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Microsoft is expected to raise the price of its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in Japan on February 17. Although the announcement of the rise is currently limited to the country, it could hint that the same will happen in other Western markets in the coming years. weeks. (via Gematsu)

This increase will bring the price of the Xbox Series X, which currently costs 54 yen, to 978 yen. This translates to $59 to $978, which means an increase of $422. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S will drop from 460 yen to 38 yen or $32 to $278, or an additional $37.

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

“After carefully evaluating market conditions in Japan, we have decided to change the suggested retail price for Xbox consoles in the country,” Microsoft Japan explained. “We regularly assess 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 deliver the ultimate Xbox experience our customers have come to expect.

The news comes as no surprise since Xbox Lead Phil Spencer himself admis in October, expressing the company's need to "look at the performance of our business, the cost of the business."

“We have maintained the price of consoles, and maintained the price of games and our subscription. I don't think we can do this forever. Spencer said at that time. “I think at some point we will have to raise the prices of certain things, but as we approach this holiday, we thought it was really important to maintain the prices that we have because consumers, in right now, are more uncertain than they have been for a long time.

Prior to this, Microsoft already had confirmed higher prices on its first-party games, forcing titles like Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield to charge $69,99 instead of the usual $59,99.

“We've kept price increases in place until after the holidays so families can enjoy the gift of gaming. , will launch at $2023 across all platforms,” Microsoft said, explaining the decision. “This award 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.