It’s not Groundhog Day because for the second time this year Microsoft has announced in a support page starting October 3rd it will be rasing the price on Xbox Series X|S consoles due to “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” which is assumeldy another longer way for tarriffs, the increase is only impacting consumers in the US for now, according to IGN.
“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and providing value for Xbox players,” Microsoft wrote in a support page.
This is just impacting Microsoft’s consoles, as the MSRP pricing on accessories and games won’t be hit by the price increase. Although for the latter, that idea of increasing the price of its first-party titles to $80 with the launch of The Outer Worlds 2 next month didn’t work out last time, as all it took was one month to roll that plan back.
Today’s price hike, starting early next month on the low end, will see 512GB Series S models get a $20 bump, while the Series X’s 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition will increase by a whole $70. The full list of price changes impacting Xbox Series X|S consoles in the US is below.
- Xbox Series S (512GB): $399.99 (previously $379.99)
- Xbox Series S (1TB): $449.99 (previously $429.99)
- Xbox Series X: $649.99 (previously $599.99)
- Xbox Series X (Digital): $599.99 (previously $549.99)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition: $799.99 (previously $729.99)
Compared to five months ago, the price hike is less of a bump, but combined it’s ridiculous as the Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition, which launched less than a year ago last October, was price at $599.99 then, and now it’s one-third more expensive. Usually, as console generations have gone on, hardware is supposed to get cheaper, but it’s the opposite, as current-gen consoles are actually cheaper when they first launched compared to now. Who knows if the same will happen to the Nintendo Switch 2, likely as its predecessor did go up this year as well, so maybe it’s only a matter of time.
The price hike is frustrating, especially after the $80 game price plan backfired. It feels like consumers are being hit hard amid tough economic times. Hoping the Switch 2 doesn’t follow suit.