Key Takeaways
1. Sony has increased the prices of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro by $50, with the Pro now exceeding $700.
2. Xbox has also announced price hikes, with increases varying by model—some consoles rise by $20, while the high-end model sees a $70 increase.
3. Microsoft attributes its price changes to “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” likely related to tariffs.
4. Upcoming console models, like the Xbox Magnus and PlayStation Canis, are expected to be even more expensive, raising concerns about affordability for gamers.
5. The price hikes may negatively impact Xbox sales, especially for the 2 TB Series X, which offers no significant processing power improvements over the standard model.
Last month, Sony revealed that it would be raising the prices of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro in the United States by $50 each. This change puts the Pro version above the $700 threshold, and this figure can increase even more when you include the costs for a vertical stand and a disk drive. Following this, Xbox has now announced that its consoles will also see price hikes.
Details on Price Changes
The Verge obtained this information from unidentified sources. Microsoft has linked the price increases to “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” which likely refers to tariffs in a more indirect way. Unlike Sony, however, the price hikes for Xbox are not consistent across all models. Some consoles are only seeing a $20 increase, whereas the high-end model will experience a $70 rise. Here’s a breakdown of the new prices for each console:
The exact timing for when these price increases will take place remains uncertain. This situation makes the 2 TB Xbox Series X an even less appealing choice, as it doesn’t provide any significant processing power improvement over the standard Series X. With the added burden of costly proprietary storage expansion, Microsoft’s sales could slip further behind those of Sony.
Future Implications of Price Hikes
These sudden price increases raise concerns for upcoming consoles, as the next-generation models will likely come with an even higher cost barrier than the current PS5 and Xbox Series S|X. While $1000 consoles might have started off as a joke, this may soon be a reality. The Xbox Magnus and PlayStation Canis are expected to be expensive to produce, indicating that gamers may face steep prices in the future.
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