Thursday, May 1st 2025
Microsoft Increases Xbox Console and Peripheral Pricing Across the Globe
Xbox players worldwide are facing sticker shock this week as Microsoft quietly implemented significant price increases across its latest hardware lineup and select first-party titles. The standard Xbox Series X with 1 TB of storage now carries a suggested retail price of $599.99, up from $499.99. The digital-only Series X has jumped to $549.99, and the special Galaxy Black 2 TB edition now lists at $729.99, compared with its original $599.99 launch price. Meanwhile, the more affordable Xbox Series S saw its 512 GB model climb from $299.99 to $379.99. A newly introduced 1 TB version of the Series S is now priced at $429.99. European customers will pay €349.99 for the base Series S and €599.99 for the standard Series X, while in the United Kingdom, those figures are £299.99 and £499.99, respectively.
Microsoft has also raised prices on accessories. The basic wireless controller increased from $59.99 to $64.99 in the U.S., and the Xbox Wireless Headset now costs $119.99 in North America. Some specialized peripherals, such as the Adaptive Controller and Adaptive Joystick, remain at their previous prices, relieving gamers needing those devices. On the software side, specific first-party titles launching this holiday season will carry a $79.99 price tag instead of the usual $69.99. Digital buyers will continue to benefit from Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows a single purchase to cover both console and PC versions at no extra charge. Importantly, Xbox Game Pass subscription fees are unchanged for now, even though Microsoft tweaked console and subscription pricing as recently as mid-2024 and made a minor adjustment in June 2023. In a statement, Xbox leadership acknowledged that these changes will be tough on fans. Still, the leadership said rising development, manufacturing, logistics costs, and ongoing trade-policy uncertainties drove them.
Sources:
Microsoft, via Tom's Hardware
Microsoft has also raised prices on accessories. The basic wireless controller increased from $59.99 to $64.99 in the U.S., and the Xbox Wireless Headset now costs $119.99 in North America. Some specialized peripherals, such as the Adaptive Controller and Adaptive Joystick, remain at their previous prices, relieving gamers needing those devices. On the software side, specific first-party titles launching this holiday season will carry a $79.99 price tag instead of the usual $69.99. Digital buyers will continue to benefit from Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows a single purchase to cover both console and PC versions at no extra charge. Importantly, Xbox Game Pass subscription fees are unchanged for now, even though Microsoft tweaked console and subscription pricing as recently as mid-2024 and made a minor adjustment in June 2023. In a statement, Xbox leadership acknowledged that these changes will be tough on fans. Still, the leadership said rising development, manufacturing, logistics costs, and ongoing trade-policy uncertainties drove them.
29 Comments on Microsoft Increases Xbox Console and Peripheral Pricing Across the Globe
Looks like MS is finally looking at PC gamers as the dopamine fueled impulse driven addicts that they are.
I patiently await the "if it's your hobby then who cares how much money you spend" and "PC Gaming is, in the grand scheme of things, a pretty cheap hobby compared to say diamond encrusted Ferrari collecting!" commentary :roll:
Put the price up?
Yeah, that will help.
Look at all that folks that got the 5090, there is a demographic for this somewhere.
These games are not worth $80. Hell they are not worth $60. Missing features, bugs, terrible performance, ece. All these games should be $10-15 to reflect their early access state.
In good news, this will probably end up with the xbox being axed sooner rather then later when sales totally stop. Opens up the market for a more competent console maker.
Yeah, and my counterpoint to the rising prices is just… not buying new games. I have a backlog that can last me years, I can wait things out. If things continue on the current trajectory of constantly rising costs, aggressive monetizing and not putting games on sale… meh, I guess I can find another hobby and just replay the classics once in a while. I would hope that this would be the industry burning itself and pricing people out of the market to the point of collapse, but unfortunately, I would agree that the modern gamer is a docile animal that would put up with anything, so there won’t be incentives for the companies to back off.
Still, increasing prices on the console that nobody wants already is a bold strategy, MS. I don’t see this panning out for you, but good luck.
you know like 145% tariff is the same as 1000% tariff… after certain point it doesn’t matter because people won’t pay extra…
what games are available only on an Xbox and not on a PC?…
…microsoft needs to pay off the 45 billion they paid for Activision, so raise prices… and the tariff thing is a perfect excuse.
They really are raising the XSS price, really? Let's see:
- It was supposed to be €350 but is being sold at €280 right now... Good luck MS!
- PC Game Pass was raised from 10 to €13 last year, it is still available for €10 in all physical stores.
- Office 365 Family was raised from 100 to 129€, can be subscribed at Amazon for 65€.
- PS5 price was raised, month later is still available for 400€ with a game. Others still 449.
It is the era of fake prices!
Microsoft is simply cashing in on their obtained market share, and all they have obtained is mainstream bullshit. Its easy to avoid. And there's a lot to play that's a lot nicer.Discounts are definitely not as deep as they used to be a few years ago.
wait for it.....
wait for it.........
The all new, superspastic, uber-fantastic Donny Syndrome.... hahahaha
XSex is basically dead in the water for sales at this point in the sales cycle, so MS is both stopping the per unit loss and also jacking up prices now so when they cut $50 off the price of the sequel it looks like a "good deal".
Normalising prices to compare across eras is sound but comparisons do break down when taken too far.
Comparing tech from an era where vacuum tubes were prevalent to 2025 is one such example.
Not sure if your claims stand up to scrutiny if you're seriously suggesting increasing console prices are fine.
Bang for buck is worsening substantially and it's due to poor competition (and the ensuing enshittification and unchecked corporate greed).
*You don't own the digital game but it's so much more cumbersome of legally tricky for MS to take your digital games away from the current store model than when you just paid to stream them.
Next up, $99 for a game becomes the norm.