Microsoft has therefore ordered a price increase of 5,000 yen (35 euros) on the recommended retail price of the two models of its console, effective from February 17. The Xbox Series X will therefore go from 54,978 yen (390 euros) to 59,978 yen (425 euros) and the Xbox Series S from 32,278 yen (228 euros) to 37,987 yen (270 euros). “After carefully assessing the market situation in Japan, we have decided to change the suggested retail price for Xbox consoles in the country. We regularly assess the impact of local pricing to maintain reasonable consistency across regions. This price revision affects our customers and was a difficult decision to make, but we will continue to deliver the ultimate Xbox experience that our customers have come to expect.“commented Microsoft.
Price inflation, not sales
Since its release in November 2020, the Xbox Series has sold just over 400,000 copies in Japan, compared to 2.5 million PlayStation 5. If the figure seems unimpressive, however, it has the merit of redressing the situation after the total failure of an Xbox One that went completely unnoticed (the console did not even reach 115,000 sales in Japan). In 2022, thanks to favorable stocks, the Xbox Series has had a good few weeks, even occasionally surpassing the PS5. However, Xbox Series stocks collapsed at the end of the year, so much so that Microsoft’s machine is currently selling less well than the PS4. In this context, it is an understatement to say that the announcement of a price increase appears to be a profound commercial anomaly.
