Urgent: Microsoft raises the prices of Xbox devices, games and accessories globally
Microsoft announced today new increases in the prices of Xbox devices, accessories and even some of the first -party games on a global scale.
According to an official statement by Microsoft (via IGNThe United States is the most affected by these price amendments, as the price of the Xbox Series X increased by $ 100 to $ 600, while the price of the Series S basic model has become 430 dollars after an increase of $ 80.
In Europe, Series X and Series S prices rose by 50 euros each to reach 600 euros and 350 euros, respectively. In the United Kingdom, the increase reached only 20 pounds for the Series X device to 500 pounds, while the price of Series S increased by 50 pounds to 300 pounds.
These increases are not limited to devices only, as Microsoft announced that the prices of some of the upcoming first -party games in the holiday season will reach 80 dollars, with confirmation that this increase will not include the upcoming games soon, such as Doom: The Dark Ages.
Increase the prices of Xbox devices
The step of increasing the prices of Xbox devices comes in a context similar to Sony and Nintendo movements, as the first raised the prices of the PS5 digital version in several markets recently, while Nintendo drew attention at high prices for the new generation of Switch 2 and some games of the first party. Companies attribute these increases to several factors, most notably:
- American customs duties imposed on China and a number of other markets.
- Development costs have increased dramatically during the past five years.
- Global inflation and the fluctuation of currency rates, which affected the cost of production and distribution.
It is expected that these increases will lead to a decline in the size of the audience who is able to buy home appliances and their games, and this may negatively affect the growth of the first -class games market. On the other hand, free-to-Play games may benefit from increasing the number of users looking for less expensive alternatives.
To reduce the impact of these changes, Microsoft promotes benefits such as Xbox Play Anywhere that allows users to buy one game and run them on both Xbox and computer. As for Nintendo, it revealed the new Gameshare feature on Switch 2, which allows to share games with friends and family even if they don’t own the game.
These steps remain controversial, especially in light of the global economic situation, while the coming months will be decisive in determining whether these strategies will positively or negatively affect the market.
