XBOX Raises Prices by $100 Amid Next-Gen Disc Support Rumors

Something's shifting at XBOX, and it's not just the price tag. Leadership just laid out a new roadmap, cloud gaming picked up a real upgrade, fresh games are landing on the platform, and there's even talk of physical discs making a comeback. A lot changed this week, and all of it is worth knowing.

Cloud gaming just received a solid upgrade if you own certain smart TVs. Support is now rolling out to select Hisense and VIDAA OS models, meaning you can jump into your XBOX library using nothing but a controller and a Game Pass subscription, similar to the setup already available through existing LG partnerships.

If your TV was manufactured sometime between 2024 and 2026, keep an eye on your app store, since the update should reach your device gradually over the coming weeks. This expansion isn't a signal that consoles are being phased out either; it's simply another way to access your games. Ad-supported tiers are expected to follow once that side of the rollout is finalized.

A leaked internal memo has offered a much clearer look at where the company is headed.

XBOX CEO Asha Sharma laid out four core priorities meant to guide the brand through the next few years, with confidence that revenue will recover by the end of fiscal year 2027- an ambitious claim considering how rocky recent financial results have been.

Those four priorities focus on strengthening the platform around console-quality content, turning individual titles into full global franchises, transforming a certain blocky sandbox game into the world's leading creator platform, and deepening the connection between players and the worlds they already love.

In a public statement, leadership pointed out that over 200 million new players joined during fiscal year 2026, yet the business itself didn't grow at the same rate as that audience. They admitted it'll take time to close that gap, but they're banking on these four priorities to get there. This all comes after a $1.7 billion revenue drop across fiscal year 2026- the first decline since the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and by most accounts, a genuinely difficult year.

The memo also broke progress into three measurable stages going forward: returning to growth by the end of 2027, funneling investment into whatever shows the most promise, and eventually scaling successful projects to reach the halfway point of a long-term goal of one billion monthly players by 2030. That's an enormous target, but the ambition behind it is hard to ignore given the current climate.

It's increasingly clear the focus is shifting hard toward the franchises that already define XBOX.

Names like Halo, Gears of War, Fable, Fallout, and Minecraft are expected to be the priority moving forward, with expansion planned across film, television, merchandise, sponsorships, live events, and new international partnerships, including one in China.

Realistically, that likely means fewer smaller, experimental titles like Clockwork Revolution, Pentiment, or Avowed, and heavier investment in established names instead. As for that blocky sandbox title, the plan is reportedly to turn it into something resembling Roblox or Fortnite, an open space where players build and share their own experiences with minimal barriers.

That vision is said to extend to mobile too, with a collaboration already underway alongside the studio behind Candy Crush on a new spin-off project. It's a fair question whether leaning this heavily into a handful of massive franchises will actually pay off. Titles like Clockwork Revolution and Pentiment were creatively interesting, but neither one was the kind of game that convinced someone to buy XBOX consoles just to play it.

If the goal is a stronger return on investment, doubling down on proven franchises makes sense on paper. It also raises the possibility that titles like Fallout or The Elder Scrolls could eventually become platform exclusives, which wouldn't be shocking at this point.

Now, as for the tougher news, the price increase for Series consoles has officially gone into effect.

Despite the higher price tags, reports suggest hardware might still be selling at a loss. The blame, once again, falls on ongoing component shortages, with AI infrastructure demand pushing memory chip prices to record highs, the so-called RAM crisis dominating tech conversations right now.

That shortage is the direct reason behind the price hike, tacking an extra $100 onto the cost of XBOX consoles. In the UK and across Europe, the situation is even worse, with sources claiming losses of around $150 per console sold due to inflated memory costs, meaning even after the price increase, each unit sold is still reportedly losing close to $50.

Selling hardware at a loss to recoup costs through software isn't unusual for console makers, but five years into this generation, that's still a tough pill to swallow. This raises real questions about what's coming next for future XBOX hardware, particularly the next-generation project currently in development.

There's genuine concern it could land somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500, which is an unpleasant thought for anyone hoping prices settle down soon. Leadership has publicly acknowledged the problem and stated that innovation is needed to keep future hardware affordable, so hopefully a solution arrives before that console launches.

Financing options are also likely to return, including the existing All Access program, along with newer alternatives like Klarna.

Not everyone's a fan of buying hardware on credit, but for anyone struggling with the new price tag, it may end up being the most realistic way in. If you've been holding off on a purchase, checking secondhand listings or catching deals online before prices climb further might be worth it, since paying full price right now is hard to justify.

In the UK specifically, the increase adds £170 to the 1TB model and £130 to the cheaper model, pushing the flagship XBOX console to roughly £700, a genuinely steep number for hardware that used to be far more accessible. Other manufacturers are expected to follow with similar price hikes of their own, with rumors suggesting a rival's mid-generation refresh could easily cross the $1,000 mark within the next year.

There's actually some solid game news to offset all the pricing headlines. A first-person shooter has just been confirmed for XBOX consoles, set against the rarely-touched backdrop of the Second Sino-Japanese War during the 1930s and '40s.

It puts you in the shoes of a soldier making your way through shattered villages and dangerous streets with a loyal companion by your side, and the visual style sits somewhere between the grounded tone of a tactical shooter and the quicker pace of a more arcade-style military game. The title comes from a Chinese development studio, and it's a promising sign that more international developers may start bringing their projects to XBOX going forward.

There's also some disappointing news for XBOX Game Pass subscribers, as a title many were looking forward to has just been pushed back to September.

The upside is you now have a confirmed release date instead of a vague window. A new trailer showcased its story campaign, chaotic multiplayer modes, and full crossplay support across major consoles, and it looks like a substantial upgrade over the original entry. The delay stings a little, but at least XBOX Game Pass subscribers have a firm date to look forward to now.

Finally, in physical media news, there's an interesting rumor circulating that XBOX might actually be recommitting to discs at the exact moment a major rival has been facing heavy backlash for abandoning them. This one's worth taking with a grain of salt, since it stems from insider claims that spread quickly over the weekend.

According to that insider, an early plan for the next generation of XBOX consoles reportedly included a disc drive, largely intended for legacy support rather than new physical releases. However, the insider admitted some uncertainty given the recent change in leadership. Basically, older discs might still work on future hardware, but there's no confirmation yet on whether new physical releases would follow.

It wouldn't be surprising if XBOX eventually goes all-digital too, following the same path as its main rival. Still, leaning into that rival's backlash could be a smart move, especially with collectors growing frustrated over the industry's shift away from physical media. That kind of support alone could be enough to win some of them over.