Sony received a lot of criticism a year ago when it announced that it was raising the price of the PlayStation 5 by €50 to €549.99.At the time, both Microsoft and Nintendo were quick to say they wouldn’t touch the prices of their respective consoles, though Phil Spencer did comment a while back. His words are somewhat qualified , and said the situation may change. As it turns out, that day has come.
The company has sent a statement to The Verge, which reports that the price of the Xbox Series X has increased by €50 so far, to €549.99. In this way, the two major ninth-generation consoles return to the same retail price. The Xbox Series S will not be affected by the price change.
Microsoft went a step further, also reporting that the Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscription services will also see price increases starting July 6 next year (PC Game Pass will remain at that price). In the case of the main console, the subscription will cost an extra euro, which is 10.99 euros per month. For Game Pass Ultimate, it will be more expensive, as it will add two euros per month, remaining at 14.99 euros per month in Europe.
It must be said that these prices are only valid for new subscriptions or renewals starting on July 6th, and all users with an active subscription will not have to deal with the price difference until August 13th (for lucky users in Germany until September 13th) .
It’s certainly not the best news, and the company’s rationale for the addition of hardware and online services remains to be seen.