Microsoft officially announces Xbox Series X, Series S price hike in Japan

Microsoft is set to increase the price of its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in Japan on February 17. While the hike announcement is currently limited to the country, it might be a hint that the same will happen to other western markets in the coming weeks. (via Gematsu)

This hike will put the Xbox Series X price, which currently costs 54,978 yen, to 59,978 yen. That translates to $422 to $460, which means a $38 increase. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S will increase from 32,278 yen to 37,978 yen or $248 to $292, an additional $44.

Microsoft Japan already informed the customers about the price increase of the said consoles.

“After carefully evaluating the market condition in Japan, we have decided to change the suggested retail price of Xbox consoles in the country,” Microsoft Japan explained. “We regularly evaluate the impact of local pricing to maintain reasonable consistency across regions. This price revision affects our customers and was a difficult decision to make, but going forward we will continue to provide the ultimate Xbox experience that our customers expect.”

The news is no surprise since Xbox Lead Phil Spencer himself admitted it in October, expressing the company’s need “to look at the return on our business, the cost of the business.”

“We’ve held price on consoles, and held price on games, and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever.” Spencer said at that time. “I do think that at some point, we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday, we thought it was really important to maintain the prices that we have because consumers, right now, are more uncertain than they have been in a long time.”

Prior to this, Microsoft had already confirmed higher prices on its first-party games, causing the titles like Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield to charge $69.99 instead of the usual $59.99.

“We’ve held on price increases until after the holidays so families can enjoy the gift of gaming. Starting in 2023 our new, built for next-gen, full-priced games, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, will launch at $69.99 USD on all platforms,” said Microsoft, explaining the decision. “This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles. As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch.”