No, the ROG Xbox Ally won't launch during Gamescom – a new leak suggests its actual launch date is further away than we thought

The ROG Xbox Ally is reportedly set to launch on October 16, two months after its Gamescom presence
This leak comes shortly after a previous report that suggested a pre-order date of August 20
Hollow Knight: Silksong could now launch on October 16

Gamescom 2025 is right around the corner and is set to showcase a wide range of highly-anticipated games and hardware, including the new ROG Xbox Ally from Microsoft and Asus. Now a new leak has given us further insight into the latter’s launch date, which is a little further away than previously anticipated.

According to Bilbil-Kun via Dealabs, the ROG Xbox Ally is set to launch on October 16, after hands-on previews at Gamescom in August. This leak follows a previous report that suggested pre-orders would open on August 20, essentially hinting that units would be ready to send to consumers from that date. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

While the new report insists that the August 20 date is accurate for pre-orders, the purported October 16 launch date means the new handheld will be a little late to the party among new releases. The MSI Claw A8, another handheld using AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme, is already available in some regions in Europe, with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 expected to launch soon since its prototype is already available in China.

If this leak is legitimate, it means fans will be waiting over a month to finally acquire the devices, one of which is purported to be overly expensive. There will apparently be two models; the ROG Xbox Ally X (rumored to have an $899 price tag) with the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, while the ROG Xbox Ally will use a weaker processor, the Ryzen Z2A.

As for the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong, this new leak should mean that it will launch on October 16, as Xbox President Sarah Bond confirmed that the title would launch alongside the ROG Xbox Ally.

Analysis: A two-month wait makes this launch a little less exciting

Render of the ROG Xbox Ally — (Image credit: Microsoft / Asus)

While a two-month wait isn’t exactly the worst thing here, it’s sapped a little of the excitement I have for the new devices. I’m already not pleased with the recent price tags for handhelds like the MSI Claw A8, MSI Claw 8 AI+, and the ROG Xbox Ally X’s rumored $899 tag, so the additional wait isn’t exactly great news for consumers.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not planning on buying the ROG Xbox Ally X, but I plan on analyzing any potential performance differences between its Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor and the standard Ryzen Z2 Extreme (including the performance of the Ryzen Z2A) via real-world benchmarks, and it’s not exactly clear if the hands-on previews and presentation from Xbox at Gamescom will give us that.

The wait also adds to the frustration of the lack of availability in the market, since it’s increasingly difficult to find stock of the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go Z1 Extreme. The latter is a device I’m particularly interested in thanks to its 8-inch display, but it’s nowhere to be found in the UK – and there’s no guarantee that the same stock woes won’t happen to the ROG Xbox Ally.

From what we’ve already seen from the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, it seems like the price jump from a Z1 Extreme-powered handheld is excessive. At this point, all I want is a handheld equivalent to the Asus ROG Ally’s power, with an 8-inch screen, but that either comes with a hefty price tag or a lack of availability.

The ROG Xbox Ally is a 7-inch device that, unfortunately, could tick both of those ‘expensive price tag’ and ‘low stock’ boxes, and that doesn’t leave me enthusiastic about its launch.

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No, the ROG Xbox Ally won’t launch during Gamescom – a new leak suggests its actual launch date is further away than we thought