Talking Point: Do You Expect Xbox To Follow PlayStation With More Console Price Hikes?

More than 2020 -> 2025 US inflation + tariffs, I think so.

I recently paid AU$800 / US$500 for a new Series X for Starfield.

I'm gonna guess US$550 soon.

Price increase would just be a death sentence to current generation. I'm not sure if Xbox can take a financial hit of selling at a loss in MS eyes, but it definitely should unless they want to phase out Series consoles and switch to XboxNext early.

I don’t see a reason why people would buy into the PS5 closed infrastructure anymore, other than to keep the library they might have built over the years accessible.

Nintendo is more feature rich, xbox is way cheaper and more versatile (via adding xbox play anywhere on pc, mobile), and both will provide more gaming experiences in upcoming years.

Also, i think xbox is making a profit on their services, they don’t have to increase prices on their box.

I think now would be a good time to not increase either consoles price and to try and gain back some sales against PS5

If there’s a price increase im selling my systems on marketplace. It’s time to move on from this system.

With what is currently happening across the global economy one shouldn't write off the possibility of all consoles going up in price in certain territories. That being said a price rise on Series X/S could be the death knell for Microsoft's current console. Even without a price hike, here in the UK Xbox consoles aren't readily available in many a retail outlet. While I imagine it varies from store to store John Lewis in my home town, for example, stock PS5 and Switch consoles along with peripherals and games, but Xbox is nowhere to be seen. Been like that for quite some time now. In fact the only place you can pick up a Series X/S is second hand in our local CEX.

I expect them to follow. As I expect both Plus/gp to increase.

I think it may take a while before MS raises prices - it looks like they have taken the stock from every other country to stockpile in the US.

The one thing I love about the economy is it just works for everyone, we all benefit 👍

They really shouldn't in my opinion they don't sell enough consoles at all!
At this rate this gen of console will be more expensive at the end of it's life than when it was first released years ago!!
Disgusting money hungry companies that already have enough money wanting more out of us!

@AgentCooper I hope that's being sarcastic!

@Ricky-Spanish
Well in the UK
Series x disc £480
Serious x discless £430

However they never seem to have promotions like Sony do.

Another way to look at this. Is Nintendo are charging £400 for a Switch 2 3.1 tflop console.
Series x is £430/£470 for a 12 tflop console.

So for me amazing power value over the Switch 2, that seems power wise so over priced.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner
Well in the UK
Series x disc £470
Serious x discless £430
However they never seem to have promotions like Sony do.

Another way to look at this.
Is Nintendo are charging £400 for a Switch 2 3.1 tflop console.
Series x is £430/£470 for a 12 tflop console.
So for me amazing power value over the Switch 2, that seems power wise so over priced.

@Friendly

My guess is because of the games, Xbox games will be playable on Playstation but not the opposite.

@OldGamer999 People are literally just paying the extra because it's Nintendo and there first party titles!
But people will happily pay for it and enjoy it that's the magic Nintendo own🤷

@Friendly I think part of it is because no matter how amazing play anywhere sounds on paper, its not actually a big deal for most people.

I, and most people I know, tend to buy a game for the platform where it plays best (subjective I know). If its an RTS / FPS / MMO / Sim I am going to buy it on PC via Steam most likely as I want to play it at a desk with M/KB. If its action / adventure then its front room for the big screen couch and controller option. Having it on both has no appeal if I have no intention of playing it on both.

The only exception would be mobile but PS have that covered with the Portal which is synced to your account anyway.

@OldGamer999

Nintendo have been carving their own path for some time now, regardless of what MS and Sony put out. People love their consoles and their games. The proof is in the pudding. In fact I'm amongst that number having bought a Switch just for LoZ: Breath of the Wild, Metroid Prime Remastered and Super Mario Odyssey.

@Ricky-Spanish This system has been stress tested for centuries, it has only ever resulted in widespread joy and a sense of security and utopian rapture, friend 👍

For MS to raise the price of Xbox consoles, you'd have to find them in the stores, in the first place.

@AgentCooper We live in different worlds the world hasn't been this insecure since ww2 but this is a gaming site so I'll agree to disagree ✌️

@OldGamer999 teraflops mean nothing.

There’s a difference between a handheld and a home console.

The Xbox handheld (Asus collab) is going to be more expensive than a switch and similar to an X.

If you look at what ps5 pricing is doing (in the UK at least) they're just price matching their digital console to the series X digital.

But to kind of reign this in a bit, ps5s are on sale nearly all the time in some guise or another. Xbox barely ever is, so no real need to increase prices, they're not in a position to do it anyway

@Ricky-Spanish
You are spot on there, mention Mario, Zelda etc and the money comes fourth.

Decades of very good AAA first party games and establishment and some great PR.

However they are not flame proof, look at the WII U and then the 3ds price cut they quickly made.

I like some of Nintendos first party AAA games but I seem to get less of them being made nowadays, new ones anyway.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner
You are spot on there, mention Mario, Zelda etc and the money comes fourth.

Decades of very good AAA first party games and establishment and some great PR.

However they are not flame proof, look at the WII U and then the 3ds price cut they quickly made.

I like some of Nintendos first party AAA games but I seem to get less of them being made nowadays, new ones anyway.

@Ricky-Spanish I was taking the piss but clearly hasn't landed mate 😂

The world is a sheiße show and only a slippery slope

@AgentCooper It's Monday dude🤗

@Ricky-Spanish Haha no worries, I expected better from an Irishman 😉

@Friendly PlayStation has more games, has a way better controller, is the only brand with a pro console and access to VR gaming, has cheaper SSD expandability, has a cheaper subscription service (if you buy a yearly subscription) and is even getting xbox games released on it while xbox isn't getting any PlayStation games.

I could see them waiting for the new consoles to raise the price. They could potentially have Series S,X, Handheld, new console, and xbox branded 3rd party systems on sale at the same time covering lots of different price ranges.

@Friendly "Nintendo is more feature rich, xbox is way cheaper and more versatile"

What features does the Switch 2 have (aside from portability) that PS5 is missing? The only xbox that's cheaper is the Series S which is heavily underpowered compared to PS5. You can play PS5 games on mobile through remote play and majority of games on xbox aren't play anywhere enabled.

Aside from day one games on gamepass there's literally no reason to get an xbox over a PS5.

@Friendly Sony has been making a profit off each PS5 sold for a few years now. They don't sell at a loss.

@Fiddleroyolanda

Your chosen avatar does nothing to hide your obvious bias, my friend.

As predominantly a PC gamer, one that packs a serious punch, I could argue there's no reason to invest in a games console, but I understand that people want different things from their gaming devices - so I don't or won't do that. I also understand the benefits of choice.
I also own a Series S and looking at my back catalogue of OG Xbox and 360 games, plus a lot more current titles that aren't available on PS5, there's plenty of reason to choose an Xbox as a viable gaming platform - even as a secondary option as I have.

As for Switch, which I also own, can you play BotW, Mario or Metroid Prime, (just as a few examples), on PS5? No, didn't think so.

This isn't Facebook where you can post any old rubbish and not suffer the consequences. The mods are pretty hot on here, as I'm sure you'll find out.

@Friendly Xbox makes a loss of between $100-200 on each console sold.

PS have made a profit for a while.

Both obviously make their money on services/games

@AgentCooper The kids are off school and I'm off work watching them and they have me warped although I'm Irish I'm not perfect ha!

@NishimuraX "plus a lot more current titles that aren't available on PS5"

Such as?

nobody buys the xbox console at the current price raising it will make the bad sales even worse..

sony is the apple of video games they have a dedicated fan base who will always buy there console no matter what..

@NishimuraX "I also own a Series S and looking at my back catalogue of OG Xbox and 360 games"

Series X has good back-compat for xbox 360 (roughly 25%) but original xbox is a complete joke. Only 63 out of 989 games are backwards compatible. PS5 can play roughly the same amount of PS2 classics.

@johnedwin

There is some truth in that.

@johnedwin and how is microsoft any different? they lost the last generation badly and yet xbox fans are still buying their consoles.

This PS5 Digital price hike aligns it with XSX Digital - with both being £430 now. So Microsoft would be foolish to raise prices again, just as Sony has voluntarily thrown away their price advantage. Though then again not sure that it matters because XSX Digital never seems to be in stock…

@Ricky-Spanish Ah you have my sympathies, I've just taken my two out for a bit of exercise, ended with a street long tantrum 😅

@AgentCooper Haha 😂 ah the joys my friend ✌️

I would hope Xbox wouldn’t follow PlayStation in this hike. I hate seeing all these price hikes but it’s the crazy times we live in. Yes, I think they are unfortunately going to follow.

What a mountain out of a mole hill.

What everyone forgets on here it means.
Both the series x disc and disc less
Match the PS5 disc and disc less.
£480 and £430
But let’s not forget how many will buy a very weak Switch 2 at 3.1tflop for £400.

Increase the price to whatever you want, I haven't seen one at Best Buy, Walmart or Target for months

@OldGamer999

"But let’s not forget how many will buy a very weak Switch 2 at 3.1tflop for £400"

I think you're purposely ignoring, even though it's been pointed out to you more than once, that Nintendo are chasing and continue to chase a very different customer mindset. This has been their MO for some years and one that continues to serve them well. Their hybrid Switch console not having as much oomph as Xbox or PlayStation, or the consoles' pricing, is quite clearly of no consequence. It will will be exactly the same for Switch 2. You are, in essence, comparing apples to oranges.

@M20B25

So it's not just the UK and Europe then retailers aren't stocking them? Hmm, not good.

I imagine they'll hold like they did last time, but who knows.

Xbox can’t afford to do something so dumb. M$ can, but not Xbox

Yes as this is an industry trend and the Series X already costs more than at launch

@OldGamer999 yes but the Switch 2 is both a home console and portable. Now you could say well Xbox will have a portable soon, but that's another outlay. Plus if your into physical media , the new Xbox portable wont play your discs.

People are saying the Switch 2 offers PS4 / Xone style performance, maybe slightly better.
For a handheld at £400. that's pretty good.

I reckon the S series might go up. it's the cheapest way to play current gen titles. Plus if they throw another £20/ e30 then i think it will still sell. As it will still be the cheapest option for current gen.

I think the X series will stay the same , as hiking it any more would completely halt any sales. especially that the next gen could be only two years away.
No ones gonna spend £500 on a console that will be replaced in two years.

Anyway in the UK there are numerous series S and X out in the WILDS SECOND HAND.

Just pop into any CEX and your see them . and they give a five year warranty on them now.

Nah, they’re not even distributing them.

@Kaloudz Last time they did increase it a few months after Sony in the same territories by the same amount, but I don’t think they will this time.

Price increases now are smart for when GTA VI launches. Consoles should sell out around that time so it won't hurt them to so it, it hurts the consumer though

Yes because Ms doesnt want to sell consoles

They couldn't sell them for $350 with a free game during Christmas 2023, good luck selling one for more than $500 now.

@IOI Yeah I recall them holding off until after Christmas, but eventually raising the price. It's just one of those things.

I sold my PS5 a couple of weeks back due to a lack of original games, and I don't regret it. I'm happy enough playing my JRPGs on Switch 2 and using Game Pass for the Xbox games, plus others like Expedition 33.

What I see is that the Xbox Series X models are hard to come by and generally only the Xbox Series S models are readily available. The best move MS can make with there next console is to wait until Sony releases the price of the ps6 then announce there next Xbox console cheaper then the ps6.

The features of the PS5 controller are definitely better but not the sticks. I so wish the Xbox controllers would get a mic (on the controller) and motion control.

Xbox is great thanks to quick resume. I love it. I kept Lego 2K Drive and some other games in quick resume for a year while I played other games lol and revisited it last week, from the same spot where I paused and all works well.

Switch 1 is terrible and so slow so I won't talk about that. Switch 2 looks great but again, the UI is boring and makes me feel like it's a closed system (same as Switch 1), unlike the open Xbox system that feels like a computer, like I can do what I want, watch what I want, multimedia machine with Blu-ray/DVD.

@darylb24 - Ironic, in a way, because I bought Xenoblade Chronicles DE from someone yesterday here in the area, and he told me he's selling his Switch and games in order to game on his PS5. I asked him if he was getting the Switch 2 and he said he's really not sure due to its high price and lack of time.

I sold my Series X a couple of weeks back due to a lack of original games, and I don't regret it. I'm happy enough playing my JRPGs on Switch 2 and using PS5 for the PlayStation games, plus others like Lost Soul Aside.

Here in Sweden, their consoles are already dead, so a increase would not affect us.
If you're lucky, you might still find the original white Series S model, but that's it. I guess we are one of the markets, that they abandoned. Which isn't a surprise, as Xbox began to slowly fade away, during the One generation. Game Pass though, is still a big thing, on PC. And you can easily find the controllers. So a price increase on those, could still affect us though.