Xbox consoles get another price hike in the US

Last month, Sony announced it would be increasing the prices of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro in the US by $50 each, pushing the latter above the $700 mark; more if you factor in the cost of a vertical stand and disk drive. Now, Xbox has followed suit and announced its offerings will also be costlier.

The Verge acquired the information via unknown sources. Microsoft attributes it to, "changes in the macroeconomic environment", which is likely veiled speak for tariffs. However, unlike Sony, the price increase isn't uniform. Some consoles only get a $20 price increase, while the top-spec model gets a $70 price bump. Here's how much each console will cost:

• Xbox Series S: $399 ($20 increase)
• Xbox Series S 1 TB: $449 ($20 increase)
• Xbox Series X: $649 ($50 increase)
• Xbox Series X Digital Edition: $599 ($50 increase)
• Xbox Series X 2 TB: $799 ($70 increase)

Exactly when the price hikes take effect is unclear. However, it makes the 2 TB Xbox Series X even less of an attractive buy, given that it offers virtually no processing power upgrade over the regular Series X. Coupled with prohibitively expensive proprietary storage expansion, Microsoft's console sales may further fall behind Sony's.

The abrupt price increases are worrying for future consoles because the next-gen models will almost certainly have a higher barrier to entry than the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X. $1000 consoles may have started out as a meme, but that could very well be the reality because the Xbox Magnus and PlayStation Canis won't be cheap to manufacture.