Sources: Xbox Series X will be priced at $499 and will launch on November 10, 2020 alongside the Xbox Series S

The Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X together. — Microsoft is set to hold a press event soon to showcase the next-gen console pricing, and it's pretty familiar. — What you need to know

Windows Central 2020-09-08 Jez Corden

Context & Ripple Effects

This leak lands two days before Microsoft's own confirmation of the November 10 launch and $499 price with preorders opening September 22, and alongside the companion reveal that the $299 all-digital Series S ships the same day — a two-tier entry into the generation rather than a single flagship. The $499/$299 pairing was the pricing decision the whole launch hinged on.

The arc since then runs in one direction: a discless $449.99 Series X refresh and a $599.99 Galaxy Black model for holiday 2024, then a global price increase of $80 to $100 across both consoles in May 2025. The 2020 price point is now the floor of the story, not the ceiling.

First-order effects

Microsoft's two-SKU launch gives buyers a $299 entry alongside the $499 flagship, letting the cheaper Series S anchor the price perception of the generation while the Series X carries the spec race against Sony's competing console.

Second-order effects

A $299 discless console shifts the value equation toward software and subscriptions — the same ecosystem Microsoft later opened further by dropping the Game Pass Ultimate requirement for Xbox Cloud Gaming — so hardware margin matters less than keeping subscribers inside Xbox services.

Third-order effects

The subsequent refreshes and 2025 price hikes show console pricing is no longer held flat across a generation: as tariffs and component costs move, Microsoft repriced mid-cycle, breaking the traditional five-year fixed-price model that the $499 launch price once implied.

The trend: Console generations are shifting from fixed launch prices held for years toward mid-cycle repricing and tiered hardware, with subscription services carrying the ecosystem value that cheap hardware gives up.

Discussion

@_h0x0d_ WalkingCat on x
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@devindra Devindra Hardawar on x
$499 for that hardware? Insane https://twitter.com/...
@johnnylockson Johnny on x
Bro these are INSANE prices! PS5 has some competition 👀 https://twitter.com/...
@nkuchgaming nKuch on x
The xbox series S looks tiny wtf.. $299 is an amazing price tho https://twitter.com/...
@agentbizzle Brian Altano on x
That is a... weird design? But a very nice price to get in on the ground floor of the next gen consoles if this all turns out to be true! https://twitter.com/...
@xbox @xbox on x
👀 Let's make it official! Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡ ᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP). Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. https://twitter.com/...
@xboxuk Xbox UK on x
👀 Let's make it official! Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the 🔎 smallest 🔍 Xbox ever. £249.99 (ERP). Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. https://twitter.com/...
@geoffkeighley Geoff Keighley on x
A first look at Xbox Series S coming in November. Incredible $299 price for a next gen console, will open the market to even more gamers. https://twitter.com/...
@cohhcarnage Cohh Carnage on x
This is...wow. A $299 next-gen console coupled with Game Pass for a huge library of games (including new releases) will be an incredible value for the price. This is big for Xbox. Your move, Sony. 😮 https://twitter.com/...
@manyatruenerd Many A True Nerd on x
This is a really good offering when paired with Game Pass - an affordable next-gen option. But it desperately needs a re-brand, because Series S means nothing, and doesn't get that across at all. The average consumer would have no idea at a glance. It's Wii U all over again. http…
@kingabztv King Abz on x
Xbox really needs to win this console generation, imagine how more players and more eyes would benefit franchises like Gears and Halo. Xbox was on top in the 360/PS3 generation and that was the high point for Gears and Halo, can we get back there again? Let's wait and see. https:…
@zhugeex Daniel Ahmad on x
I like how the first next gen console to get an official price isn't the PS5 or the Series X, but the Series S console that was just officially announced today. https://twitter.com/...
@timgettys Tim Gettys on x
I love that this happened at 12:13 AM. This console launch cycle is INSANE. https://twitter.com/...
@helbeer6 Helbee on x
That is kinda crazy cheap coupled with the gamepass 🤯 https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Xbox Series S will be £249.99 in the UK https://twitter.com/...
@linustech @linustech on x
A whole gaming PC for the price of a graphics card... Your move, NVIDIA....... https://twitter.com/...
@m4tt Matt Brian on x
Xbox Series S at £249? Man, that's a cracking price. I still think we'll be a PlayStation 5 household but that's only going to help make next-gen gaming more affordable for all. https://www.engadget.com/...
@kolology @kolology on x
This is a terrific price but a weird concept - a next-gen console that won't even do 4K. I guess it's a cheap version to keep the player base big until Series X gets more affordable? https://twitter.com/...
@alexhern Alex Hern on x
good idea: Microsoft immediately wins the price war, and further dominates value-conscious households with the All Access offering, growing the number of subscribers, which is clearly its chief goal
@alexhern Alex Hern on x
bad idea: Microsoft has doubled-down on its “no exclusives for a year” message and told would-be early adopters “here's the perfect second console for you; go out and buy the PS5 first and then pick this up when there are exclusives to play”.

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