… The new Xbox Series X editions come amid hardware price increases across the board. Xbox hardware went up in price in September 2025 , and an Xbox Series X now costs $599.99 for the digital edition and $649.99 for the standard edition. …
… Microsoft isn't the only gaming hardware manufacturer raising prices. …
… Xbox raised hardware prices three times in just 14 months, after all! …
… Gaming's affordability crisis hasn't hit game prices as hard as feared — GTA 6 's $80 sticker price is at the lower end of expectations — but hardware is another matter. Xbox and Valve's comments on the impact of global memory shortages on their pricing were unusually frank , even annoyed. …
… Sharma told Fortune that Microsoft "must think about other options" about how to market game consoles, from pricing plans to partnerships, in the face of hardware that will be too expensive for a mass audience. …
… Microsoft and Sony have several huge advantages over Valve when it comes to pricing. …
… Between the current hardware prices and the slow switchover from the previous console generation to the new one, this seems like a poor time to release a system. After all, if games are still being released on the old hardware four to five years after the latest one, what’s the point? …
… Sony, on the other hand, has kept experimenting with dynamic pricing that offers customized discounts designed to entice players who might otherwise not spend. …
… Microsoft has yet to find a balance when it comes to pricing, Sharma wrote. …
… The layoffs will surely leave a sour taste in players' mouths, as will the third set of price increases for Xbox hardware in just 13 months. …