Are you tired of paying more and more for video games? Too bad. Game prices have been creeping up from major publishers for the last few years, with plenty of gamers spotting a recent jump in Nintendo’s first-party prices. Microsoft’s Xbox brand is following suit, and it’s not even waiting for a new console launch to do it.
As of today, US prices of every current Xbox game console have shot up. IGN reports that the base model Xbox Series S with 512GB of storage is now $380 (up from $300), and the Series X gets a $100 bump across the board, with the top-end 2TB model going from $600 to $730. Some Xbox controllers—still the de facto standard for PC gaming—are bumping up by $10, while the much-loved Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 jumps by $10 to $20 based on what extras you get with them.
According to the announcement page on Microsoft’s Xbox support site, “some of our new, first-party games will launch at $79.99 beginning this holiday season.” It doesn’t make a distinction between console and PC titles, which typically launch at the same time. While Microsoft didn’t explicitly spell out the Trump’s administration’s unprecedented taxes on imports from China as a reason for the hardware price increases, the fact that headset pricing increases apply only to the US and Canada would seem to point the finger at tariffs.
The aggressive price increases might seem insane considering how far Microsoft has fallen behind Nintendo and Sony in the home console space, but Microsoft is arguably in an advantageous position when it comes to rising prices for hardware and software.
Microsoft has spent years hyping up its games-as-a-service Xbox Game Pass subscription and streaming, and pushing hard on a campaign that says the screens you already own are an Xbox with no console purchase required. And that’s saying nothing of Microsoft spending a hundred billion or two on first-party publishers, like Activision-Blizzard and Minecraft maker Mojang. Microsoft has also been spreading its major published games onto the PlayStation and Switch.
Game Pass, if not Xbox itself, is emerging as a more affordable option for those who want to play new games without sinking hundreds or thousands into new consoles or gaming PCs. Price increases won’t exactly help Game Pass, but it might make it look more appealing in context. But that won’t make it any easier to pony up $200 for an Xbox Elite controller, especially since more affordable options are disappearing.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.