Xbox Series X/S dev kits increase in price. Microsoft can't seem to get a win

Today, thanks to a report from The Verge, we now know that Xbox and Microsoft are increasing the price of Xbox Series X/S dev kits. This makes sense, given that the consumer-facing console's price also recently increased for the second time this year, but this price increase may also have a latent effect on consumers. Dev kits are versions of consoles for video game developers to use to create games for those devices. Earlier this year, you may remember that, for reasons still unknown, Switch 2 dev kits were difficult to obtain, leaving many indie developers and others unable to bring their games to the new Nintendo console. A more expensive dev kit could see a similar trend for Xbox in the future.

Xbox dev kits are getting a price hike. Does this mean fewer third-party releases in the future?

According to The Verge, the price of the Xbox Series dev kits is rising from $1,500 to $2,000, a significant increase. These versions of the Microsoft consoles are much more expensive than the usual Xboxes because they come with additional hardware and significantly more memory, along with important features like debugging tools that devs use to ensure their games will function properly on Xbox.

This news comes at a time when Xbox has already often felt left out of new game launches. It’s no surprise that when developers are considering bringing their game to consoles, the larger player bases on PlayStation and Nintendo are more appealing. Sure, many large developers will go for it anyway, and Xbox Game Pass is great for smaller teams, but this price increase won't make the process any easier or more appealing.

Microsoft and Xbox seem to be blaming, or at least hinting at, the US government’s global tariffs as the main reason for these price increases across the board. The impact of these tariffs already influenced the pre-orders for Switch 2 back in April, as well as the price of Switch 2 accessories. So, while it’s not surprising, it’s also not doing Xbox any favors on the publicity side of things.

The reaction to the news on Reddit paints this picture quite clearly. One user wrote: “Microsoft is doing everything in its power not to have a single day of good press,” likely referencing the recent price increases for Xbox consoles, Game Pass, as well as its new expensive handheld, and the number of layoffs the company has gone through in the last year. Another user simply shared a GIF of the Titanic sinking.

Xbox has found its wins here and there. The multi-platform strategy of bringing previously exclusive games to PlayStation and Switch has made Xbox one of the largest game publishers. Despite the ROG Xbox Ally X’s high price, it still got solid reviews. For now, we’ll have to wait to see what kinds of effects this change has and where Xbox and Microsoft go from here.

• Xbox
• Microsoft
• console prices
• Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S