AI Costs Cited as Tech Giants Raise Prices on Consoles and Devices

Major technology companies are attributing rising artificial intelligence costs as a key reason for significant price increases on popular consumer devices. Products affected include Microsoft's Xbox consoles, Nintendo's Switch 2, and Valve's Steam Deck, among others. The price hikes have emerged over recent months across multiple hardware categories. Tech firms appear to be using AI investment and infrastructure demands as justification for passing higher costs on to consumers.