Xbox console prices may rise soon, according to a gaming industry insider. While Xbox prices have already gone up twice in 2025 due to tariffs, the next potential increase can be attributed to an ongoing shortage and price increase in DRAM memory kits that has affected the entire tech industry.
In the latter half of 2025, DRAM memory chip prices have skyrocketed across the board, keeping consumers from buying the RAM they want. This price increase and subsequent shortage is due to ongoing demand for DRAM from OpenAI and other AI-based companies, which has prompted RAM manufacturers to allocate more of their supply to AI servers and infrastructure. As a result, consumer prices of DDR5 desktop memory kits have jumped over 200% this fall. Despite some ongoing Black Friday deals on PC components in general, there's no potential relief for consumers in sight when it comes to DDR4 or DDR5 RAM kits.
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Xbox console prices may increase due to ongoing RAM shortage
Although rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, a gaming industry insider states that Xbox is already sensing the ongoing price increases for RAM. Moore's Law Is Dead stated in a November 20 YouTube video that Microsoft “didn't plan ahead at all” regarding the RAM shortage, and that Xbox console prices may soon rise again. Moore's Law Is Dead did not specify when or by how much the Xbox Series X/S prices will change. Throughout 2025, the Xbox Series X/S console lineup increased twice due to tariffs on various goods imposed by the US government. Currently, the Xbox Series S console can be had for as little as $379.99, while an Xbox Series X will set customers back $599.99. The price increases on Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass have drawn criticism in the gaming industry.
However, Moore's Law Is Dead added that Xbox's main competitor, the PS5, may not be facing an imminent price hike just yet, as Sony appears to have enough DRAM to meet consumer demands during the holiday season. Given that PS5 consoles are discounted for Black Friday by as much as $100 for a standard PS5 system, it remains to be seen if or when Sony will raise its prices.
Although Xbox offers Black Friday deals on games such as Fallout 76 and The Outer Worlds 2unfortunately, there are no such offers on Xbox Series X/S consoles. Only time will tell what Microsoft's plans are for its remaining Xbox console inventory.
- Stamp
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Microsoft
- Original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499 USD
- Operating system
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Proprietary (Windows based)
- Processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- Resolution
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720p – 4K UHD
