Xbox Teases Extreme 2027 Console Costs Just Days After Latest Price-Hike

Just when you thought that Xbox console prices couldn't get any worse, it seems that it might get worse before things get better. Oh, the joys of modern gaming.

Last week, Xbox announced that its consoles are going to get a lot more expensive. Furthermore, this will be the third Xbox price increase within a year and by the looks of things, it’s not going to get better anytime soon.

What makes the latest round of Xbox console prices even more disappointing is that this follows comments made by new Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, that Xbox console prices may decrease for the next generation. Asha Sharma said that gamers cannot afford to spend “thousands of dollars” on new machines.

However, considering that Xbox consoles are continually getting more expensive, it doesn't bode well for the next generation or even the current generation. What has drawn some added concerns is the choice of words used on the Xbox Wire detailing the reasons for the most recent price hike.

Next-Generation Consoles Could Get Even More Expensive

“Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x, and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027,” read the post in question. “The entire consumer electronics industry is struggling with the current components crisis, but the effects are particularly hard on consoles.”

While the comments above don't specifically mention which hardware could see yet another price increase, it at least doesn't bode well for its next-gen console, dubbed “Project Helix”, which is expected to be released by late 2027 to early 2028.

Given Microsoft’s recent track record, it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility that the current Xbox consoles could also get a fourth increase before the arrival of Project Helix.

READ MORE: Xbox Game Pass May Now Be Cheaper, But It's About To Get Worse Too

Why Are Console Prices Getting More Expensive?

We’ve seen many excuses from big corporate manufacturers as to why video game consoles across the board are getting more expensive. The biggest reason is the memory and GPU component shortage. Basically, because of this, consoles are more expensive to create, resulting in being more costly for the consumer.

The other common excuse is President Donald Trump’s tariffs on goods being imported into the USA. Yet, this feels like the weakest excuse, when you consider that just because imported goods are more expensive for consumers in the USA, it shouldn't mean that items should be more expensive on the other side of the world.

That feels like a convenient and lazy excuse to charge the consumer more. It perhaps would make more sense if, let’s say, Xbox consoles were manufactured in the USA, and Microsoft had to import components to develop its machines, and then ship those consoles across the world. However, most consoles are manufactured in East and Southeast Asia.

Whether the current-generation Xbox consoles could get a fourth price increase or whether we’ll have to wait for Project Helix remains to be seen. But as always, we’ll keep you updated once we learn more.

READ MORE: Xbox Project Helix Will Be Priced Over $1000 Following Steam Machine Update