This is the 2nd time they raised the price of Xbox consoles this year. You can guess why.
Xbox Series S 512 increased to $399.99 from $379.99
Xbox Series S 1TB increased to $449.99 from $429.99
Xbox Series X Digital increased to $599.99 from $549.99
Xbox Series X increased to $649.99 from $599.99
Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition increased to $799.99 from $729.99
How is this supposed to convince people to buy a console that’s already selling poorly?
Boycott Microdoft and go for a PS5
Sony jacked up PS prices already 😔
Microsoft spent billions on XBOX brand over over the past 23+ years but seems like they’re just done with it. They must know raising the price for the second time will be a final nail in the XBOX coffin. Is there a plan for a next XBOX? Does it even make sense to make the next XBOX? Is there even a reason for anyone to buy the next XBOX? Currently Microsoft’s marketing message is basically just spend $400 to $800 on a hardware and then pay $10 to $20 monthly ($120 to $240 a year) indefinitely for access to games but if you stop paying the monthly fee, you have an expensive paperweight because you own nothing. Oh and game pass price could go up at anytime over the lifespan of the console.
When should I sell my unused Series X? Because I feel like I’d make a profit if retail prices keep increasing 😂
Are PC prices keeping steady? This new BS trend of raising price for old hardware is nothing but a bad joke, and I have always been a console (and mostly, handheld) gamer, that’s why I ask.
Damn, I remember when consoles got less expensive over time, and when free speech was a thing.
Welp idiots decided to vote for another trump recession and rights trampling so here we are.
He tanked the economy his first term, covid covered for it but it was about to crash before it hit because he makes insane policies and fires any competent.
I’m watching the clock to see how long it takes for you to be banned from the whole fediverse and sent to alligator Alcatraz for your statements about free speech.
*Alligator Auschwitz
Good thing the fediverse is decentralized :)
Up yours, fascists!
Look at me owning an Xbox even less.
At this price, I can not own two!
I don’t see the point in owning a console anymore. All console games eventually come to PC, even Nintendo games (thanks, emulaton).
I kinda love PS5, but even still, I agree with the sentiment. Haptic feedback in all PC controllers, pleeeease?
My series S shit the bed literally yesterday.
These systems at these prices, once you stop gaming, you really can’t imagine getting back into it.
Me: Always bought consoles when prices started going down
Console manufacturers: We choose to leave this market untapped this time.
The things that used to allow for them to do that aren’t happening this time around. We’re getting diminishing returns on processor architecture improvements compared to a few decades ago. Also, this one in particular is only in the US, so…this one is tariffs.
Processor architecture was always the same for console refreshes into cheaper slim models. It’s the massive slowdown of manufacturing improvements or nodes that is preventing price cuts. Processor architecture only affects new generations of consoles and premium versions like ps5 pro.
I did not mean to imply that the architecture changed in PS2 slim compared to the original PS2, only that were able to make better, cheaper, cooler, smaller versions of that same architecture.
It’s not console makers. It’s Trump.
Trump certainly isn’t helping, but it’s a number of factors put together. Moore’s Law is slowing, and one effect of that is that manufacturing existing tech isn’t getting cheaper either.
Don’t worry, they are getting relatively cheaper as inflation is a problem. Unfortunately they are also getting more expensive as wages aren’t keeping up with inflation.
Plus tariffs. Plus moores law ended. Plus profiteering. Plus dwindling competition. Plus entry to market costs are too high. Thank you gods for the steam deck. It should correct a lot of those problems. Especially if the platform becomes an os and not just a product.
TBH, with the death of Moore’s law we might see competition shoot back up in a few years as smaller players get a chance to catch up
And as processing doesn’t keep increasing, perhaps coding will have to become more efficient so older or cheaper devices will also be useful.
Currently there is little incentive toake code efficient if speed will double anyway over time.
This is unlikely to happen with current rules. You would likely need to radically change copyright and patent laws for a fast-moving sector like semiconductors to create real competition.
Semiconductor performance will continue to improve and the baseline will always be the most modern CPUs and GPUs (even if prices continue to rise).
Joke’s on them, I haven’t paid anything for an Xbox since late 2001.
I have a series S that I paid $299 for new. If video games keep getting more expensive, I guess I’ll just have to go outside.
Also, fuck switch 2, it’s just a switch but bigger and more expensive.
Not really. Its far better spec then the switch 1. But granted still a shit choice
You used to be able to pay Microsoft ~20€ to enable developer mode, so you were able to sideload emulators and other homebrew apps to the Series S/X. I’m not if it’s still possible.
Guess I’ll never buy one even more.
Oh no! That’s tarifful!
With how much and how fast Xbox sales have been dropping, are they even producing new units to sell? Or are they using tariffs as an excuse to raise the prices and make as much bank as possible with what little customers they have left?
They’re not trying to make as much bank as possible; they’re trying to lose as little money possible on each unit sold.
The point I was trying to make is, that with their abysmal sales, maybe these units were produced before the tariffs went into effect, which means that they were not losing money on their sales, but increased the price anyway.
Even holding inventory costs money. They know where their bread is buttered, and it’s on software after they’ve already sold the hardware. If they could charge less and get an Xbox in your home, a pathway to you becoming a Game Pass subscriber, they’d do it. I think this is just trying not to bleed any money at all as they slowly exit the business of selling a traditional console, paving the way for making pre-built PCs with the Xbox branding at a price and scale that matches the market’s appetite.
