{
  "id": 88188,
  "title": "Xbox Series X price hiked by £170 due to rising memory chip costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/xbox-series-x-price-hiked-by-170-due-to-rising-memory-chip-costs-88188",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-03T11:18:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czjlvrd9e43o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Microsoft has increased the price of Xbox consoles worldwide due to rising costs of memory and storage chips. The premium Series X console with a disc drive will now cost £670, up from £500. The baseline Xbox Series S console will now cost £430, a 43% increase from its previous £300 price. This move follows Sony's recent hike of PlayStation 5 prices by £90 in March. Microsoft had hoped another price increase would not be necessary but attributes it to the rising cost of console storage and memory. In the US, basic consoles rose by $100 to $499, and consoles with more memory increased by $150 to $749. Similar increases were revealed in the EU, with a Series S console with more storage costing roughly €200 more. The rise in price has been criticized by users, with some calling it absolutely disgusting and highway robbery. Tech firms are facing criticism for passing these costs onto consumers, especially when it means charging more for products released years ago. This move may lead more people to stream games instead of using consoles, according to Amazon's gaming boss. Xbox has also faced its own struggles recently, with Microsoft revealing a dip in revenues across its gaming division. The company initiated a major restructuring with around 3,200 job cuts across its workforce in July.",
  "summary": "Xbox consoles now cost significantly more in the UK, with one model increasing in price by 43%.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "TechRadar",
        "title": "'Nobody was buying them so it doesn't really matter' — Xbox console price hike hits the UK",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/nobody-was-buying-them-so-it-doesnt-really-matter-xbox-console-price",
        "published": "2026-08-03T11:17:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Technology",
        "title": "Xbox Series X price hiked by £170 due to rising memory chip costs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/xbox-series-x-price-hiked-by-170-due-to-rising-memory-chip-costs",
        "published": "2026-08-03T11:18:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Leaked doc: Microsoft plans to bring Xbox 360 games to PC, and the games will be able to run on the next-gen Project Helix console, \"Xbox PCs\", and handhelds (The Verge)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/leaked-doc-microsoft-plans-to-bring-xbox-360-games-to-pc-and-the",
        "published": "2026-08-03T17:05:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Xbox Series X price hiked by £170 due to rising memory chip costs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/xbox-series-x-price-hiked-by-170-due-to-rising-memory-chip-costs",
        "published": "2026-08-04T03:21:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Digital Trends",
        "title": "Xbox is celebrating 25 years by dressing your console in nostalgia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/xbox-is-celebrating-25-years-by-dressing-your-console-in-nostalgia",
        "published": "2026-08-05T09:07:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}