As Xbox console prices rise $200 in a year, former Blizzard president blasts Microsoft's price hikes: "Console price increases are not tariff issues, they are profit issues"

Xbox Series X.

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has slammed Microsoft's decision to raise the price of its Xbox consoles for a second time, suggesting that the hikes can't be blamed on "the tariff excuse."

Last week, Microsoft confirmed its second Xbox Series price increase in five months. The new price for its most expensive console, the Xbox Series X 2TB, is now $799.99, up from $599.99 at the start of the year. Granted, this is a smaller increase than the first, but it still jumps the price of that console from $730 to $800.