It can also be called upside down game, and not only because it concerns the world of video games, which has become even more expensive. It is therefore not only Sony who has decided an update of the PlayStation 5 lists, a move that had raised more than one eyebrow to the fans: yesterday Microsoft also announced an adaptation for its Xbox, news that is added to the recent one on the launch price of the new Nintendo Switch 2 and which also has a political implication, given that – even without appointing it directly – one of the reasons for this decision would also involve the duties decided by Donald. Trump. There is certainly that Microsoft joins the choir of increases in the videogame sector and we will pay, given that the Xbox Series X and Series S consul see an upward retouching of the price in Europe. As officially confirmed by the company, the Series S – the cheapest model of the range – rises from 299.99 to 349.99 euros, while the most powerful Series X goes from 499.99 to 549.99 euros. An increase of 50 euros for both versions, in practice, that Microsoft justifies with a “careful evaluation of market conditions and the increase in development costs”. Precisely.
Among other things, the increases do not concern only the consoles. Although in Europe the accessories for Xbox are now excluded from the increases, in North America – in particular in the United States and Canada – Microsoft has already increased the price of the official headphones. And also the video games will undergo a revision of prices: the titles currently on the shelves will not change the cost, but starting from Christmas, new price lists will be applied to the next release games. Which means that in some cases we will certainly see the psychological threshold of 100 euros. Many analysts – such as those of the specialized site Engadget – point the finger on the commercial policies introduced in the United States: the Xbox consoles are produced mainly in China, and Foxconn, one of the largest consumer electronics assemblies, plays a crucial role in their manufacture. The duties and commercial tensions between Washington and Beijing would therefore have pushed the costs upwards, affecting the margins of Tech companies. Among other things, Microsoft recently increased its Microsoft 365 Family subscription, spent last February from 99 to 129 euros per year. A sign that the entire ecosystem of the Redmond giant is the subject of a revision of prices on a global scale.
In short: after Sony has revised the PS5 prices of about 25% in the United Kingdom and in the European Union and after Nintendo announced that its new flagship product will cost 469.99 euros (a hundred euros more than when the first version was launched, and between
THE OTHER – In order to play with the games in your possession you will have to add another balzello), 2025 is proving to be a year of turning point for the gaming economy. But above all for the wallets of fans.