Xbox One to Get a $50 Price Hike on January 3

With the Xbox One gaining some ground thanks to a reduced price of $349 (roughly Rs. 22,100), one would assume that Microsoft would keep it's latest black box at this price permanently. This however does not seem to be the case. From January 3, the Xbox One will cost you $50 (roughly Rs. 3,170) more the Redmond-based company has said.

How would this affect Indian consumers? Well, we've seen a glut of low prices on the Xbox One in India. Microsoft India has been selling the console at a reduced rate, slashing, at the time of writing this, Rs. 5,000 from the Rs. 39,990 MRP for the Xbox One with FIFA 15 bundle, and includes a second controller for free, bringing the effective savings to Rs. 8,999. But the real area of interest is how low it is on the grey market.

A quick check with a few sellers in Mumbai and Delhi resulted in the knowledge that special edition variants of the Xbox One such as the white console with Sunset Overdrive, or the Titanfall bundle, are available within the range of Rs. 25,000 to 28,000. They're a shade lower than the prevailing official rates thanks to ready availability from regions such as the Middle East, US, and Hong Kong, all of which have better rates than India. Nonetheless, with US prices increasing, it would be safe to expect grey rates to go up as well, if only slightly.

Notably, while the Xbox One has been doing well with its reduced pricing in the US, however, its performance in India has reportedly not been so great. Sources amongst multiple distributors and retailers all independently confirmed earlier this month that less than 1,500 units have been sold across the country, and that too only after rampant discounts and offers. We contacted Microsoft to verify these claims to which we received no comment. Sony on the other hand claims that the PS4 sold close to 4,500 units within two weeks of going on sale, and continues to sell well.