The first speculations about the costs of the Xbox Series X are starting to circulate. Microsoft's new console should have a price that makes it compete with PS5
After the announcement of the name and the rough technical specifications of Microsoft's new 2020 console, the Xbox Series X (formerly Project Scarlett), everyone is wondering how much it will cost. The hypotheses that circulate are different and all must be weighed thinking not only to Microsoft, but also to Sony that, also at Christmas 2020, will come on the market with its new PlayStation 5.
In the background of this discussion remain carved in stone the words of Phil Spencer, the head of the gaming division of Microsoft, which in November said in an interview with The Verge that Project Scarlett (at the time had not yet been made official the final name) "will be properly positioned both for price and performance" compared to the main competitor. But history teaches that potential buyers have a price threshold they're not willing to cross to buy a console that's almost only for gaming. The erroneous price placements of both the Xbox One and PS3 in Europe, in fact, both Microsoft and Sony still remember them well.
Xbox Series X: price assumptions
Spencer said Microsoft learned its lesson with the Xbox One, which went on sale for $499, which is $100 more than the PlayStation 4. The latest leaks about the PlayStation 5 talk about a $499 launch price, while many analysts have done the math on the Xbox Series X hardware costs and speculate a console price of no less than $600.
If these reports both turn out to be correct, though, Microsoft would be repeating the mistake it made with the Xbox One. But also the mistake made by Sony with the PlayStation 3, which was (not) sold in Europe at 599 euros. The most likely thing, then, is that the Xbox Series X will be presented at a price not exceeding $ 500-550, with an effort by Microsoft, however, compared to Sony has less need to make profits on the hardware.
Xbox Series S or Xbox One X: which will be the Xbox economic
The rumors are increasingly insistent, moreover, about a second console from Microsoft on the way: the Xbox Series S, economic and less powerful version of the Series X, which should arrive a few months after his older sister. So in full 2021. Should this console really see the light of day, it could be priced at $350-400.
While waiting for its release, however, Microsoft would still leave the current Xbox One X on the market, temporarily repositioning it as the budget model of the Xbox family. In the meantime, after the announcement of Xbox Series X, the Xbox One X has already dropped in price: in the version with a 1 TB disk you can buy it today for less than 330 euros.