Posted 4 hours ago4 hr comment_12697 Everything seems to be getting more expensive these days, and video games are no exception. Case in point: Microsoft, just jacked up the recommended prices on its video game products. Xbox consoles and games alike are seeing cost increases—all of which go into effect today, May 1.You can find the full list of price changes on Microsoft's official pricing update blog post. But for those of us in the United States, here are the new prices we can expect to pay for Xbox products going forward, in addition to the original prices provided by IGN when available:Xbox consolesXbox Series S 512: $379.99 (originally $299.99)Xbox Series S 1TB: $429.99 (originally $349.99)Xbox Series X Digital: $549.99 (originally $449.99)Xbox Series X: $599.99 (originally $499.99)Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition: $729.99 (originally $599.99)Xbox controllers and headsetsXbox Wireless Controller — Limited Edition: $89.99 (originally $79.99)Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core): $149.99 (originally $139.99)Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full): $199.99 (originally $179.99)Xbox Wireless Controller (Core): $64.99 Xbox Wireless Controller (Color): $69.99Xbox Wireless Controller — Special Edition: $79.99Xbox Stereo Headset: $64.99 Which Xbox games are now more expensive?Microsoft hasn't said yet, though no existing games will cost more than they currently do. The company noted that they will raise the cost of some new first-party games to $79.99 this holiday season. That puts the price in line with the Switch 2's most premiere titles, like Mario Kart World. It seems $80 is the new standard in AAA video game pricing. Note that Xbox Game Pass pricing is not changing at this time. Why is Microsoft raising prices?According to the company, these MSRP hikes are due to "market conditions and the rising cost of development." To those of us following the news, however, it seems a likely culprit is the The President administration and its widespread tariffs imposed on trading partners across the globe. Microsoft doesn't directly blame tariffs, so we can't say for sure, but these import duties are certainly impacting "market conditions" in a major way. Microsoft isn't alone in raising prices, even among video game manufacturers. Sony increased the MSRPs of PS5 consoles in markets around the world—though notably omitted the U.S. from that list. Nintendo also raised prices on Switch 2 accessories, though opted to keep the console's original $449.99 price tag intact.View the full article
