It's no secret that Microsoft has had a tumultuous year in terms of its gaming efforts. From raising the costs of its Xbox Series S/X consoles to cancelling a bunch of first-party titles, we've been wondering where the Seattle-based company's priorities lie for the future. That isn't to mention the release of the ROG Xbox Ally in collaboration with Asus, which received an above-average reception but raised some concerns about the price. However, a new interview with Xbox President Sarah Bond appears to have alleviated some concerns.
Speaking to Variety, Bond first tried to justify the high price of the ROG Xbox Ally, which is currently available for $599 and $999, respectively, clarifying that Asus set the price points, and there's already been a great reception to the handhelds. "We sold out on the Xbox Store. We sold really quickly at a number of other places around the world," Bond reveals. "I feel really good about the value that we're giving gamers for the price, based off the reception to the hardware."
When you compare the Xbox Ally to some of the top picks from our guide to the best PC gaming handhelds, such as the Steam Deck OLED and the Lenovo Legion Go S, it's a powerful device. In addition, the 'full-screen Xbox experience' is a great way of using Windows 11 on the Ally on its smaller screen.
But as we mentioned in our ROG Xbox Ally review, its high price of $999 is likely to put many potential users off. In addition, the 'Full-Screen Xbox Experience' fails to hide the fact that the handheld is still running Windows 11, which remains frustrating to use on devices smaller than a laptop.
Bond also mentioned that Xbox is indeed working on its next-generation line of hardware, which could include a dedicated handheld released around the same time.
"We have our next-gen hardware in development. We've been looking at prototyping and designing. We have a partnership we've announced with AMD around it, so that is coming," Bond explains. "What we saw here was an opportunity to innovate in a new way and to bring gamers another choice, in addition to our next-gen hardware. We are always listening to what players and creators want. When there is demand for innovation, we're going to build it."
So if you were worried that Microsoft was going to transform Xbox into a third-party company, much like how Sega did after the Dreamcast failed in 2001, you can rest easy. But if you're looking for a price cut to Microsoft's Steam Deck alternative anytime soon, it may be time to accept defeat.
In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 games and the best mobile games. Or, if you're looking for something completely different, take a look at our lists of the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets.