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Here we go again. After hiking the price of Xbox consoles earlier this year, Microsoft just announced it is already raising prices again—the second price hike in four months. Now, even Microsoft’s cheapest console, the Xbox Series S, will cost at least $400.
As someone who got an Xbox Series S for $150 a few years back, that stings. (Granted, I got a really good deal. Still.) Microsoft is blaming “changes in the macroeconomic environment” for the new prices, so read into that what you will.
How much more expensive will the Xbox be?
Here is what Microsoft’s consoles will cost after the new pricing takes effect:
Keep in mind that even after Sony’s own price hikes, U.S. gamers can still get a PS5 for $550 and a PS5 Digital Edition for $500. Yes, Microsoft’s consoles technically start cheaper, but the Series S is more comparable to the original Nintendo Switch than an Xbox Series X or a PS5, and $400 is a lot to pay for it—although the original Switch also got its own price hike just last month, and the OLED model of that machine will also now run you $400. If you’re comparing apples to apples, though, Sony’s console is about to be a good bit cheaper than Microsoft’s.
Gamers who prize physical media will be the hardest hit, as to get a disc drive on your machine, you have to opt for a non-digital Xbox Series X, which means you’re going to get a bigger price increase than your peers. The last jump bumped the Xbox Series S up by $80 and the Series X by $100, while this one increases the Xbox Series S by $20 and the Xbox Series X by $50.
What do you think so far?
On the plus side, Microsoft said pricing for controllers and headsets “will remain the same,” which isn’t how it went last time around. Maybe that’s a hint at the overall console strategy: Microsoft has been investing a lot in cloud gaming recently, and you technically don’t even need a console to play its games. In that case, upping pricing on its hardware is maybe a bit less risky for the Halo folks than the God of War ones.
And I haven’t even touched on Microsoft’s most expensive machine. If you’re an Xbox loyalist and you want to go all-in on its 2TB Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition, that will now run you $800, a $70 bump in the price tag. Honestly, at that point, you could probably just get a PC instead.
There is something you can do about these price increases, even if it kind of feels like giving in to a ransom: They won’t go in effect until Oct. 3rd, so if you were still on the fence about getting an Xbox, now is the time to act. You’ll still have to deal with the price hike from May, but at least you’ll save between $20 and $70.