Xbox fans will cry again. All consoles will become ridiculously expensive from August

A week ago, we wrote that Microsoft was likely losing hundreds of dollars on every console sold. At the time, it was unconfirmed information from a report. Now we have certainty about where this is all heading — Xbox is officially getting more expensive, for the third time in roughly a single year. And for the first time, it will significantly affect Czech wallets.

What exactly will get more expensive

In a brief statement, Microsoft announced that the new prices will take effect globally from August 1, 2026. The logic is simple: consoles with less storage will increase less, those with more will increase more. Specifically, you will pay an extra 100 dollars for models with 512 GB and 150 dollars for variants with 1 TB. The American price list is as follows:

The fate of the most equipped model will not escape the attentive eye. Microsoft is quietly withdrawing the Series X with a 2TB drive variant from sale — and it’s not hard to guess why. After another price increase, its price would climb above the thousand-dollar mark, which translates to over twenty thousand Czech crowns. No one in Redmond likely wanted a headline about a gaming console for such a sum.

How much it will cost in the Czech Republic

Caution is needed here: Microsoft has only stated the increase in dollars and has not yet announced specific Czech prices. However, the price increase is global, so the domestic market will not avoid it. If the manufacturer reflects the increase similarly to overseas, we can expect a price hike of roughly 2,000 to 3,500 CZK depending on the model.

To illustrate how this might affect current prices. The basic Xbox Series S can currently be purchased for approximately 9,000 CZK; after the price increase, it could reach 12,000. Incidentally, you could buy the same console for under 5,000 CZK in sales on Czech e-shops about two years ago. The more powerful Xbox Series X is currently selling for around 17,000 CZK (it originally sold for 13,490 CZK and was around 10,000 CZK in sales a few years back) and from August, it could approach the 21,000 CZK mark. Anyone considering a console therefore has about a month to buy at the old prices.

Microsoft is trying to sweeten the bitter pill with new programs at least. It is preparing to expand installment purchases, interest-free financing for 12 months, trade-ins of older consoles with partners, and a wider range of refurbished units at a discount. However, none of these change the fact that consoles will simply be more expensive.

Artificial intelligence is to blame

The cause remains the same, and we discussed it last time — memory and storage prices are soaring. Microsoft itself states that component costs have increased by more than 2.5 times and expects another doubling by autumn 2027. The head of the gaming division, Asha Sharma, previously mentioned that it’s even a fivefold increase compared to two years ago. The main culprit is the insatiable demand for memory for data centers and artificial intelligence.

There is something bitterly ironic about the whole situation. Tech giants, including Microsoft, are pouring billions into artificial intelligence, and it is precisely this that is making their own hardware so expensive that they have to raise prices. And they are not alone. Rival Sony has gradually driven up the price of the digital PS5 from 400 to 600 dollars, and the PS5 Pro model is now one of the most expensive consoles on the market. So, further price adjustments may yet come here too.

If memory prices don’t drop before the end of 2027, as Microsoft itself suggests, it’s questionable how high the prices of the next generation of consoles will climb. With the almost six-year-old Xbox Series X costing 800 dollars at its base today, there’s only one prediction for the upcoming Xbox Helix hybrid — it won’t be cheap.

Would you buy a console before the price increase, or are you already just watching gaming hardware from afar?

Sources: XBOX