Xbox Addresses Price Increase Concerns for Series X|S
Xbox has addressed concerns of a price increase on the Xbox Series X|S. Various pieces of gaming hardware have had the exceptionally rare price increase over the last few months due to global economic changes such as inflation. As the prices of consumer goods continue to rise, more and more tech giants are taking a moment to also tick up the prices of their most highly demanded products. One of the most notable ones was the Meta Quest 2 which got a $100 price increase on all models, making it $399.99 and $499.99 depending on the version you got. Today, PlayStation announced it was increasing the price of the PlayStation 5 in a number of major markets except for the United States. Although it's far less drastic than the Quest, it had many concerned that Xbox could follow.
Xbox has confirmed that it won't be increasing the prices of the Xbox Series X|S, at least at this moment. Xbox confirmed to Windows Central that it will continue to retain the original, baseline prices for both consoles. The Xbox Series S currently costs $299.99 and the Xbox Series X costs $499.99 in the United States and that will remain the plan. However, the platform holder did note that it's "constantly evaluating" its business, so, that's not exactly ruling out a potential price increase in the future. As of right now, though, fans can pick up the console at its current retail price.
"We are constantly evaluating our business to offer our fans great gaming options.," reads a statement given to Windows Central. "Our Xbox Series S suggested retail price remains at $299 (£250, €300) the Xbox Series X is $499 (£450, €500)."
As of right now, Xbox has no major AAA exclusives releasing this holiday following the delay of Starfield, but it does have a promising 2023 and beyond. PlayStation, however, has the release of God of War Ragnarok in November. Whether or not the price increase on the PlayStation 5 in certain regions will make the Xbox Series X and S more lucrative remains to be seen.
What do you think about PlayStation's decision to increase the price of its console? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.