Technologies

Microsoft Raised the Prices of Xbox Consoles, and Some Games Are Next

Some new first-party Xbox games will have their costs raised by $10 this holiday season.

Get ready to pay more for Xbox consoles and some games. Microsoft raised the recommended retail pricing of its Xbox Series S/X consoles, controllers and headsets on Thursday. The company also announced then that it plans to raise the prices new first-party games from $70 to $80 this holiday season, matching the cost of some new Nintendo Switch 2 games.

Microsoft said the cost of games released between now and then won’t increase, so Doom: The Dark Ages won’t see a price hike when it’s released later this month, for instance. «We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,» Microsoft wrote.

Microsoft’s recommended retail pricing (PDF) for consoles and controllers is staggering. The company is suggesting an $80 price hike for the Xbox Series S (512GB), the most affordable Xbox console Microsoft sells. That takes the price of the 5-year-old console from $300 to $380. The Xbox Series X (1TB) is getting a $100 increase, increasing it from $500 to $600. And the Xbox Series X (2TB) Galaxy Black Special Edition now costs $730, which makes the eye-watering $700 price tag of a PlayStation 5 Pro seem reasonable.

Read more: Who’s to Blame for the Rising Cost of Nintendo Switch 2 Games?

The base Xbox wireless controller has a recommended price of $65 (up from $60), and the high-end Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 has a recommended price of $200 (up from $145). Stereo and wireless headsets have recommended prices of $65 (up from $60) and $120 (up from $110), respectively.

These prices aren’t just affecting gamers in the US. Microsoft raised Xbox console and accessory hardware prices in the UK, EU, Australia and the rest of the world. But the cost of headsets is only increasing in the US and Canada. You could see these console and hardware price hikes immediately, but Microsoft isn’t raising the price of Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — the most expensive tier of the gaming service — costs $20 a month but provides you with access to hundreds of games, including new, Day 1 releases. With the price of some major games rising to $80, that means you would have to buy four months of Game Pass Ultimate to match the price of one new game. That makes Game Pass much more appealing, but there is the potential for Microsoft to raise the price of the service in the future.

Microsoft raised Game Pass prices in 2024 alongside the introduction of Game Pass Standard. But since the company raised the price of the service in 2024, and the year prior in 2023, it’s possible Microsoft will increase the cost of the service later this year.

Again, game prices aren’t going up until later this year, so you still have time to buy games at or below $70 apiece, but you could see the updated console, controller and headset pricing now. For more on Xbox, you can check out CNET’s reviews of the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X, as well as what to know about Xbox Game Pass.

Technologies

The Pause on iPhone Tariffs Is Set to Expire After June. Should You Buy Now?

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, May 10

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 10.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is that extra-long Saturday one, and some of the answers were pretty tough! I thought for sure the answer to 6-Across was two words, but nope, it was only one. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Common inclusion in a tourist’s brochure
Answer: MAP

4A clue: Olympic honor
Answer: MEDAL

6A clue: Any of a set of green plastic toys in «Toy Story»
Answer: SOLDIER

8A clue: Still on the loose
Answer: ATLARGE

9A clue: Driver’s license or passport
Answer: PHOTOID

10A clue: Star of the Eras Tour
Answer: SWIFT

11A clue: 30, 45 or 50, on a beach bottle: Abbr.
Answer: SPF

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Chills (out)
Answer: MELLOWS

2D clue: Prompt after swiping one’s card at an iPad cash register
Answer: ADDATIP

3D clue: Form groups of two
Answer: PAIROFF

4D clue: Flittering fliers around a flame
Answer: MOTHS

5D clue: Totally authentic
Answer: LEGIT

6D clue: Sticky stuff
Answer: SAP

7D clue: No turn on ___» (road sign)
Answer: RED

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 10, #229

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 229, for Saturday, May 10.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

I always start Connections: Sports Edition by scanning for clues I know that can’t fit into too many categories. Today, I spotted names of particular places, and was off to the races with the green group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Players sometimes disagree.

Green group hint: Also Lumen, or U.S. Bank.

Blue group hint: Academic sports organizations.

Purple group hint: Tennessee signal-callers.