If you thought we'd be dropping the word “price growth” in 2025, then think again. Not even three days into 2026, and it looks like we may have our first official price increase, coming to ASUS products, potentially, the already expensive ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handhelds that were released last year.
What's more, those hikes could come on Monday, January 5, or about 48 hours from now.
In a memo first seen by Pure Xbox sent to partners by ASUS that was obtained and translated by VideoCardz, the company notes that global demand, largely driven by AI, remains strong but that “volatility” in the global supply chain is putting pressure on component costs.
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However, the challenges presented by allocation and investment costs have made the company unstable.
“After carefully reviewing market conditions, supply stability, and our commitments to product quality, and continuing to invest in R&D, ASUS plans to implement strategic price adjustments for certain product combinations from January 5, 2026,” the note read in part.
“This adjustment is a necessary decision after absorbing and responding to cost pressures over an extended period.”
The memo doesn't explicitly mention the ROG Ally X, but seeing as ASUS has a slew of gaming-related products, it's fair to assume those price hikes could affect the line. And given the massive amount of price increases in gaming at this point, it wouldn't be unprecedented either.
Gaming was hit hard with price increases in 2025, and things probably won't end there
In mid-April, Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 would see a price increase in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, taking the five-year-old console from a recommended retail price (RRP) of €399.99 to €499.99. The increase comes after Sony announced that the PlayStation Plus is increasing its price.
Finally, PS5 prices in the United States followed suit in late August.
On the other end of the aisle, Xbox raised the price of its console by at least $100, before eventually raising the cost of Game Pass in a separate move as well. At one point, Microsoft toyed with the idea of releasing a second Modern $80 game, though it punted at the last minute.
For its part, Nintendo has said it has no immediate plans to raise the price of its recently released Switch 2 console. The company claimed that major changes or external factors could force its hand in the future.
Things don't stop there, either, as RAM costs have gone up, as have small things like high-capacity microSD cards. GPUs are reportedly in line for a price hike, and the PlayStation 6 and next Xbox could be delayed because of all this.
Which means, if the ROG Xbox Companion or any other ASUS gaming product sees a price increase, it's really par for the course.
- brand
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Xbox / ROG
- operating system
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Windows 11 Home
- processor
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AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
- Performance
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7” IPS, 500 nits, 16:9, 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC anti-reflection
- resolve
-
FHD 1080p
- Original release date
-
2025
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