Xbox Series X|S Still Sold at $150 Loss per Unit, Report Says
Microsoft is reportedly selling Xbox Series X|S consoles at a loss even after the latest round of pricing changes, with a new estimate putting the deficit at about $150 per unit. The figure hinges on the current lowest-priced Series X model being $599.99, and it’s expected to worsen or at least not fully resolve even after upcoming price increases.
Release timing and availability: new price hikes land later this week
Xbox’s Series X lineup includes both an all-digital Series X and a disc-drive Series X, and both are set to receive price increases tied to “later this week.” The reported loss estimate is calculated based on the current market price before that increase takes effect, and the same report argues Xbox will still be losing money after the hikes.
| Platform | Status | Date/window | Reported per-console loss / key pricing detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series X|S (disc-drive and digital) | Price increases scheduled | Later this week | About $150 loss per sale at current pricing; still expected to be loss-making after the increase |
| Xbox Series X (2TB model) | Discontinued after next price increase | After the next price increase | $800 2TB Series X is expected to be discontinued; higher “current-gen” pricing also flagged as unsustainable |
How big is the loss, and why isn’t pricing “fixing” it?
The estimate claims that each time Xbox sells a Series X|S, Microsoft loses around $150. The calculation is tied to where pricing stands right now: the cheapest Series X on the market is listed at $599.99 for the all-digital version, prior to the next scheduled increase later this week.
Even though both the disc-drive and digital versions of Series X are expected to increase in price, the report says Xbox will not reach break-even on those sales. The likely reason given is that production costs—especially RAM—are still rising, and there appears to be no cap on those increases.
RAM costs and the AI-driven pricing squeeze
The underlying claim is that RAM suppliers have gained leverage as demand for memory rises alongside AI workloads. With no discovered upper limit to what those companies can charge, console makers are forced to absorb higher component costs. Even when some of those costs are passed to buyers through hardware price increases, the report argues the console manufacturers still don’t come out ahead on each sale.
What this could mean for console pricing going forward
The report also points to potential knock-on effects in Xbox’s lineup. It says Xbox will discontinue its $800 2TB Series X after the next price increase, and it frames the broader current-gen pricing situation as approaching an absurd level. It adds that if another price hike happens after this one, the cheaper standard models could be pushed uncomfortably close to a $1,000 threshold.
For players, the immediate impact is straightforward: upcoming Series X|S price changes may continue, but the situation isn’t portrayed as something that will quickly resolve in the background. The bigger unknown is whether RAM pricing will ever stabilize—and if it doesn’t, console makers may have limited options beyond repeated price adjustments.
