Xbox has been commenting a fair bit about how expensive things are getting.

In recent posts to staff, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma discussed how the division will deliver a "measly" 3% accountability margin to Microsoft this year, as users reduce spending and the memory crisis deepens. Microsoft reported that wholesale memory prices increased by 7x over the past year, leading Xbox hardware sales to negative returns territory.

Xbox has been hinting at ads as a way to bridge the gap and further lower costs potentially, and has already lowered the cost of Xbox Game Pass to help meet users where their budgets are. New code hints at another lever they might be gearing up to pull as well.

Fintech companies PayPal and Klarna are seemingly gearing up to offer their "BNPL" services in the coming weeks. BNPL being shortform for "Buy Now, Pay Later." The code snippets suggest that Klarna and PayPal will offer Xbox users ways to spread the costs over weeks or even months, without interest.

Given how expensive consoles have gotten recently (both for Microsoft and customers), spreading the cost out might be a smart way to improve access. Games have also gotten pretty costly at $70, and game makers' costs have also increased as well, as inflation bites and supply chains endure strain.

The gaming industry hasn't seen real user growth in a long time, and that's particularly true of the core industry where Xbox typically sits. Microsoft is exploring a variety of measures and levers to improve its finances, with heavy rumors of layoffs swirling as of writing. We Happy Few and South of Midnight creator Compulsion is reportedly on the chopping block for shut down, for example, joining studios closed like Arkane Austin, Tango, and The Initiative last year. Xbox Games Studios lead Craig Duncan also just departed the company ... potentially in protest at this impending wave of closures.

Whether the PayPal and Klarna integrations will move the needle for Xbox's balance sheet remains to be seen, but it's a tough time for all of consumer tech right now, both inside and outside the industry.

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Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem — while being powered by tea. Follow on X.com/JezCorden and tune in to the XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!