Microsoft has increased the price of its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles worldwide, including in the UK, US, and EU, attributing the hikes to rising memory and storage chip costs. This follows similar price adjustments by rivals Sony for PlayStation 5 and Valve for Steam Machine.
Samsung forecasts the global RAM chip shortage will intensify into 2027 and last until 2028, driven by AI demand. This has allowed Samsung to secure long-term contracts but has increased component costs, impacting smartphone/TV profitability and leading to price hikes for consumers from Samsung and Apple.
Apple and Microsoft have increased prices for MacBooks, iPads, and Xbox consoles globally, with Australian consumers seeing immediate hikes. The companies blame rising component costs driven by increased demand for AI and computing power, with experts predicting further price increases for iPhones.
Microsoft and Apple announced significant price increases for Xbox consoles, Macs, and iPads, effective August 1st, attributing the hikes to "unprecedented" soaring memory and storage costs driven by AI data center demand. Other console makers like Sony and Nintendo have also raised prices.
Microsoft announced price increases for Xbox Series S and X consoles, effective August 1, citing significantly rising component costs for storage and memory. This move follows Apple's recent price hikes for MacBooks and iPads, reflecting broader struggles within the consumer electronics industry due to supply constraints and increased demand for AI infrastructure.
Valve's new Steam Machine gaming PC, also functioning as a console, will retail for $1,049 in the US and £879 in the UK. The company cited rising component costs, particularly for RAM and storage, as the reason for the higher-than-expected price.
