Xbox |OT|

[shikamaru317]

derpysquirtle64 said:

Now, one comment regarding less pleasant stuff. Showcase being good is a one thing, but their new console lineup is a disaster.

- Series S is now 50$ more expensive. No more cheap 300$ 512 GB model.
- Series X starts at 449$. While this may sound good on paper, it now lacks a disc drive. So while being 50$ cheaper, it loses a feature. Still, this console in lineup is probably not as bad as the others, but I highly doubt that 50$ price reduction at the expense of disc drive is gonna help revive dying Series X sales, especially considering the previous point that Series S is now more expensive.
- Series X gets 2TB option with disc drive. And it's... 599$. Microsoft really wants to get rid of physical media on Xbox so down bad that they now lock disc drive option behind this super premium model. I guess, physical media people now better get a second job or something. Also the fact that they state it as a Special Edition kinda hints that it might be limited and discontinued relatively soon.

As a result, Series X is now more accessible than ever, technically. Starting at 449$. But Xbox now loses on price against PS5. PS5 digital is the same 449. But disc drive PS5 is 499, while Xbox is 599.

Yeah, honestly it feels like Xbox has pretty much given up on moving hardware units this gen, it's all about the profit margin for them. There used to be a time when a company like Microsoft would see the long-term benefits of a larger install base, more hardware sold equals more people buying digital games where they get 30% of each sale on 3rd party and everything on 1st and 2nd party, more gamepass subs, more controllers and other accessories sold (each of which sells at a profit). These days though, it feels like they want to turn a profit on the hardware itself, instead of selling the hardware at a loss and making up that loss later via software, subscription, and accessories. 

If they cared about moving hardware, Series S would have dropped to $250 512 GB and $300 1 TB, X digital at $400, and X 2 TB at $500, replacing the old 1 TB X model at that price. They would also have bundles planned for this Holiday, 1st party like Avowed and Indiana Jones, and 3rd party like AC Shadows and Dragon Age Veilguard.

I just hope they don't repeat the same mistake with hardware pricing again next-gen. They could potentially have a 1 year headstart over Sony if the Holiday 2026 leaks were true (and honestly Sarah mentioning next-gen hardware today makes me think they may even be planning to announce next-gen on the Summer 2025 showcase and release it Holiday 2025), they can't afford to waste the advantage of an early lead by pricing this next-gen hardware way too high.

Last edited by shikamaru317 - on 09 June 2024