Xbox is raising the price once again? Damn.

So were the "radically different business models" just this? Because uh.... Ok.

"Today we are also sharing programs to make XBOX consoles more accessible:

• Buy Now, Pay Later: We've made it easier for players to use Buy Now, Pay Later options on eligible XBOX hardware purchases through Microsoft Stores, making it possible to break up your payment into predictable short-term, interest-free installments.
• Interest Free Financing: Players purchasing eligible XBOX hardware through Amazon can take advantage of 0% APR financing for up to 12 months, giving players more flexibility with lower monthly payments and more budgeting control.
• Previously Played Consoles: We are working with retail partners on new programs to provide previously played consoles at lower prices. Players who are ready to upgrade or no longer use their console will be able to trade it in with participating retail partners for cash or store credit. Those consoles will then be made available at lower prices for players.
• Certified Refurbished Consoles: XBOX Certified Refurbished Consoles are available at Microsoft Stores for up to US$100 off MSRP."

I was expecting a pay over 2 years and have it come with Game Pass Ultimate scheme. Kinda like when buying a new phone.

As an example the Xbox Series X is gonna be $800 and 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate is $552. So that is a total of $1,352. Divided by 24 months would be $56 per month. Maybe they charge slightly more at like $59 per month. 

Asha already preparing everyone for another price increase by holiday 2027 with her statement.

I'm increasingly becoming less concerned about the future of Xbox hardware as I am more concerned about the future of the gaming industry as a whole. Feels like we're heading for another crash. Which is ironic considering more money is being made then ever before, but something eventually has to give.

I feel like the entire economy is on the verge of crashing. A much bigger crash than even in 2008. 

The point is to show people already before the launch of their new hardware that they have to buy that hardware if they want some of MS's biggest games. If they just start with the new hardware with exclusives people will be like "yeah, sure" but if there are games released 1-2 years before the next consoles release which are still exclusive, people will believe much more that it's not just PR. 

It's not as if they will lose many sales because of this decision. Some million copies of Gears and a few other games won't do much for their financials. 

For the fans

Wuthering Waves finally confirms Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass release date

Free-to-play open world RPG Wuthering Waves will finally launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass on July 10, 2026, after months of teasing.

^ this.

A.I bubble pops and the US economy will drag the rest of the world down with it.
It is not built on a solid foundation. The same with like the SpaceX IPO or whatever.... where europe/RoW was like "this doesn't make sense",
and then in the US it gets passed going through rules and regulation that should protect against it, and now Elon Musk is like the first Tillionaire (sp?) on the planet.

So much of the stock market makes like no sense.

Yeah the stock market is a funny and fickle thing. It’s glorified gambling with people’s money being treated as play money. You’ll casually see headlines like “1 trillion dollars have been wiped out from the stock market” and it’s just another day on Wall Street.

Musk is only a trillionaire on paper. He’s actually not anymore as SpaceX’s stock has already dropped quite a bit but he also has substantial stock in all the other companies he’s associated with. A lot of people confuse net worth thinking that means it’s money they have in the bank, but it’s not. His net worth could drop like 90% of his wealth just by losing his shares in several of his companies.

If/when the AI bubble pops, it would absolutely be a bloodbath. Not only would companies stop buying AI products losing massive amounts of revenue, but all the millions of investors in these companies on Wall Street start panic pulling. Which coincides of how fickle it can be. Take-Two’s stock prices went DOWN after GTA 6 pre-orders went live just because Wall Street investors wanted the game to be priced at $100 standard lol

Musk is a billionaire just on the promise that the day may come his companies will print money.

But most of this is stupid because it's based on "His company has the advantage" which is just the case the first years when money isn't made yet.

Tesla exploded years ago but back then they sold not even a million cars. When the market reached a decent size, Tesla was just one of many. Same with Cybercab, when this will become a big market then others will be ready as well but Tesla's market cap is like "only Tesla does it". No, many will do it, some will get a big share and it's 0 save that Tesla will be one of them at least outside the US.

Space X loses money but there might be a big market in a decade or whatever but maybe Amazon or another company will be the big player then. Maybe "everyone" will use Amazon's satellite Internet and Starlink will get stomped.

But whatever Musk does, he will get much richer as if his companies will have a monoploy in markets printing money