Despite the recent instability caused by inflation, Microsoft has decided not to raise the price of the Xbox.
Inflation was the primary explanation given for the price hikes that people observed. Sony has recently increased the cost of their PlayStation consoles in regions other than the United States. The console now costs almost €100 (or 99.96 dollars) more than before Sony implemented the price increase. The post-pandemic financial crunch is why the gaming community has resented this choice.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that major semiconductor fabs have increased their costs by a large amount. That is to say, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), Samsung Foundries, and others boosted costs since the chip scarcity started. As a result, the price of the raw materials needed to make the consoles has also increased.
However, Microsoft will not be increasing the cost of its Xbox consoles, at least not right away, in contrast to Sony’s move. In 2020, the Xbox Series S was introduced at $299 (or £250 in the UK and €300 in Europe). The Xbox Series X was first released for $499 (or £450 in the UK and €500 in the rest of Europe). The business anticipates maintaining the same prices for the consoles everywhere. Microsoft’s consoles are having trouble keeping up with demand, much like the Sony PlayStation 5 is. The most recent Xbox consoles can only be purchased on Newegg.com as part of a bundle. You may only purchase the console on Amazon.com with a special invitation.
Despite supply problems
However, the price increases have given Xbox systems a competitive advantage over the PS5. The now more expensive Sony PlayStation 5 has outsold the Xbox system despite the supply problem. While Sony has sold 22 million PS5s, the Xbox Series consoles have shipped 16 million worldwide. But given the current state of the economy, the Xbox may suffer the same fate. That is to say, production problems in unheard-of inflation rates.
