Xbox May Soon Be Raising Prices
Xbox chief Phil Spencer has said that the price of the console is going to go up, but not before the holiday shopping season.
Are Xbox prices on the rise sooner than later? The chief of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has hinted that the prices of Microsoft’s flagship gaming hardware and its digital storefront might go up in the future. This news came after Microsoft previously stated that, unlike Sony, the company won’t increase the price of its Series X/S gaming consoles. Spencer also stated that the company would hold off the Xbox price increase through the holiday shopping season, but the prices may go up after the holidays.
According to Polygon, Spencer also added that Microsoft held the Xbox prices, games and gaming services, for quite a long. This is in contrast to the current economy, in which everyone, including Sony and Ubisoft, has increased the prices of their gaming releases and gaming hardware. He concluded his statement by saying that the Xbox price increase was inevitable and that it was just a matter of time. However, the company won’t increase its prices going into the holiday shopping season, and those who spend their money on video games can now sigh in relief.
The suggested increase in Xbox prices is quite a reasonable response given the current adverse currency trends and inflation. Sony was among the first to respond by increasing the price of its PlayStation 5 console in Asia, Europe, and the UK, while the Xbox prices in the US have remained unaffected. Fans of the consoles didn’t like the price increase, and many have deemed it unfair since most could acquire the console at its old price due to semiconductor shortages plaguing the industry. Microsoft and Nintendo, at the time, stated that their consoles’ prices wouldn’t go up for the time being.
Xbox prices are likely to see a bump similar to that of PlayStation 5 in certain regions, but the Series S isn’t likely to suffer much because of it. It’s still the most accessible current-gen console on the market and the most affordable. In contrast, Nintendo Switch didn’t suffer much due to shortages and hasn’t announced any price increases. In fact, it has been the best-selling console in the past two years, thanks to its accessibility to the current market.
The Xbox price increase for the Series X/S wouldn’t be as surprising, considering the alternative. Microsoft plans to bump up the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscription service as well, and adding a few extra dollars to the current price could compensate for the difference in console price. However, considering that Microsoft already has the best possible gaming subscription service, increasing the Xbox price would drive the fans to its main competitor, Sony, whose offering can’t really compare with Xbox’s.
In fact, both options aren’t mutually exclusive, and Microsoft could opt to do both. Whatever Xbox prices increase the company plans, it’s likely to coincide or happen ahead of a major gaming release, like the previously mentioned Starfield, which would help propel the console and subscription service at increased prices. And it would make it more appealing to the gaming community.
It would seem that Microsoft has to skate over thin ice with its Xbox prices. Its only advantage over Sony is an overall better subscription service and a stronger gaming console which isn’t nearly as desired as Sony’s PlayStation 5.
