price, we may be sold 💸 #Xbox #ROG #Handheld #Gaming #Gamescom
If you’re a fan of the best Android games, there are a couple of cheap and cheerful Android handhelds you can pick up, but our top recommendations are either the new Retroid Pocket 6, which is currently available to pre-order for $209.99, or the pint-sized Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini for $99. Those are just a couple of the options available when it comes to Android handhelds, and there are plenty of similarly priced alternatives from the likes of Anbernic and Ayn. For the sake of keeping as much of our budget as possible, though, we’re going for the Ayaneo.
With the Steam Deck OLED and Ayaneo Pocket Mini in our basket, we’ve got around $350 left to play with. Again, there are a few ways to go here. The Nintendo Switch Lite is just $199.99 on Amazon at the time of writing. So, there’s an option there, but given that we’re now firmly in the era of the Switch 2, we can’t be sure of how long it is until Nintendo flips the switch – no pun intended – and stops releasing new games on the older console. Instead, my recommendation is a little bit outside of the box.
With our remaining $350, I suggest picking up the 11-inch iPad with the A16 chip, which is a relatively new addition to our guide to the best iPads, for $299.99. Gaming on an Apple tablet has a lot more to offer than just Angry Birds these days, with access to a massive library of Apple Arcade games, including indie hits such as Balatro, Stardew Valley, and many more. Better still, if you’ve never used Apple Arcade before, you get a free month’s subscription, so you don’t have to worry about paying out to play games right away.
For a quick recap. We’ve got the 512GB Steam Deck OLED, the Ayaneo Pocket Mini, and the iPad, but we’ve still got a cool $50 to make up the difference to the price of the ROG Xbox Ally X. There’s not a great deal you can get for $50 these days, but I’d suggest either the JSAUX Docking Station HB0603 for $29.99 or the Syntech 6-in-1 Mini Dock for $41.99. Those are two of the top selections from our guide to the best Steam Deck docks, so if you do ever feel like gaming on a big screen, you’ve got the option. With any money left over, you can pick up a couple of Steam Deck games or maybe a snazzy case for that iPad.
Now, I hear your question: what has been the point of this whole exercise? Well, if you ask me, it’s pretty clear. The ROG Xbox Ally X, at least in my opinion, is too expensive to justify. I get that it’s a premium option, but when you realize what else you could get instead, it seems ludicrous to me to spend that much on a single handheld device.
It’s worth noting, though, that Xbox isn’t the only incredibly expensive handheld, with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ retailing for around the same price, if not more. It’s not even a case of quantity over quality, as all the devices we’ve suggested aren’t just affordable, they’re also great hardware alternatives, particularly the Steam Deck OLED, which still outranks the competition despite its slightly limited performance power.
Ultimately, it’s your decision, but hopefully this article has given you a better idea of what else you could spend your money on outside of the premium Xbox-branded handheld. For more great tech, see our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you’re here. Or, if you’re looking for something new to play, check out our list of the best mobile games.
