“Nintendo was just the beginning, and I’m afraid we all knew this” - Gamers express dissatisfaction with new Xbox console and game prices

On May 1, 2025, Microsoft announced that it had increased the price of the Xbox Series X and S consoles and their accessories due to tariff uncertainty, along with adding an $80 price tag to future first-party games. This comes a month after the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games were first announced, which left the entire gaming community in dismay.

Microsoft's new announcement comes as yet another shock for players, especially since the current generation Series X and S consoles were released almost five years ago in 2020. So, how did the gaming community react to this announcement on the internet? Let’s find out.

New prices of Xbox consoles, accessories, and games

Here are the new price tags of Xbox consoles and their accessories:

Series S 512 - $379.99 (up from $299.99)
Series S 1TB - $429.99 (up from $349.99)
Series X Digital - $549.99 (up from $449.99)
Series X - $599.99 (up from $499.99)
Series X 2TB Galaxy: Special Edition - $729.99 (up from $599.99)
Wireless Controller (Core) - $64.99
Wireless Controller (Color) - $69.99
Wireless Controller: Special Edition - $79.99
Wireless Controller: Limited Edition - $89.99 (up from $79.99)
Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core) - $149.99 (up from $139.99)
Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full) - $199.99 (up from $179.99)
Stereo Headset -$64.99
Wireless Headset - $119.99 (up from $109.99)

Per this list, the prices of all Xbox products have been increased by almost 30%. Only the core and color variants of the Wireless Controllers and the Stereo Headset retain their previous prices. As mentioned earlier, Microsoft has also announced that all future first-party (Microsoft-published) games for this console and PC will cost $79.99 starting this holiday season.

Also read: New Xbox controller might ditch Bluetooth for a better latency option

Gaming is slowly becoming a luxurious hobby

The Xbox Game Pass will now provide more value for money (Image via Xbox)

Players globally have expressed their dissatisfaction with this announcement. While modern AAA games can cost up to $70, many believe that $80 games would soon become the standard after Nintendo announced the price of their games would go as high as $90. This has made gamers wary that, due to higher development costs, gaming in general would get more expensive as the years go by.

Reddit user u/Interdimension pointed out that this is the first time a console generation will be an appreciating asset rather than a depreciating one. The silver lining here, however, is that many people seem genuinely happy they bought their consoles early on at their original prices and through Best Buy deals, which made the Series X sell for $350, almost 50 percent cheaper than their current increased prices.

“Absolutely insane to see that someone who bought a Series X in 2024 basically got a 50% discount.”

u/Interdimension also speculated that the Black Friday sales this year will be rough for people wanting to buy an Xbox, as they will be paying more than the base price of this console, even after including discounts. As such, they found it “insane” that Series X buyers last year were able to buy it at a 50 percent discount compared to their current increased prices.

Also read: Nintendo finally revealed Switch 2 pre-order dates for US

Another Redditor, u/Kokoro87, joked that with inflation increasing the price of everything from basic necessities like food to hobbies like gaming, they would need a 3.5 percent salary hike to cover it all. This sparked debate over the concern that gaming as a hobby is becoming more expensive and might soon become exclusive to the wealthy who can afford a luxurious lifestyle.

“This almost feels like a way to push people to Game Pass, maybe even devs, because it'll be less worth owning the game.”

The above statement by user u/VulcanHullo seems to be an interesting point since even if the price of games is going up, players can get a better deal with a $15 Game Pass monthly subscription, which will also grant them access to several games. So, the increased price of this console and its games might push people to consider purchasing a Game Pass subscription more than ever before.

Also read: China hit by Nintendo Switch 2 delay after US pre-order hold-up\

Gamers are dissatisfied with rising console and video game prices

Overall, people are dissatisfied with Microsoft’s announcement to increase the prices of Xbox consoles, accessories, and first-party games. As such, many will now either consider purchasing a Game Pass subscription or wait for a year for an uncertain price drop (if any) before investing in games.

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About the author

Debamalya is a Gaming Writer for Sportskeeda, specializing in writing news, guides, and other features about various games. He has over five years of experience and has been following the video game and esports industry since he started playing games on his mom's Nokia 3110.

He initially began his career as an academic writer before shifting to web content writing. He has worked for various tech and gaming websites, writing gaming and tech news and guides. He loves playing action-RPG games, being an expert in Souls-like and Metroidvania games.

In his free time, Debamalya also enjoys playing drums and listening to hip-hop and heavy metal music.

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Edited by Arundhoti Palit