Price Xbox Packed Before the GTA VI Release: Microsoft's Costringe Aument To Pass Account To Customer
With the arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI set for November 19, the last thought of potential console buyers was an increase in prices, but this is exactly what happened. Microsoft has just revealed the extent of the price increase for Xbox Series X and S in Europe and the UK, and numbers are scary. The Xbox Series X now costs up to €200 more in some markets. The signals were present, but gravity is surprising. We monitored console prices from this launch for months, including which machine really makes sense to GTA 6 and Sony's repeated reassurances on PlayStation 5 availability. This most recent move complicates the picture. In June, Microsoft had warned of an increase in prices scheduled for August 1, but had only confirmed US data at the time. Microsoft has hidden the price increase in Europe and the UK until its entry into force and it is easy to understand why the company has not announced anything until the last minute. In Europe, the Xbox Series X with disk drive now costs about €799.99, compared to previous €599.99, and even the S Series on the base level has increased considerably. In the UK, Series X now amounts to around £669.99. Complete prices for the Xbox Series increase The price increases confirmed for the Xbox Series X and S in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. The main reason is the persistent deficiency of memory. The artificial intelligence bubble made the price of memory and storage components rise globally and consoles are built with these same parts. Every producer is trying. Sony has increased PS5 prices several times and Nintendo has confirmed that Switch 2 increases are coming. For the first time in the history of video games, each console producer is increasing the prices just when the prices normally drop into a generation. However, unlike its competitors, Xbox hardware is not selling well. The industry estimates indicate that PlayStation 5 sold over 95 million units, while Xbox Series were estimated at around 35 million. When you sell less units, there is much less flexibility to absorb costs because it is not possible to distribute them on a large base. Although memory shortage is hitting everyone, Microsoft is in a weaker position to protect its customers from it. Microsoft cannot afford to support costs to stay competitive, so it is going through the account to the consumer, putting it in an awkward position in view of the launch of GTA 6 in November. A great launch of games is normally a golden window to sell console. Millions of people who have postponed an update suddenly have a concrete reason to buy, and GTA 6 has been the biggest such reason for over a decade. Increasing prices right now is the opposite of what you would do if you were trying to catch these buyers. Microsoft is making its console more expensive at the precise moment when the biggest waves of potential buyers over the years are deciding on what to play GTA 6. La mossa di Microsoft è davvero un colpo basso, soprattutto considerando il contesto attuale. Quello che noto e' una strategia evidentemente progettata per massimizzare il profitto a breve termine, ignorando completamente l’impatto sul pubblico potenziale di GTA VI. L'aumento del 200 euro sulla Series X in alcuni mercati, unito all'impennata sui prezzi della memoria che colpisce tutti i produttori, crea una situazione estremamente frustrante per chiunque volesse acquistare una console ora. La competizione con Sony, già tesa, si fa ancora più serrata e, a mio avviso, la decisione di Microsoft di mantenere nascosta l'aumento del prezzo fino all'ultimo momento è un atto di cattiveria pura, sfruttando l'attesa per GTA 6 per pesare sull’acquirente. La situazione amplificata dalla bolla dell'intelligenza artificiale – che ha fatto lievitare i prezzi dei componenti a livello globale – rende la risposta di Microsoft ancora più problematica: le vendite inferiori delle Xbox Series rispetto alla PlayStation 5, come evidenziato dalle stime del settore (circa 35 milioni contro 95 milioni per Sony), non aiutano certo la situazione. Sembra quasi che Microsoft stia cercando di soffocare l'entusiasmo in vista del lancio, un’operazione decisamente poco elegante, soprattutto considerando la portata dell'evento come GTA VI. La circostanza che il mondo dei videogiochi diventi sempre più costoso non è un segreto: lo abbiamo visto con gli aumenti della PS5 di Sony, ma l'approccio di Microsoft, in questo momento specifico, e proprio per i numeri di vendita poco entusiasmanti, sembra quasi una scommessa folle.
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