– Xbox console prices increase worldwide starting August 1, with the Series S now starting at $499.
– The 2 TB Xbox Series X variant has been canceled.
– Microsoft offers ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ options and 0% APR financing in select markets.
– Refurbished consoles will be sold on Microsoft’s store with a $100 discount.
– Further price hikes are expected due to memory/storage costs predicted to double by fall 2027.
Anybody looking to get an Xbox is about to face another huge shock
Starting on August 1, all Xbox consoles will be getting more expensive across the whole world. Microsoft has tried to reduce the damage by not clearly telling everyone the exact new pricing for there devices, leaving customers to guess. So, here is a breakdown for each model you might be considering.
The 2 TB Xbox Series X model has been completely canceled without warning
If the price increases werent bad enough, that 2 TB version of the Series X has now been axed outright. It was first shown off back in June 2026 at the same time as the all-digital Series X and the 1 TB Series S, but it only lasted for two years before being removed. Slim to zero chance exists for it to ever make a comback. The minimum price for entering the Xbox ecosystem with a Series S is now $499, witch is quite ironic because that same amount could get you the way more powerful Series X when it first launched.
New payment options are being offered to help lessen the blow
As some earlier leaks had foretold, Microsoft is now going to offer ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ plans to users who qualify, helping them absorb the cost of what is essentially six year old hardware. People buying their Xbox through Amazon can also use 0% APR financing that lasts up to 12 months. However, these plans will only work in specific markets and might not be avalible everywhere in the globe. Additionally, refurbished consoles with a $100 discount will be sold directly on Microsoft’s store.
Storage and memory prices keep going up, hinting at future increases
A blog post from Microsoft clearly says, “Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027”. This suggests we could maybe see yet another price hike come next year. The industry might be slowly preparing gamers for a $1,000 price tag on future consoles, something that was already warned about when the memory and storage crisis first started affecting everything.
The timing of this announcement seems very odd and suspicious
This announcment comes right after GTA 6 pre-orders opened up and only a few hours following Apple’s huge price hike across their whole product line. If this pattern continues, it won’t be long until Sony and other companies also raise there prices. At the rate things are going, the somewhat ludicrous Steam Machine pricing from Valve might eventualy start looking cheap by comparison to these new console costs.