All articles tagged with #price hike
T-Mobile is quietly moving customers off legacy plans and raising monthly charges by as much as 60% without notice, prompting big bill increases and confusion over the rationale behind the forced migrations.
Sony’s price increases for PlayStation Plus now cover Extra and Premium; with the changes live, Extra starts at $16.99/month and Premium at $19.99/month, following the earlier Essential tier hike.
Plex will raise its Lifetime Plex Pass from $250 to $750, effective July 1, 2026, a 200% increase that won’t affect current holders. Plex had toyed with dropping Lifetime passes but says the price reflects ongoing value as it pivots from a pure media server to a broader streaming platform; monthly and annual plans stay the same. The hike funds continued development and new features (mobile/app improvements, metadata, downloads, open API, FAST channels), and comes amid profitability pressure as Plex competes with Jellyfin, Emby and Kodi. At $70/year, the lifetime price would take about 11 years to become a better value.
With a Switch 2 price increase planned for September, Nintendo says it has many new titles in the works for 2026 to drive hardware adoption, listing upcoming releases like a new Yoshi game, a Star Fox remake, Splatoon Raiders, Rhythm Heaven Megamix, and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and noting that more details will be shared in future Nintendo Directs as the second half of the year unfolds.
Nintendo’s stock fell about 8.4% to ¥7,020 after news of a Switch 2 price hike, the lowest since late 2023, highlighting investor caution over profitability and anticipated weaker second‑year sales. The hike takes effect May 25 in Japan and September 1 in the West; despite a forecast of roughly 16.5 million Switch 2 units sold in FY2027, market sentiment is split between views that higher prices are needed and concerns about dampened demand. Bloomberg notes some investors welcomed the price move to offset rising component costs, while others worry it could hurt sales, and Nintendo continues to count on upcoming titles like Pokémon Winds & Waves to bolster future sales.
Apple plans to double MacBook Neo production to about 10 million units to meet runaway demand, using more A18 Pro chips (some repurposed from iPhone 16 Pro) and likely a hot-lot order from TSMC; higher BOM from chip costs and DRAM could push prices higher, with analysts suggesting the $599 base model might be dropped in favor of a $699 Touch ID-equipped version.
Nintendo is raising Switch 2 prices globally (US $499.99 from $449.99; Canada $679.99; Europe €499.99; Japan’s price bump comes earlier) and broader Switch-family pricing changes in Japan, while forecasting a sales dip. In FY26 the Switch 2 sold 19.86 million units; FY27 is expected to reach 16.5 million, with an anticipated revenue hit from higher memory prices and tariffs. The moves follow similar price hikes from Sony and Microsoft.
Nintendo’s stock has fallen from its August 2025 peak, with Bloomberg reporting some investors want a price increase for the Switch 2 to salvage profitability—even as others warn higher prices could dampen demand. The Switch 2 is reportedly sold at a loss around $450, amid supply-cost pressures and a lack of major marquee releases, and Nintendo is weighing a price hike against short-term hits for longer-term growth ahead of upcoming earnings.
Sony announced new PS5 price increases in several East Asian markets (following earlier hikes in the US/UK/Europe/Japan) due to ongoing global economic pressures and RAM shortages; price changes affect disc drive, Digital Edition, and Pro models and take effect May 1, with accompanying PlayStation Portal price adjustments in some markets.
Windows Central pits the Surface Laptop 13-inch against the MacBook Neo after Microsoft's price hike: Surface offers longer battery life, 16GB RAM, and more ports, but starts at $1,149, making it a tougher sell next to the significantly cheaper Neo, which has a higher-resolution, brighter display and stronger single-core CPU/GPU but 8GB RAM in base configuration and fewer ports. For OS-agnostic or budget buyers, Neo is the clearer value, while Windows enthusiasts may still prefer Surface for its features despite the price.
World Cup travel costs are rising unevenly across host cities, with some areas charging high prices for trains or buses to matches (for example, £111 train tickets in certain locations and a $15 return bus in Kansas), while others like Philadelphia keep standard fares; critics warn the hikes will burden families and concessions, and fans are already planning alternative travel as FIFA tickets also surface in premium blocks without clear warning.
Android Central reports Samsung has quietly hiked prices across many Galaxy devices in the US, with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra (1TB) jumping about $280 to $1,899 and other models like the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and S25 variants seeing notable increases (S25 Edge to $1,299; S25 FE to $749). The Tab S10 series and Tab A11 Plus also saw bumps. The piece flags AI-driven RAM costs as a possible driver and notes Samsung has not commented yet, while observers warn higher starting prices could shift the value benchmark for older devices.
Meta is hiking Quest headset prices due to a memory-chip shortage: starting April 19, the 128GB Quest 3S is $349.99, the 256GB Quest 3S is $449.99, and the Quest 3 is $599.99—up $50 on the 3S models and $100 on the base Quest 3. Refurbished units rise as well: 128GB refurb 3S $319.99, 256GB refurb 3S $409.99, and refurb Quest 3 $549.99 (+$170); accessories stay the same. Meta says memory costs are driving the change, and smart glasses aren’t seeing a price hike for now.
Sony announced a price increase of at least $100 for all PS5 models, lifting the base PS5 to $650 and the digital edition to $600. In the week ending April 4, 2026, US PS5 hardware unit and dollar sales hit 2026 highs, nearly doubling the prior week as shoppers rushed to buy before the price jump, underscoring how economic pressures are reshaping console affordability.
Circana data shows US PS5 sales spiked in the week ending April 4, surpassing any week in 2026 so far as Sony’s price increases coincided with ongoing hardware shortages, with the base console now at $649.99 and the PS5 Pro at $899.99.