Will Xbox prices go up after PS5 hike? Microsoft speaks

Microsoft has no current plans to raise the price of the Xbox Series S or Series X in response Sony’s controversial decision to hike the price of the PS5 consoles.

Sony’s £30 increase announced on Thursday has some gamers worried that an across-the-board hike might be on the way. After all, aren’t Microsoft and others like Valve all affected by the same “current global economic environment” cited by PlayStation boss Jim Ryan.

Sony has passed its increased production costs onto gamers, as did Meta a few weeks ago when it pushed the Quest 2 VR headset up to £100. For now, Microsoft is holding the line, with no changes planned in the UK, United States or Europe.

In a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft said: “We are constantly evaluating our business to offer our fans great gaming options. Our Xbox Series S suggested retail price remains at $299 the Xbox Series X is $499.”

However, there is a slight caveat there. If Microsoft is “constantly evaluating” the business suggests this may not be a permanent state. For now, though, gamers pondering a Series S or Series X purchase.

Nintendo is also on record a saying there is no plan to raise Switch prices “at this point”. Earlier this month, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said. “Our competition is the variety of entertainment in the world, and we always think about pricing in terms of the value of the fun we offer,” he added.

In his explanation, Sony’s Jim Ryan said: “The global economic environment is a challenge that many of you around the world are no doubt experiencing. We’re seeing high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends, impacting consumers and creating pressure on many industries. Based on these challenging economic conditions, SIE has made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price (RRP) of PlayStation 5 in select markets.”