Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Consoles will be receiving a price increase. This follows a similar price increase made to the consoles back in May. Announced via the Xbox Support site, the retail pricing of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Series S 1TB, Series X Digital, and Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition will all see their prices raised on October 3rd. Price increases will only affect consoles right now, with controllers and headsets set to remain at their current pricing in both the US and Global Regions.
The new prices of these consoles will be as listed below, with increases ranging from $20 to $70:
- Xbox Series S 512GB: $399.99 (an increase of $20)
- Xbox Series S 1TB: $449.99 (an increase of $20)
- Xbox Series X Digital: $599.99 (an increase of $50)
- Xbox Series X: $649.99 (an increase of $50)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition: $799.99 (an increase of $70)
The Company has stated that these price increases are due to “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” also adding that for the future, the company plans to “continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and providing value for Xbox players.”
While not stating so directly, these increases in the US come amid concerns raised by the ongoing tariff fluctuation and uncertainty as part of President Donald J. Trump’s economic plans. Last month, Sony announced price increases to their PlayStation 5 consoles similarly. Nintendo also raised the prices of Nintendo Switch consoles in the region. This shortly followed the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 at $449.99, which did not see a price increase, but the company made clear that a price rise in the future was a possibility.
While Microsoft is increasing console prices, it should be noted that the company recently decreased the price of first-party titles, which was announced to be increasing to $79.99, starting with The Outer Worlds 2, and was following the trend started by Nintendo with Mario Kart World. Microsoft later walked this back, announcing the game would release for what has been the current industry standard of $69.99.
Rising costs, analysts say, are due to a combination of factors, including increased manufacturing costs, competition, and the U.S. tariffs, with the latter being singled out as a leading cause for price increases like this, where only the U.S. market is affected.
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