Microsoft raising prices of Xbox consoles, games and accessories

  • Flagship console now $599
  • New games will soon be $79
  • Warns prices may rise again

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X (black) and series S (white) gaming consoles are displayed at a flagship store of SK Telecom in Seoul on November 10, 2020. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

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(NewsNation) — Starting Thursday, some Xbox consoles and controllers will jump in price worldwide — and more price hikes are expected for games come the holiday season.

The price of its flagship Xbox Series X console is jumping $100 to $599. It had been $499 since launching in 2020, but has seen price increases in other countries before this year. Virtually every configuration of its consoles and accessories is more expensive as of Wednesday.

“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” the company said on its website.

Microsoft also warned that availability “may continue to change over time.”

The price of a typical Microsoft-published game is going up by $10 to $79.99 this holiday season. For most of the 2000s, new games cost around $60, but they started going for $70 with the current Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2020.

Microsoft is not changing the price of its Game Pass subscription service, where players can play a catalog of new and old games.

You can see the full list of Xbox price hikes here.

It follows Nintendo’s rocky announcement of its upcoming Switch 2. Hours before President Donald Trump announced his tariff plan at the White House, Nintendo unveiled the $449.99 price for its new console, only to shutter pre-orders days later as it sorted out the implications of the tariffs. Nintendo eventually took preorders at that price, but warned the price may go up over time.

Tech

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