Following a price hike for Xbox consoles sold to consumers implemented earlier this year, Microsoft is now raising hardware prices for developers. Microsoft has confirmed that it has raised the price of a Xbox Development Kit (XDK), with the price reportedly going up from $1,500 to $2,000. That’s a 33% hike.
“The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge, without confirming the exact dollar amount that the site reported. “We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts.”
When Microsoft announced the price increase for Xbox consoles sold to consumers, the technology giant also cited macroeconomic concerns. The price increases are likely in response to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports from China, which are 30% currently.
The Verge said the price hike for XDKs are going up in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world.
The XDK’s price factors in its 40GB Of GDDR6 memory, compared to 16GB on the Xbox Series X consumer model, along with more compute units. These XDKs also include three USB ports, debugging tools, a front panel display, and other elements not found in consumer models.
Microsoft has also raised prices on Xbox Game Pass, with the Ultimate tier going up 50% to $30/month. The company has admitted that price increases are “never fun for anybody,.” Microsoft CFO Amy Hood is reportedly mandating increasing margins at all divisions, including Xbox.
Microsoft will release its next earnings report on October 29, at which point the company will share an update on how much money it’s made over the past three months.
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