In One Timeline

The $800 Xbox Isn't Even the Record

U.S. console launch prices converted to 2026 dollars: the $800 Xbox Series X isn't the record — Panasonic's 1993 3DO FZ-1 works out to about $1,600, with the PS3, Neo Geo Gold, the cheap-console cluster, and 2026's three post-launch price hikes on the same honest scale.

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Source pages are linked directly so license details can be verified at the original host.
Nintendo Switch 2 image: official Nintendo product image, no open license stated — used as a transformed factual editorial illustration in this price analysis; replace before master lock if the channel adopts an open-license-only image policy.
Used For
Credit
Source
01Xbox Series X cutout
Der. BellemerXbox Series X 2 (transparent background).png / CC BY 4.0
commons.wikimedia.org
02Panasonic 3DO FZ-1 cutout
Evan-Amos; transparent-background edit by Gunnar.offel3DO-FZ-1-Console-FL.png / Public domain
commons.wikimedia.org
03PlayStation 3 launch-fat cutout
Evan-AmosPs3-fat-console.png / Public domain
commons.wikimedia.org
04Neo Geo AES cutout
Evan-AmosNeo-Geo-AES-Console-Set.png / CC BY-SA 3.0
commons.wikimedia.org
05Nintendo GameCube cutout
Evan-AmosGameCube-Console-Set.png / Public domain
commons.wikimedia.org
06Sega Dreamcast cutout
Evan-AmosDreamcast-Console-Set.png / CC BY-SA 3.0
commons.wikimedia.org
07Nintendo 64 cutout
Evan-AmosN64-Console-Set.png / Public domain
commons.wikimedia.org
08Original Nintendo Switch cutout
Evan-Amos; transparent-background edit by Gunnar.offelNintendo-Switch-wJoyCons-BlRd-Standing-FL.png / Public domain
commons.wikimedia.org
09PlayStation 5 disc cutout
Howardcorn33Black and white Playstation 5 base edition with controller.png / CC0 1.0
commons.wikimedia.org
10Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo / Nintendo of America Inc.Nintendo Switch 2 official product image / © Nintendo, editorial fair use
nintendo.com

Data sources & references

01Metric: U.S. launch-package MSRP × 330.079 / launch-year annual-average CPI-U (BLS series via FRED; Jan–May 2026 YTD basis)
02Per-point launch dates, nominal MSRPs, CPI bases, and source URLs — episode dataset: episodes/42-console-price-inflation/research/console-price-dataset.json
032026 post-launch hikes — PlayStation Blog (Mar. 27, 2026), Xbox Wire (June 25, 2026), Nintendo investor materials (May 8, 2026)
04Music — "Between the Lines" by Ondrosik, CC0 1.0