We're learning a lot about the Xbox Series X as we approach its November launch. In fact, at this point, there is very little we don't know about the next-gen console.
But for all we've learned, there still remains one big question looming over Microsoft's next major release: its price. Rumors and speculation have priced the Series X at as low as $300 and up to $1,000. Based on a new lead, the console will cost somewhere between those values — but more than what some gamers anticipated.
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Twitter user @THTHEREDDRAGON posted a video of respected YouTuber and journalist Alanah Pearce stating that an anonymous source who works at a retail store sent her a "picture of their work screens" showing the price of the Xbox Series X at $599.
Alanah Pearce says someone sent her a photo from a retail store computer showing Xbox Series X price of $599 pic.twitter.com/etWxdhPtd3August 15, 2020
Analysts have pinpointed the price to be between $499 and $599 so if this is true, it would put the Xbox Series X on the higher end of the spectrum. It's certainly not exorbitant but it's not cheap, either.
That $599 starting price would, however, crush any hope of Microsoft low-balling Sony this time around. The company had promised to not make the same mistakes that it did with the Xbox One — chief among those was charging $100 more than Sony did with the PS4. And while that still might be the case, it doesn't look like the Series X will undercut the PS5 (there is no way that Sony will charge more than $599 for the PS5...right?).
Microsoft will be harshly criticized if the Xbox Series X costs more than PS5 after what happened in the previous generation. And that is regardless of whether the Xbox Series X is the more powerful console, which it appears to be at this point.
It's important to remember that Microsoft is expected to announce a lower-cost version of its next-gen console, the Xbox Series S. What might justify a $599 price for the Series X is that there needs to be a big enough price gulf between the two systems to justify the cheaper model, which could come in at $399 or lower.
As with all rumors, you should take this latest one with a grain of salt. The price of the Xbox Series X remains a moving target full of variables, from the possible effects of the coronavirus to ensuring that it remains competitive with the PS5.
If you're also wondering when the Xbox Series X will be released (without Halo Infinite, need I remind you), we have some pretty confident answers. Microsoft confirmed a November release date before Sega all but confirmed the specific day to be November 13 (although November 6 is another possibility). That means you have just under a month to scrounge up $599 or wait for the Series S.
