|
Xbox Retail Prices as of May 1, 2025
Read More
|
The age of the $80 video games is here. It was first announced by Nintendo with its pricing for Mario Kart World.
Now, it is the norm, as Xbox announced their first-party games will now be increased to $80, starting this holiday season. I’m actually not surprise by this move, and I expect Sony will not be far behind in their own announcement of their PlayStation 5 games raising to $80 as well.
While this news is disappointing, I feel this was a strategic move on MicroSoft to drive sales to the best deal in video gaming Xbox Game Pass. This is basically the Netflix of video gaming, and I have previously commented that, “It doesn’t even make any sense how MicroSoft is even making money off Game Pass.”
For as little as $12 a month for Game Pass for PC ($1 to join!), you can play all the $80 games you can manage. I have previously tested the waters with Starfield, Avowed, Oblivion Remastered, and others… I won’t touch games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, because it’s not on Game Pass (and I refuse to pay full $70 price for it).
The only problem with Game Pass is that you don’t own the games, as soon as you cancel your subscription, you don’t have access to these games.
The other sad news is that Xbox also raised all their hardware and accessories in the US and Canada, starting today (May 1).
The base Series S is now $380, and the Series X is $550. All other hardware prices have had about a 20% increase on all their prices across the board.
While it’s not stated, most gamers understand this is due to President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on China and 49% on other Eastern Asian countries. Most electronic parts are put together from that part of the country, so naturally the companies bringing them into America will have to pay that extra tariff cost … and ultimately “passing the savings” to its consumers.
Like it or not, but gaming has never been more expensive.
This is to say that these $80 video games will price me out of the hobby. I’ve already said that the current $70 games are way too expensive. While Game Pass is a way to “rent” all the new and current games… it’s not a great solution for those who wants the ability to play their game offline (Game Pass requires online connection to verify that your subscription is active). As games are becoming more expensive to play, gamers will become pirates or find other means.
Now, it is the norm, as Xbox announced their first-party games will now be increased to $80, starting this holiday season. I’m actually not surprise by this move, and I expect Sony will not be far behind in their own announcement of their PlayStation 5 games raising to $80 as well.
While this news is disappointing, I feel this was a strategic move on MicroSoft to drive sales to the best deal in video gaming Xbox Game Pass. This is basically the Netflix of video gaming, and I have previously commented that, “It doesn’t even make any sense how MicroSoft is even making money off Game Pass.”
For as little as $12 a month for Game Pass for PC ($1 to join!), you can play all the $80 games you can manage. I have previously tested the waters with Starfield, Avowed, Oblivion Remastered, and others… I won’t touch games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, because it’s not on Game Pass (and I refuse to pay full $70 price for it).
The only problem with Game Pass is that you don’t own the games, as soon as you cancel your subscription, you don’t have access to these games.
The other sad news is that Xbox also raised all their hardware and accessories in the US and Canada, starting today (May 1).
The base Series S is now $380, and the Series X is $550. All other hardware prices have had about a 20% increase on all their prices across the board.
While it’s not stated, most gamers understand this is due to President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on China and 49% on other Eastern Asian countries. Most electronic parts are put together from that part of the country, so naturally the companies bringing them into America will have to pay that extra tariff cost … and ultimately “passing the savings” to its consumers.
Like it or not, but gaming has never been more expensive.
This is to say that these $80 video games will price me out of the hobby. I’ve already said that the current $70 games are way too expensive. While Game Pass is a way to “rent” all the new and current games… it’s not a great solution for those who wants the ability to play their game offline (Game Pass requires online connection to verify that your subscription is active). As games are becoming more expensive to play, gamers will become pirates or find other means.
|
|
| vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
Comments