With Xbox Series X and Series S pre-orders sold out, retailers are hawking Xbox Ones at next-gen prices


Last Thursday, we ran a story about how the One X’s Amazon sales ranking jumped by 747% when Xbox Series X pre-orders went live on September 22.

In the days since that happened, interestingly, prices on Xbox One S and One X units have remained relatively consistent with what they were before. Which is to say: they’re selling at next-gen prices.

If you buy an Xbox One S and Xbox Series S right now, for instance, they’d both cost you $299, or £249, at retail. Between high demand for the Series S and the availability of the One S, we’re seeing an awkward liminal moment in which the next gen costs the same as a console released in 2016.

Part of that is Microsoft’s price point on the Series S, of course — nobody expected a next-gen console to be that cheap on day one, but Xbox has a way of surprising folks. Still, it’s pretty strange that the One S hasn’t dropped in price a bit.

Currys PC World, in the UK, currently has online listings for both the Xbox One S and Series S (out of stock), and both cost exactly £249.

One eBay, a brand-new Xbox One X will run you about $500, the same price you’d pay for an Xbox Series X pre-order at retail.

Target’s still stocking Xbox One S consoles online. The price? The very same $299.99 they’d charge you for a Series S pre-order — if they had any in stock.

Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy — they’re not much different. If you decide to grab an Xbox One S or One X, it’ll cost roughly $299 or $499, respectively, just as you’d pay for a Series S or Series X pre-order at any of the aforementioned retailers.

In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how long this keeps up.

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