AI infused Capitalism is a flaming ball the world has decided to urinate on. AI is death. Greed has won. Gaming is about to crash again. Thats clear and inevitable. And the sad part while the earth is essentially on fire you'll come to find most of these companies raising prices dont do it to maintain operations or profits or wages they do it to maintain MASSIVE PROFITS and insane 220 million dollar CEO bonuses and insane cap spikes so they can invest in AI, reintergrate logistics company wide. Most have stated they intend to integrate AI with human workforce. They have.stellar ROIs, immense GDP, great market caps, and decent sales figures and protective growth. Most have capital sunk in non gaming entities and invest in hedges as a shell against economy downturns. Then they pretend they raise prices based on whatever nonsense is happening on the news to play the little old lady in the soup kitchen line but the raised price is almost never proportionate to the raised costs and overheads. Most are gonna seek tariff refunds on top of it. Yet blamed raised prices on tariffs for the past half decade. Do you think if tariffs absolve prices will drop? Have you ever heard a landlord say "my taxes went down this year so im lowering your rent?" Its all fucking greed. Not necessity. Refusing to ride the economical mess they are creating they pass the bill onto the poor and middle class. That's capitalism and always was. They just refuse to slim margins because God forbid they only make insane amounts of wealth instead of ungodly amounts of wealth. Parasite oligarchs from the ground up. You're witnessing a bubble about to pop. Either poke it with a tack or stick your tongue out. Theirs no other options. Its popping.
You could be right about Xbox but for the sake of your happiness I will like to say Most analysts have 2 estimates or models they assume will happen. Both around your budget or hopes.
1. Xbox launches Helix at 900 to 1000. Runs on intensely slim margins because they want to ensure as many homes as possible subscribe to their actual money maker (gamepass) which I find the most likely.
2. They release at 1,200 to 1 500 dollars. Sell hardly any units, appeal to the affluent and operate on higher profit margins on lower sales scales.
2,000 dollars is company suicide. It'd most likely mean the bubble popped and the hobby crashed entirely. Maybe. Not fully off the table. But id say you should be fine if you intend to spend.$1,500. But the bubble could pop you are right ahout that.
I also wouldn't rule out 2 models. A crazy expensive spec beast and a consumer model like they have been doing.
The steam deck going up 300 dollars is silly. Good luck with that Valve.
