Averaging a 7% jump in the US and 5% in the UK, heavyweights Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Tudor have ushered in price increases, according to . In an era marked by shifting economic landscapes, these price adjustments reflect the ripple effects of a variety of factors: the recently imposed 15% tariff on Swiss watch imports to the US, a weaker US dollar, skyrocketing gold prices which reached a record high in December 2025, and persistent global inflation.
Circana released its monthly sales report for November today, shining a light on how the North American video game business is performing. Hardware sales had a particularly difficult month, with sales falling 27%, from $949 million in November 2024 to $695 million in November 2025. November 2025 represented the lowest hardware spending total for a November month since November 2005 ($455 million). A total of 1.6 million game hardware units were sold in North America for November 2025, and that's the lowest since November 1995 (1.4 million units).
Starting December 17, the computer maker is set to hike prices across its commercial product lines, according to an internal list of upcoming price changes sent to staff on December 9 and seen by Business Insider. The list outlines price hikes for Dell'scommercial business - meaning its sales to corporate clients rather than individual consumers. The commercial business accounts for about 85% of Dell's annual revenue in the Client Solutions Group (CSG), the division that sells laptops and PCs, according to its latest annual results.
The increases, which will affect the company's commercial, frontline worker, and government customers, take effect from July 1, 2026, and range from a slight bump to an eye-watering hike. According to Microsoft, the rises (or "updates" in Micro-speak) are driven by expanded security, management, and AI capabilities. Microsoft said, "Organizations face an increasingly complex threat landscape, rising IT demands, and the urgent need for AI-powered transformation. "To help our customers meet these challenges head-on, we're enhancing our Microsoft 365 offerings with additional security and management capabilities empowered by AI."
The race to manufacture and sell GPUs for AI computing is reportedly leading to shortages of DRAM components. While there are concerns about chip maker AMD having to raise prices, which could impact the cost of next-gen gaming consoles (Sony, Microsoft, and Valve are all working with AMD on their upcoming hardware), it could reportedly impact current Xbox hardware pricing as well.
Americans are spending more on game consoles in 2025, compared to August of last year, and that's mostly thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2 and tariffs. Hardware sales topped $312 million in the US in August, up 32 percent from $236 million in August of 2024, according to Circana. That's a huge increase, especially considering that sales of the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and original Switch all fell by double-digit percentage points year over year.
This summer, Nintendo raised the prices of it's previous generation Nintendo Switch consoles following President Donald Trump's announcement to impose new tariffs on a range of countries. The base model Nintendo Switch, which originally launched at $300, is now sold for $340 new. You can, however, find the Nintendo Switch for much less than even the starting price. Buying refurbished hardware is a great way to save some money while refreshing what you play or work with.