{
  "id": 60831,
  "title": "Xbox price hikes in Europe are wild and now I’m worried about Project Helix",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/xbox-price-hikes-in-europe-are-wild-and-now-im-worried-about-project",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-02T22:14:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Digital Trends",
    "slug": "digital-trends",
    "url": "https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/xbox-price-hikes-in-europe-are-wild-and-now-im-worried-about-project-helix/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Microsoft has recently announced significant price hikes for its Xbox consoles in Europe and the UK, with the 512GB Xbox Series S now priced at €499.99 and the 1TB model at €599.99. This comes just weeks after similar increases in the US, where the 512GB Xbox models rose by $100 and 1TB versions by $150. UK buyers have also felt the impact, with prices increasing by between £130 and £170 depending on the model. The hikes follow Microsoft's June announcement in the US, where the 512GB Xbox models became $100 more expensive and 1TB versions went up by $150. These price increases have raised concerns about the future cost of Project Helix, Microsoft's next-generation console. The next Xbox will use a custom AMD chip and promises significant improvements in rendering and ray-tracing performance. However, the rising costs of memory and storage, coupled with Microsoft's struggling gaming division, make it difficult to see how the company can deliver both a powerful console and affordable pricing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}