Xbox Series X|S consoles get another US price hike in October

Microsoft is raising the price of Xbox Series X|S consoles in the US, with increases of between $20 and $70 depending on the model coming into effect from 3rd October. With a $50 price increase for the main Xbox Series X, the console is set to be a staggering $150 more expensive than it was at launch in 2020.

The new prices are to be as follows:

• Xbox Series S 512GB – $399.99, up from $379.99
• Xbox Series S 1TB – $449.99, up from $429.99
• Xbox Series X Digital – $599.99, up from $549.99
• Xbox Series X – $649.99, up from $599.99
• Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition –$799.99, up from $729.99

Pricing for headsets and controllers are remaining unchanged at this time, but all of these prices are being adjust upward from the price hikes made back in May.

In the support page detailing the changes, Microsoft blamed “changes in the macroeconomic environment.”

They continued, “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.”

Thankfully the rest of the world is unaffected, and so it seems that the root cause of these particular price increases is the tariffs that have been implemented by the US administration. Given how wildly these have swung up and down at the whims of a capricious President – to put it mildly – and how exemptions have come in and out of effect, it’s taken around half a year for tariffs to have a directly felt effect.

The daft thing about all of this is that, while Microsoft relies on Chinese manufacturing and is passing the tariff prices onto its customers, it is an American company that is now at a serious price disadvantage when compared to both its main Japanese rival. Sony has had their own price increases in the last few years – also raising US console prices by $50 across the board in August – but the standard PS5 with disc drive stands at $550, making it $100 cheaper than the Xbox Series X. Even more ridiculous is that the PS5 Pro is $749. That is $50 less than the 2TB Xbox Series X, but the PS5 Pro the better, more powerful console! I know the Xbox is a “special edition”, but come on.

Source: Xbox Support