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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In an August 2023 interview, Xbox executive Phil Spencer said buyers should not expect console prices to drop as sharply as they did in some past generations. He connected that outlook to changing hardware costs and described Xbox Series S as a lower-priced way into the console lineup. His remarks were a view of the market in 2023—not an announcement of current Xbox prices or a guarantee that prices can never fall.
What Phil Spencer said about console prices
Thurrott reported Spencer saying: “The prices aren’t coming down. We see it now, and that’s why we did Xbox Series S.” The comment was about the economics of console hardware and Microsoft’s product strategy as he described them in 2023. Thurrott’s August 25, 2023 report includes the remarks.
Spencer illustrated his point with a hypothetical: “You’re not going to be able to start with a console that’s $500 thinking it’s gonna get to 200 bucks. That won’t happen.” The $500-to-$200 figures are an example in his quotation, not a market statistic or a forecast for a particular Xbox model.
Why he said the old price-drop pattern was changing
Spencer’s explanation centered on components. The older pattern, as he described it, involved a console keeping roughly the same specification for years while its price declined. He said manufacturers could no longer buy some components used in earlier console designs, including certain RAM, making that trajectory harder to repeat. Gamereactor also summarized these comments and attributed them to an interview with Eurogamer. Gamereactor’s August 25, 2023 report provides secondary corroboration.
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- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF DIGITAL GAMES — Play thousands of digital games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX with backward compatibility. Many titles are enhanced for better visuals and performance. Smart Delivery ensures you always get the best version for your console.
This is Spencer’s explanation of the hardware economics he saw at the time. The reports do not establish that every component cost rises, that console prices must stay fixed, or that prices cannot change through later discounts or other market conditions.
How Xbox Series S fits into his argument
Spencer pointed to Xbox Series S as an effort to make the lineup more accessible, rather than relying on a flagship console becoming much cheaper over time. In the contemporary report’s framing, Series S was the entry-level option and Series X the flagship. That positioning explains the strategic connection in his quote; it does not by itself establish either model’s current price, availability, performance, or feature differences.
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- Memory: 16GB GDDR6 w/320 bit-wide bus; Memory Bandwidth: 10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6 GB @ 336 GB/s; Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVME SSD
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Does this mean Xbox console prices are coming down now?
No current price conclusion follows from these 2023 remarks. The August 2023 reports document what Spencer said then; they do not provide present-day Microsoft pricing policy or retailer listings. Anyone budgeting for an Xbox should check current listings in their region rather than treating the hypothetical prices or historical comments as purchase guidance.
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- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
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- FASTEST, MOST POWERFUL XBOX — Experience next-generation performance with 12 teraflops of processing power, delivering smoother gameplay, richer worlds, and faster responsiveness than any previous XBOX.
- TRUE 4K GAMING UP TO 120 FPS — Enjoy breathtaking visuals with true 4K resolution, HDR, and frame rates up to 120 FPS, plus hardware-accelerated ray tracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF GAMES — Play thousands of games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX, with many titles enhanced for better visuals and performance on XBOX Series X. This is an all-digital console; use with digital games only. Console does not play physical discs.
What the remarks do—and do not—establish
- They establish: In 2023, Spencer argued that buyers should not assume a console launched at a higher price would eventually fall dramatically in price, and he linked that view to component availability and hardware costs.
- They explain: He presented Series S as a lower-priced entry point in a lineup that also included the flagship Series X.
- They do not establish: Today’s Xbox prices, current stock, a universal rule for all consoles, or proof that console prices will never decline.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
