Time for another price hike, and not a small one at that. Microsoft has just announced that the Xbox Series X/S will become significantly more expensive starting August 1. According to the company, this is due to the sharp rise in the cost of memory and storage components.
Among other things, the new prices mean that the base model of the Xbox Series X will cost $150 more, and the base model of the Series S will cost $100 more. Microsoft has not yet announced whether or how these changes will affect prices in other markets outside of the U.S.
The prices effective in the U.S. starting August 1 are:
Xbox Series S 512GB: $399.99 -> $499.99
Xbox Series S 1TB: $449.99 -> $599.99
Xbox Series X 1TB Digital: $599.99 -> $749.99
Xbox Series X 1TB: $649.99 -> $799.99
Microsoft also points out that game consoles are traditionally sold with very small profit margins, and they promise to try to mitigate the impact of these substantial price increases by, among other things, offering interest-free instalment plans and more alternative financing solutions.