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Engadget Flags Four Drawbacks for Xbox Series X Buyers in 2026

Engadget cites higher Xbox Series X prices and weaker Game Pass value, plus PC access and PS5 Pro’s power edge.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-27 23:15

Engadget reported that the Series X launched in November 2020 at $499. By 2026, average prices ranged from $725 to $900 depending on storage, with the 1TB disc-based model generally selling for about $799 and the digital-only "Robot White" model at $750. The article attributed much of the rise to global demand from AI data centers for memory and storage, and said the roughly 60 percent increase makes the aging hardware a harder sell. It still called the Series X the second most powerful console on the market and "a terrific gaming machine."

The article said Game Pass has become less of a value. It launched in June 2017 at $9.99 a month with more than 100 Xbox One games and backward-compatible Xbox 360 titles; Game Pass Ultimate launched in June 2019 at $14.99 a month. The Ultimate price rose to $19.99 by July 2024, then Microsoft set it at $29.99 starting October 2025; after backlash, Microsoft reduced it to $22.99, its current price, according to the article. Essential costs $9.99 a month for about 50 games, while Premium costs $14.99 for more than 200 titles across Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud, but neither includes day-one releases. Ultimate is required for day-one titles such as the upcoming Fable reboot. Ultimate cloud streaming, once unlimited, is now limited to 15 hours a month, with lower tiers getting fewer hours and additional hours available for purchase.

Engadget said a capable Windows gaming PC is currently the best way to experience Xbox Series X games. PC Game Pass costs $13.99 a month for more than 300 titles, including day-one Microsoft exclusives such as Gears of War: E-Day, according to the article. The PC and Xbox Game Pass libraries do not match exactly, but the article said players will almost certainly find something of interest, and very few games are truly console-exclusive. It added that Steam sales are common for games not on Xbox.

The article said the PS5 Pro is significantly more powerful than the Xbox Series X, making the comparison another factor for buyers to consider. That gap, combined with the Series X’s age and price, formed the fourth drawback identified by Engadget.