Steam Deck Still Reigns supreme, Industry Insider Questions $900 Xbox Handheld
The ROG Xbox Ally X is already sold out following high pre-order demand, but industry insider Jason Schreier suggests the $600-$1000 price tag doesn’t justify the purchase when the $550-$650 Steam Deck OLED has proven its value over two years of consistent use.
Despite strong initial demand that led to sell-outs at Xbox stores, Schreier-a well-connected source within the gaming industry-argued on bsky.app that his Steam Deck OLED has “almost everything [he] want[s] to play” running perfectly, making the substantially more expensive ROG Xbox Ally a questionable investment. This comes as the Steam Deck continues to dominate the handheld market, having already outsold competitors like the Asus ROG Ally.
Currently, the Steam Deck LCD (256GB) is available for €335.20, while consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X retail for €500 and nearly €600 respectively, further highlighting the price difference. The success of Valve’s handheld suggests a strong consumer preference for value and proven performance in the burgeoning handheld gaming space.
