If you don’t already have an Xbox Series X/S, the company’s latest pricing update all but confirms you probably won’t get one anytime soon. In a new blog post, Xbox confirmed it was raising prices across the board for all its consoles, slapping an extra $100 (∼R1,650) on its 512GB models and a $150 (∼R2,480) hike on its 1TB models.
That goes for both the Series X, the company’s flagship console, and the Series S, the slightly undercooked little brother that everyone still loves anyway. The hikes will affect buyers worldwide when they kick into gear on 1 August 2026. In the same announcement, it also noted that it would sunset all of its 2TB consoles.
Taking no responsibility
“Last October, we increased XBOX console price by $20-$70 in the U.S. We hoped another price increase would not be necessary, and we have spent the last several months working with suppliers on options. Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027,” the company wrote.
It’s not surprising to see another hike so soon after the last. Sony already pulled the trigger on similarly significant worldwide hikes back in March, sending the PS5’s price skyrocketing. Other companies, like Apple, have also confirmed that these “unavoidable” price hikes are the fault of the enemy we already know: AI.
The thing is, companies like Apple and Microsoft are the ones hoarding all the RAM and memory that landed us in this mess in the first place. They’re not the only ones, but they’ve certainly got bigger expenses than all the rest in their quest to keep the likes of Apple Intelligence and Copilot chugging along. Even if nobody wants ’em.
Starting 1 August, the absolute cheapest Xbox you can get — a Series S (512GB) — will set you back $500, while the cheapest Series X (1TB) now starts at $750. It’s still unclear what these prices will look like by the time they reach South Africa. The word ‘bloodbath’ comes to mind.
Here’s what the Xbox consoles will cost starting from 1 August:
- Xbox Series S (512GB) – $500 (+$100)
- Xbox Series S (1TB) – $600 (+$150)
- Xbox Series X digital (1TB) – $750 (+$150)
- Xbox Series X disc (1TB) – $800 (+$150)
