Microsoft has announced that it is raising the price of its Xbox consoles and accessories globally. The affected products include the Series S and Series X consoles, wireless controllers, as well as headsets. In addition to increasing the price of its hardware, the company also plans on adjusting the price of some of its new games.
The US will see the most significant increase in prices, as the Xbox Series S will go from US$299.99 (~RM1,293) to US$379.99 (~RM1,638), while the Series X Galaxy Black model will see an increase from US$599.99 (~RM2,586) to US$729.99 (~RM3,146). Moreover, while the price of some controllers have been raised, other controllers, like the Adaptive Controller and Adaptive Joystick, will remain at the same price. Meanwhile, headset prices will only be increased in the US and Canada.
As for games, the company stated that some of its new first-party games will launch at US$79.99 (~RM345). It is worth noting that the price will only apply to new releases and that existing titles will not be affected.
Microsoft only included updated price lists for the US, UK, Europe, and Australia, but it also stated that markets not specifically mentioned will also receive updated recommended retailer pricing. Local pricing will also vary according to region to reflect exchange rates and market conditions. However, a quick scan through several local gaming outlets reveal that prices for both the Xbox Series X and S as well as various accessories have remained unchanged at the time of writing this article.
It is likely that this price hike was in part due to the tariffs introduced by the Trump administration. While Microsoft did not specifically mention this, it cited market conditions and the rising cost of development as the reasons for the price increase. Xbox consoles are largely manufactured in China, which has been subject to incredibly high tariff rates. Microsoft is also not the only company to adjust product prices due to the this. Previously, Sony raised the price of the PS5 in certain regions including Europe and Australia, but notably excluded the US.
(Source: The Guardian, Xbox)
