Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said Microsoft’s gaming brand needs to be mindful of the affordability of its next-generation console for consumers, citing a crisis in computing hardware prices in the video game industry. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Sharma explained that rising component expenses, driven by massive tech investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, require platform holders to rethink hardware pricing and deliver more accessible gaming options.
Xbox Launches Program to Digitize Physical Game Collections
Xbox has unveiled a new initiative aimed at safeguarding player investments and maintaining backward compatibility across future hardware generations. This program will enable players to convert their physical game collections into digital licenses. Initially, it will support around 1,000 disc-based titles. Players can activate the digital license by inserting a compatible disc into an Xbox console.
Industry must tackle the ‘Rampocalypse’
In a shift for the gaming market, modern consoles have experienced retail price increases years after their initial release dates, fueled largely by escalating memory component costs. First is hardware efficiency focus wherein engineering teams developing the next generation must balance baseline performance against storage and memory efficiency, total bill-of-materials costs, and unit retail pricing.
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