Microsoft is dramatically increasing the price of the Xbox Series X and Series S as well as new games and accessories. The Series S will start at $380, up from $300, while the Series X will begin at $550, a $100 increase on its . The company is also increasing the prices of pretty much all its first-party products and peripherals. A basic controller will now cost $65. Microsoft is also increasing pricing in Europe, UK, Australia and many other countries.
Microsoft, however, isn’t pointing the finger at tariffs: “We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” the company said. It’s unusual for a mid-generation console to increase in price — typically, companies launch a slightly , iteration instead.
Also this week, Samsung’s chief financial officer Soon-cheol Park told reporters “The ongoing uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies continues to pose a potential risk of demand slowdown.” Park said US tariff policies and stronger export controls against artificial intelligence products are expected to have an impact on demand. In addition to a downward trend on sales, the company also expects tariffs to raise prices for the components it uses on its mobile phones — so expect more expensive smartphones down the line.
The recent addition to upward pricing is DJI’s popular Ozmo Pocket 3 vlogging camera. Up from a launch price of $520, it’s gone way up to $799. (DJI had already bumped the price up last month to $620.) The base camera is now more expensive than the Creator Kit available at launch.
— Mat Smith
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Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning ID technology debuts in the US
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The project uses basketball-sized spherical objects called Orbs to scan the user’s irises, which it turns into their unique IrisCode. It then uses that information to create a World ID for the user, which they can use to log into integrated platforms, including Minecraft and Reddit.
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