Microsoft Has Officially Discounted Xbox Series X Consoles for The Holidays [IGN]

December 14, 2023 Robert Anderson gaming

Walmart and Target have recently been playing with an Xbox Series X discount priced at $349, marking a $150 reduction from the MSRP and surpassing Black Friday offerings.

While some of these have been swiftly selling out (depending on location), Microsoft has now also introduced its own discount on the console, though it’s not as substantial.

Priced at $399 (see here), Microsoft’s latest offer on the Xbox Series X provides a $100 saving on the console, aligning closely with the best Black Friday deals retailers like Amazon observed a few weeks ago.

Xbox unveiled the new discount on its official Twitter/X page, mere weeks after implementing a $50 reduction during the Black Friday sales. This new deal now surpasses the previous discount, ranging between $100 and $150 depending on the retailer.

— Xbox (@Xbox) December 13, 2023

Other notable Xbox discounts right now include Xbox Wireless Controllers for $45 at Walmart (including special edition gamepads and a $19 saving overall vs. MSRP). Target also has an Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Controller for $106.99 right now as well.

Microsoft has not disclosed the duration of the $399.99 Xbox Series X deal just yet; however, given its characterization as a “holiday” offer, it is reasonable to assume that it will be available for a limited time throughout the remainder of 2023. It is also an offer exclusive to the US.

The company has also recently stopped announcing Xbox console sales — a move that was speculated, at least in part, because of sales vs. PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. But according to one Xbox executive, that has nothing to do with it.

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Microsoft has previously stated that it has “lost the console war”, but the scale of Xbox’s collapse in Europe in particular is stark. According to data reported by GI.biz, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is “comfortably” number one in Europe, with sales up an incredible 143% over October last year.

But, it seems the Xbox console business is still important to Microsoft, amid commitments to pump out more exclusives from its huge first-party studios network and plans to launch mid-gen refreshes of both the Xbox Series X and S at some point in 2024.

PS5 consoles are also on sale for the holidays, with the new ‘slim’ model costing $499 including either Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 at no extra cost. While the best Switch deal is on the Switch OLED Model: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Bundle for $349.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.