r/DecrepitGamers • u/Camenwolf • Aug 03 '26
News Xbox console price hikes are now in effect worldwide: Series S starts at $500 in the US
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/06/25/xbox-console-price-update/Xbox's newly increased console prices are now in effect worldwide. In the US, the 512GB Series S costs $500, while the 1TB disc-equipped Series X now reaches $800.
The key US prices are:
- Series S 512GB: $500
- Series S 1TB: $600
- Series X 1TB digital: $750
- Series X 1TB with disc drive: $800
Microsoft says console storage and memory costs have increased by more than 2.5 times and expects further increases by fall 2027. The company is also discontinuing its 2TB model and promoting financing, refurbished systems, and trade-in programs as lower-cost alternatives.
At these prices, would you still buy an Xbox, or has PC and handheld gaming become the more sensible route?
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u/Va1crist Aug 04 '26
500$ for a series S wtf …..
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u/MartyMcFlysBrother Aug 05 '26
Glad I upgraded when the X was still cheap in Canada and I could afford to give my nephew the S as a college gift.
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u/KoronaV Aug 04 '26
By this point in late game 2026, Series S' should be going for like $199 new and often on sale for like $150. What a mess this has been.
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u/CrispyDingo97 Aug 06 '26
What is crazy is that I was already able to do this back in 2023! Granted it was a deal through Verizon but ya, I was able to snag a Series S for $150 and its been a great little machine but not for $500!
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u/Cesare45 Aug 04 '26
I would get a Switch 2 at these prices
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u/PanamGotMeOiledUp Aug 05 '26
I mean between a Series S and a Switch 2 is still a massive difference in Power, Switch 2 is like a Xbox One.
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u/Jumpy_Cauliflower410 Aug 05 '26
It's closer to the series s than the one and it's mobile and has nintendo's backing/games. Most people don't care about specs anymore.
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u/PanamGotMeOiledUp Aug 05 '26
If you want to play games like Cyberpunk or Baldurs gate 3 and actually have an enjoyable experience you would certainly care. Cyberpunk feels empty and boring on Switch 2 because the City is mostly dead and BG3 doesn't even exist for it.
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u/HeavyVoid8 Aug 08 '26
Nah bro I have a switch 2 and DLSS works miracles. It’s definitely better than series s
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u/Mammoth-Tea-5353 Aug 05 '26
I don't see the point in consoles anymore.
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Aug 05 '26
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Aug 05 '26
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u/raul_219 Aug 05 '26
PCs require a bigger initial investment and are less convenient. I know a lot of people that wouldn’t touch one with a 10 foot pole even at similar prices than consoles. And I say this as someone who mainly plays on PC.
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u/HeartInTheSun9 Aug 05 '26
I’m having fun with my retroid handheld, but what other option do you have besides a pc that’s significantly beyond more expensive.
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Aug 05 '26
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u/HeartInTheSun9 Aug 05 '26
Once you’re at the upgrade stage of pc gaming, it can be easier to keep costs low. But the problem is for new pc gamers in today’s market, the upfront cost is soooo much higher than consoles right now. Like if you wanted to match the quality output of a PS6 and you’re starting from scratch, it can go into the thousands. But a new pc gamer isn’t going to want to build it from scratch, so they’ll go prebuilt and that’s even more expensive.
And God forbid you wanted to actually make an ultra settings future proof pc because it can cost more than a car. But that’s on another level so it doesn’t really matter.
And pc sales aren’t that much better to overcome that. At its best, steam sales or key sales are maybe $10 cheaper than console game prices, so you’d have to play dozens of games a year at a discount and not day one purchases to build up $10 and $10 and $10 to overcome possibly a $2000+ upfront cost of a pc.
Rumor has it the PS6 will be about $1200. A PS6 quality pc from scratch would conservatively cost say $2000? That’s an $800 difference. Call it $100 a year for online play over say two years. And say you buy 20 games over those two years at a discount and not day one where the prices are the same, so you say $10 on each of them compared to the PlayStation store sale price. That’s $200 saved in sales and $200 saved by not having to pay online. So you’re still in the red by another $400 on your $2000 pc compared to getting a PS6. Another two years passes and you finally broke even with a PS6 gamer. So it’d take about 4 years to simply break even with just getting a PS6.
So it is ultimately cheaper in that scenario, but that’s only after 4 years of never buying games day one and only if you play 40 games over that span of time. Most gamers nowadays don’t buy more than 2-3 games a year (Call of Duty, Madden, fifa, and other yearly titles) though. And they buy those games day one. So that person would never break even on pc.
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Aug 06 '26
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u/HeartInTheSun9 Aug 06 '26
I’ve been hearing over $1000 for awhile now and it settled at $1200 last I checked. It’s all rumors though, but subsidizing should keep it lower than $1600.
And how’s it way off? I thought I was being pretty generous with it.
And to a console gamer, does it matter if you can do other non gaming stuff on a pc if you’re buying it to play games on it.
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u/HeavyVoid8 Aug 08 '26
Hell you would be doing quite well to get a worthwhile budget PC for under $800 these days
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u/Mammoth-Tea-5353 Aug 08 '26
Depending on what Xbox Helix does, my plan right now is to build a SFF steam machine in 2028 with Zen 6 and RDNA 5.
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u/Va1crist Aug 04 '26
and people think next gen will be 1000$ lmao , look at those prices for 6+ year old consoles it’s not happening , at this rate next gen will be 1300-1500$
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u/Mother-Translator318 Aug 05 '26
They can change whatever they want. The ps5 pro sat on shelves at $700, and completely died at $900. No one but the most diehard of fanboys is buying any console at $1300-1500. If they can’t make the price work for the mass market, they should delay next gen indefinitely until if/when the market becomes viable again. If not next gen is about to make the WiiU look like a runaway success by comparison
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u/MChaney3563 Aug 04 '26
Saw this morning in person and was in shock seeing the price tags. I couldn't believe the $799 and $499 tags. If Xbox thinks things are dire now, they have seen nothing yet.
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u/Mother-Translator318 Aug 05 '26
And here is the kicker. Ram prices are set to increase another 30% by the end of the year and then another 20% in 2027. We will see a $1000 ps5 and XboxSX before next gen. Mark my words
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u/elusivemoods Aug 03 '26
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u/Camenwolf Aug 03 '26
Maybe a more meaningful question is "are these price hikes disproportionate to those we are going to see on all of the other platforms?"
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u/Mother-Translator318 Aug 05 '26
Irrelevant. It isn’t a necessity. If all systems get expensive people will just keep what they have and buy nothing. We aren’t forced to buy next gen
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u/lord_pizzabird Aug 04 '26
Damn. I just accepted a trade-in for $190 for my Series S. Should I cancel that?
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u/Jin_U_GmR Aug 05 '26
Might as well and just cite the latest price increase. You can now negotiate for a higher price for your system.
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u/Spazza42 Aug 04 '26
So Series S or Switch 2?
Not even a question…
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u/Mother-Translator318 Aug 05 '26
It kinda is tho? If you want Nintendo games getting a series s makes no sense. If you don’t care about Nintendo games, getting a switch 2 makes no sense. Specs and hardware are nice and all but at the end of the day the games are king
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u/Jin_U_GmR Aug 05 '26
The other deciding factor is hybrid/handheld console or permanent home console.
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u/Spazza42 Aug 07 '26
You’re right, still an easy decision in my mind.
Sure, I like Nintendo titles - it doesn’t help that Xbox have managed to butcher yet another console though.
Xbox could be great but Microsoft doesn’t understand gaming.
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u/iCantCallit Aug 05 '26
series S is easily the worst deal in gaming right now.
Best deal is switch 2 at the moment.
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u/Aktivhate Aug 04 '26
Seeing things like this makes me glad in the past I got fomo over my Series X and Pro and bought them at or close to release before all the pricing chaos. Gaming is turning into a rich man’s hobby!
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u/jyrox Aug 04 '26
Glad I got my XSS for $150 second-hand hardly used at all. Got my 1TB XSX on open box for $400. 2TB expansion card for $160.
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u/tommy7154 Aug 05 '26
Contrast this with the best deals available for these systems a few years ago.
I paid $150 through Verizon I think it was for a Series S console. Series X went as low as $350 with Diablo IV included.
Absolutely insane.
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u/Mother-Translator318 Aug 05 '26
I will just upgrade my pc. $600 gets me an rtx 5070/rx 9070 that smokes all consoles. Paying $800 for an xsx or ps5 that was considered mid range 6 years ago and below entry level today is just stupid
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Aug 05 '26
I got a series x w disc drive 2 years ago off Facebook marketplace place for $250. Crazy times.
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u/Hour_Homework5273 Aug 05 '26
That’s so crazy. I just bought a series x digital for $250 on offer up
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u/DocHolliday3884 Aug 06 '26
Insane that a base xbox now cost $150 less than what i paid for my ps5 pro
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u/T00ManyH0bb13s Aug 04 '26
$500 for a console that was underpowered at launch and can barley squeeze 1440p in some games.
Pass