Microsoft is increasing the prices of Xbox consoles worldwide on August 1, the Xbox team announced on Thursday. The 512 GB models are $100 more expensive, the 1 TB models are $150 more expensive. The entry-level model Xbox Series S with 512 GB of storage will now cost $500, while the Series X starts at $750. It is therefore 50 percent more expensive than when it was launched over five years ago.
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Microsoft justifies the step with the ongoing storage crisis. The prices for memory and storage media have increased more than 2.5 times since the last increase, the Xbox team writes in a blog entry. Microsoft expects a further doubling by autumn 2027. Unlike smartphones, PCs or speakers, consoles are usually not sold at a profit, but rather below production costs.
Euro prices still open
Microsoft expressly speaks of a global adjustment, but so far only mentions the surcharges in US dollars. There are no concrete euro prices for Germany yet. Most recently, Microsoft raised the German recommended prices for Xbox Series X and Series S by 50 euros each as of May 1, 2025. Since then, the Xbox Series S with 512 GB has cost 350 euros, the Series X with drive costs 600 euros. The increase of $20 to $70 that followed in October 2025 only affected the US market.
Microsoft is discontinuing the 2 TB model of the Xbox Series X with the price round; this variant is no longer produced.
Sony also increased several times
Sony has also made the Playstation 5 more expensive several times. Since April 2, 2026, the manufacturer has been charging 650 euros for the standard version and 600 euros for the digital edition. Sony also cited the memory crisis as the reason. Street prices may be below the recommended retail prices.
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The increased memory prices are affecting the entire industry: Valve has announced its new Steam Machine, a living room PC with SteamOS, with a high starting price of 1,040 euros. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Valve does not subsidize the hardware and passes the production costs directly on to buyers.
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