There have been many leaks and rumors surrounding the upcoming Asus ROG Ally PC gaming handheld ahead of its May 11 release date. And while speculations about the US pricing have been great news so far, the same cannot be said about its rumored European price.
According to Twitter leaker Roland Quandt, and reported by VideoCardz, the price for the high-end Asus ROG Ally that features an AMD Z1 Extreme CPU might be €799. Though the conversion from the leaked US price of $699 would mean a €632 price point, VAT increases that to an MSRP higher than the Steam Deck.
This is the same leaker who claimed that pricing for the ROG Ally would be $599 and $699 for the two models in the US. Of course, this is still all unconfirmed information, and the price point could turn out to be lower (or higher). So until Asus confirms everything, take this one with a huge pinch of salt.
Not looking good for Europe
As I’ve previously discussed in detail after finishing my Asus ROG Ally hands-on review, a too-high MSRP could spell disaster for the Asus ROG Ally right out of the gate. If it hopes to compete with the Steam Deck, which already has a year of traction in this emerging market of gaming PC portables, then it needs to have a competitive price point.
Though the Ally ROG has impeccable specs and can even make for a great laptop in a pinch, buyers have shown time and again that they will not pay what they perceive as too much for a game console or portable (hello early launch PS3 and 3DS). And while the rumored US price is quite promising, this alleged European price is absolutely terrible.
If that’s truly the cost of the higher-end model, then that needs to be adjusted for VAT, because it’s essentially punishing buyers for an extra charge on a system that’s already quite expensive. And when buyers feel like they’re being punished or taken advantage of, that’s going to have a significant impact on sales, especially since this is also hitting the shelves during a cost of living crisis that’s affecting multiple regions across the globe.
All we can do is wait and see once May 11 hits. If these rumors are true though, Asus could be throwing away a huge market with this move.
