Xbox Series X/S are still sold at a loss after price hikes, sources claim

Microsoft's latest Xbox Series X/S price hike may not be enough to turn the hardware profitable, according to Jez Corden. The Windows Central journalist and insider says the company is still losing about $150 on every Xbox, even after the increase set to take effect on August 1, 2026.

According to Corden, the main pressure point is rising memory and RAM costs, which have made Xbox hardware more expensive to produce. He also said Microsoft has raised Xbox Series X/S prices several times during the current generation, but the losses are continuing anyway.

One earlier June report went even further, claiming Xbox was losing "hundreds of dollars" on each Series S and Series X sold. That wider picture was tied to demand for AI infrastructure, which reportedly pushed memory chip prices to record highs.

Corden also warned that the problem could get worse if Project Helix becomes part of Microsoft's next-generation console plans. In his view, an "open" Xbox Helix with access to Steam would make the business model even harder to sustain if players bypass Xbox's own ecosystem.

He said the same idea on the Windows Central side more directly:

The reports also note that Wccftech said Xbox Ally data suggests about 75% of handheld owners subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, while the attach rate for Xbox Ally users without an Xbox console was only 2%.

Microsoft is now trying to balance repeated price hikes, hardware losses, and plans for future devices. If the company is still subsidizing each sale, how much room does that leave for Xbox's next console strategy?