Are consoles more expensive now than in the past?
Not at launch, once you allow for inflation. The early consoles were the expensive ones. An Atari 2600 cost $199.99 in 1977, which is about $1,112 in today’s money, and the Neo Geo and 3DO of the early 1990s cost well over $1,600 in today’s terms. Most big consoles since the mid 1990s launched at between about $400 and $700 in today’s dollars.
The figures in this article convert each console’s US launch price to September 2026 dollars using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index (CPI-U), taking the average index for the launch year [1]. The chart above, which plots launch prices of North American consoles adjusted to 2024 dollars, shows the same pattern: a cluster of very expensive machines in the 1970s and early 1990s, then prices settling into a much narrower band.
Console launch prices adjusted for inflation
| Console | US launch | Launch price | In September 2026 dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnavox Odyssey | 1972 | $99.99 | $806 |
| Atari 2600 | 1977 | $199.99 | $1,112 |
| Intellivision | 1980 | $299 | $1,223 |
| ColecoVision | 1982 | $175 | $611 |
| NES | 1985 | $179.99 | $564 |
| Sega Genesis | 1989 | $189.99 | $516 |
| Neo Geo | 1990 | $649.99 | $1,676 |
| Super Nintendo | 1991 | $199.99 | $495 |
| 3DO | 1993 | $699.99 | $1,633 |
| Sega Saturn | 1995 | $399.99 | $884 |
| PlayStation | 1995 | $299 | $661 |
| Nintendo 64 | 1996 | $199.99 | $430 |
| Dreamcast | 1999 | $199 | $403 |
| PlayStation 2 | 2000 | $299 | $585 |
| Xbox | 2001 | $299 | $569 |
| GameCube | 2001 | $199 | $379 |
| Xbox 360 (with hard drive) | 2005 | $399.99 | $690 |
| PlayStation 3 (60GB) | 2006 | $599.99 | $1,003 |
| Wii | 2006 | $249.99 | $418 |
| Wii U (basic) | 2012 | $299.99 | $440 |
| PlayStation 4 | 2013 | $399.99 | $579 |
| Xbox One | 2013 | $499.99 | $723 |
| Nintendo Switch | 2017 | $299.99 | $412 |
| PlayStation 5 | 2020 | $499.99 | $651 |
| Xbox Series X | 2020 | $499.99 | $651 |
| Xbox Series S | 2020 | $299.99 | $391 |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | $449.99 | $470 |
Launch prices are from Don Daglow’s console price research and the Video Game Console Library [2][3]. The two disagree on the ColecoVision ($175 or $199) and on the Intellivision’s launch year (1979 or 1980); we use Daglow’s figures [2]. Your own figure may differ by a few per cent depending on whether you use the launch month or the year average, and which month you convert to.
The most expensive consoles ever
Adjusted for inflation, the most expensive consoles at launch were the Neo Geo (about $1,676 today) and the 3DO (about $1,633). Both failed to sell in large numbers. The Neo Geo was a home version of SNK’s arcade system, sold on the idea that arcade-quality games were worth the price. The 3DO was designed and styled as a piece of living room electronics, and priced like one [2]. Next come the Intellivision at about $1,223, the Atari 2600 at about $1,112 and the 60GB PlayStation 3 at about $1,003.
The PS3 is the clearest modern example of a console priced too high. Sony launched it at $499.99 and $599.99 in 2006, well above the Wii at $249.99, and Nintendo’s cheaper console went on to outsell it for years. Daglow notes that it took price cuts in 2008 and three more years before the PS3 and Xbox 360 overtook the Wii’s annual sales [2].
What makes a console price successful?
Daglow’s research found that the best-selling console of each generation over the last 30 years launched within a fairly narrow band once inflation is taken out, which he puts at $533 to $613 in November 2023 dollars [2]. That band covers the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Consoles that launched above it, such as the Saturn, PS3 and Xbox One, lost their generation, while those that launched far above it, like the Neo Geo and 3DO, barely sold [2].
Nintendo is the exception. The Wii and the original Switch both launched about 20% below that band, aimed at families and casual players rather than going head to head with Sony and Microsoft, and both sold more than 100 million units [2]. Before the move to disc-based consoles, the market leaders of 1984 to 1994 (the NES, Genesis and Super Nintendo) launched lower still, between $456 and $508 in 2023 dollars [2].
Handheld consoles have generally been the cheapest hardware of all, as the chart shows, with the Game Boy family well below any home console of its time.
Why are console prices going up now?
For most of the history of games consoles, prices fell over a console’s life as parts got cheaper and makers released slimmer, cheaper versions. That has reversed in the current generation. As of November 2026:
- Xbox: Microsoft has raised prices several times since 2025, citing tariffs and a shortage of memory chips. In the US the Xbox Series X has gone from $499.99 at launch to $649.99, and the Series S from $299.99 to $399.99 [4].
- PlayStation: Sony raised the US price of all PS5 models by $50 in August 2025, then increased the PS5 Digital Edition by a further $50 and the PS5 Pro by $150 in April 2026 [5].
- Nintendo: The Switch 2 launched in June 2025 at $449.99, 50% more than the original Switch. Nintendo raised it to $499.99 from 1 September 2026, blaming the global memory shortage among other factors [6].
Because inflation was also high over this period, the real increase is smaller than it looks. US consumer prices rose by about 30% between 2020 and September 2026 [1], so a PS5 or Xbox Series X bought at $499.99 in 2020 would cost about $651 today on inflation alone. At $649.99 the Series X is now roughly where it started in real terms, rather than cheaper as earlier consoles were at the same point in their lives.
Questions about console prices adjusted for inflation
How much did the NES cost in today’s money?
The NES launched in the US in 1985 at $179.99, which is about $564 in September 2026 dollars [1][3].
How much was the PS1 adjusted for inflation?
The original PlayStation launched in the US in 1995 at $299, which is about $661 in September 2026 dollars [1][2].
How much did the Atari 2600 cost adjusted for inflation?
It launched in 1977 at $199.99, about $1,112 in September 2026 dollars [1][3]. That is more than any PlayStation or Xbox has cost at launch.
How much have console prices increased?
In nominal terms, a lot: the PS5 and Xbox Series X launched at $499.99 and the Series X now costs $649.99 in the US [4]. In real terms, launch prices have not risen over the long run. The PS5’s launch price is about $651 in today’s money, close to the PlayStation’s $661 and well below the PS3’s $1,003 [1].
Will console prices go down?
Nobody outside the companies can say for sure. In past generations prices usually fell over time, but every major console maker has raised prices since 2025, and the makers have pointed to tariffs and memory costs that had not eased as of November 2026 [4][6].
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), series CUUR0000SA0, data to September 2026.
- Don Daglow, The Secret History of Video Game Console Prices, Adjusted for Inflation (Updated 2024).
- Video Game Console Library, Console Launch Prices Compared, Every System Adjusted for Inflation.
- Wikipedia, Xbox Series X and Series S.
- Wikipedia, PlayStation 5.
- Wikipedia, Nintendo Switch 2.
Last reviewed 5 November 2026
