[The Verge] Even Xbox developer kits are getting a big price hike

[Gizmo_Duck]

Even Xbox developer kits are getting a big price hike

The Trump tariffs hit Xbox again

www.theverge.com

After raising prices on Xbox consoles and subscriptions, Microsoft is now turning its attention to Xbox developers. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the company is significantly increasing the price of its Xbox Development Kit (XDK) — the custom hardware used by developers to build Xbox games.

The current Xbox dev kit is moving from $1,500 to $2,000, a 33 percent jump in price. "The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments," says Microsoft in an announcement to Xbox developers, seen by The Verge. "We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts."

The short announcement from Microsoft's Xbox developer relations team makes it clear that this price increase goes into effect immediately. I understand it's not just impacting US developers, as the price of these development kits is also going up across Europe and elsewhere. That's likely because those "macroeconomic" conditions extend beyond just US tariffs, with currency fluctuations, production costs, and other elements impacting pricing.

Microsoft's Xbox dev kit was already expensive because it comes with additional hardware on the inside and out, to let developers build and test Xbox games for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles. Microsoft has equipped its latest dev kit with 40GB of GDDR6 memory, instead of the 16GB found on the Xbox Series X console. It also has a more compute units enabled, the all-important debugging tools onboard for testing games, and three USB ports at the front. Microsoft also equips its Xbox dev kits with a front panel display and five programmable buttons.

 

[Fatboi1]

inb4anotherxboxthreadfromsonystans

 

[MeachTheMonster]

AnotherXboxThreadFromSonyStans

 

[-DMP-]

I honestly didn’t realize they had to buy them.

 

[Cladyclad]

Now this is doing too much lol

MS penny pinching

 

[winb83]

I honestly didn’t realize they had to buy them.

Who 5 years in is still buying them? If you're a new studio PC, Switch 2, and PS5 would be the way to go. If you're established you already have one.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Now this is doing too much lol

MS penny pinching

I just don’t think they care anymore

 

[Rekkapryde]

I just don’t think they care anymore

pretty much

 

[ALonelyDad]

I honestly didn’t realize they had to buy them.

I always thought it was free


........


it's crazy to see such a profitable company do this type of stuff, I think they are actively trying to get rid of their gaming division

 

[DaSk8D00D]

I always thought it was free


........


it's crazy to see such a profitable company do this type of stuff, I think they are actively trying to get rid of their gaming division

All their recent moves seem like intended self-sabotage so they have a reason to drop the hardware side of Xbox entirely and make the eventually shift to publishing only. The “partner” hardware like the ROG is them getting their feet wet outsourcing that side of the business IMO

AnotherXboxThreadFromSonyStans

Blame Microsoft for laying off thousands of devs, canceling games, and price gouging all year. They have only themselves to blame for all the negative press

 

[winb83]

I always thought it was free


........


it's crazy to see such a profitable company do this type of stuff, I think they are actively trying to get rid of their gaming division

The gaming division is doing better than it's ever been. They're simply running it like it has to turn a profit upfront rather than subsidizing loses.

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Blame Microsoft for laying off thousands of devs, canceling games, and price gouging all year. They have only themselves to blame for all the negative press

Let me give you a little bit of reality

Sony cancels major PS5 game just two weeks after release, will refund players

New title will shut down from 6 September

www.t3.com

Lists of Sony’s Cancelled Live Service PS5 Games Paint a Worrying Picture

How many of the 12 confirmed projects are still alive?

www.pushsquare.com

Rumor: Sony Bend Studio Has Cancelled Multiple Unannounced Open World Titles - Gameranx

A LinkedIn profile has revealed that Sony's Bend Studio had cancelled multiple unannounced games, and they were open world titles.

gameranx.com

Sony Has Cancelled Even More Live Service Games, Including One Fans May Be Upset About

This premier franchise was set to get the live service treatment.

screenrant.com

PlayStation Canceled Bluepoint's God of War Live Service Game Project

PlayStation live service push keeps hitting roadblocks as the company revealed it has canceled a God of War and one unnamed live service game

thenerdstash.com

Sony closes Concord studio and permanently shuts down the game

The company is closing a mobile studio, too.

www.theverge.com

"I know none of this is easy news to hear, particularly with colleagues and friends departing SIE." Sony closes two PlayStation studios and shutters Concord for good

The PlayStation maker is shutting down both Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios.

www.windowscentral.com

PlayStation laying off 900 people, closing London Studio entirely

8% of the workforce has been cut

www.polygon.com

PlayStation Cancels Multiple Games Amid Massive Job Cuts - Kotaku

Sony announces a reduction of workforce across its first-party studios, including the closure of London Studio

kotaku.com

Sony has fired more people, closed more studios, and canceled more games in recent years, and they currently have the most expensive console on the market.

You stan’s just live in a cac tweet fulled information bubble cult, cause a few of you have dedicated your life to spreading bad news/rumors about xbox

 

[VegetasHairline]

CAC articles!

 

[Scaaar]

I honestly didn’t realize they had to buy them.

Me too! I thought you had to apply and M$ would send it to you off the strength of you making a game for their platform. It makes the developer/console maker relationship much more interesting. But what's the point of a 33% markup on a development kit for a console that has this barrage of negative publicity and stories of the consoles being removed from shelves!?!

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Me too! I thought you had to apply and M$ would send it to you off the strength of you making a game for their platform. It makes the developer/console maker relationship much more interesting. But what's the point of a 33% markup on a development kit for a console that has this barrage of negative publicity and stories of the consoles being removed from shelves!?!

Microsoft has gone out of their way to make it easy/affordable for small devs to launch on xbox, including providing devs kits and support free of charge

Helping Indie Developers Succeed on Xbox: Strategies for Pre-Launch, Launch, and Beyond

How we’re helping indie developers maximize success, and how you can build your own winning strategy with those best practices in mind.

developer.microsoft.com

This article/thread just like the rest of your “negative publicity” is sony cult babble and cac tweets for clicks and attention because some of you are so infatuated with xbox