ROG Xbox Ally X Preorders Open at Best Buy

As a direct competitor to the Steam Deck and Switch 2, Xbox's new handheld might be a lucrative flip

Demo gameplay on the new ROG Xbox Ally X handheld

News

By RC Staff

03 October 2025

Key Points

The ROG Xbox Ally X retails for $1000 and is currently available for pre-order at Best Buy, Asus direct, and select retailers
Stock numbers are unclear, but handhelds have flipped for a profit in the past
It’s billed as the most powerful handheld on the market and fits within the Xbox ecosystem

Best Buy just opened pre-orders for the ROG Xbox Ally X at $1000, and eBay is already flooded with secondary listings asking $2000 to $2500 for confirmed pre-orders. The premium gaming handheld launches October 16 with Microsoft and Asus pushing it as the first official Xbox handheld PC.

Rog Xbox Ally 1TB Handheld

The ROG Xbox Ally X positions itself as a premium option in the handheld PC gaming space. The AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor represents a modest upgrade over the previous generation Z1 Extreme, with benchmarks showing 10% to 20% performance improvements in most scenarios.

Pre-orders opened September 26 across multiple retailers. Best Buy currently has stock available at a $1,000 MSRP with a November 21 delivery date. The official Xbox Store sold out globally within the first day, but third-party retailers including Best Buy and Asus direct still have pre-orders open.

At $1000, it’s significantly more expensive than competitors. The Steam Deck starts at $399, with the top-tier OLED model at $649. The Lenovo Legion Go launched at $700. Even Asus’s own non-Xbox ROG Ally X from 2024 retails for $899.

A lower-tier model, the standard ROG Xbox Ally, is also available for pre-order at $600. It features a less powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage but maintains the same 7-inch 120Hz display.

Current eBay Situation

Resellers listed confirmed preorders on eBay almost immediately after they opened. Asking prices range from $1,500 on the low end to $2,500 for premium listings. Most are clustered around $2,000 to $2,400.

These are pre-sale listings, meaning sellers have confirmed pre-orders and will ship once they receive the devices on October 16. eBay allows pre-sale listings as long as the seller can ship within 30 days of purchase.

After eBay’s 13% fees, a $2,000 sale would net approximately $1740. If these sell for the listed price, you’re looking at around $700 gross profit per unit before considering any additional costs or the time value of capital tied up in pre-orders.

Will These Resell?

The gaming handheld market has shown mixed resale results over the past few years. The PlayStation Portal launched at $200 in late 2023 and immediately sold out across all major retailers. eBay sold listings confirmed transactions at $250 to $300 within the first week, representing $50 to $100 profit after fees.

Nintendo Switch OLED models have consistently provided flip opportunities during restocks and special editions. The standard OLED at $350 retail regularly sold for $450 to $500 during shortage periods in 2022 and 2023, while the recent Switch 2 launch saw modest profits because of a convoluted preorder process.

The original ROG Ally (non-Xbox version) launched in 2023 at $700 for the Z1 Extreme model. Initial eBay sales showed some units moving at $800 to $900, but the market quickly stabilized as stock became readily available. The 2024 ROG Ally X at $900 retail saw minimal resale activity above MSRP.

Steam Deck reservations initially created a secondary market when Valve limited orders in 2022. Early reservation slots sold for $100 to $200 premiums, though this dried up once production ramped up and wait times decreased.

Multiple reports indicate varied stock situations across different retailers and regions. The Xbox Store sold out within 24 hours in most markets. Asus’s direct store sold out in some regions but remains available in others. Best Buy in the US continues to accept pre-orders as of October 3.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2, another premium handheld at $900, sold out so quickly that Lenovo had to cancel some pre-orders due to overwhelming demand. Whether the ROG Xbox Ally X sees similar demand patterns remains unclear with launch still nearly two weeks away.

Gaming hardware launches have become increasingly unpredictable. Supply chain improvements since pandemic-era shortages mean many recent electronics launches have had adequate stock, while others still face unexpected demand spikes that create temporary scarcity.

The October 16 launch date will determine actual market dynamics. If retail stock stays available post-launch, secondary market prices typically collapse quickly. If genuine sellouts occur and stay sold out for weeks, resale markets can sustain premiums.