Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has questioned rumors that the next-generation Xbox could be priced between $1,200 and $1,800. He believes that consoles are aimed at the mass market and must not only offer great games but also maintain an affordable launch price, with $399 to $499 being a more reasonable range.
Ybarra stated that if the price reaches $1,800, the new console would struggle to compete with cheaper alternatives, and he personally wouldn't even choose to launch such a device. Considering the rising cost of living, consumers will be more cautious about non-essential spending; even if the new console were priced at $1,200, he would continue using his Xbox Series X.
In Ybarra's view, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 Pro still offer sufficient performance for 99% of players. At this stage, developers should focus more on improving game optimization, while hardware manufacturers can wait for component prices to return to normal.
He also cited Microsoft's plan to adopt AMD FSR 4.1 technology for the Xbox Series X|S as an example, arguing that existing hardware still has room for improvement. Microsoft has not yet officially announced the price of the next-generation Xbox; the $1,200 to $1,800 figure is merely a rumor, and Ybarra's comments are based on this hypothetical pricing.