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Xbox 360 Elite's Price Cut, Arcade's Raised
Also see: Microsoft Explains Xbox 360 Arcade Price Increase
Analysts Weigh In On Xbox 360 Price Cut
Microsoft has confirmed that the price of the Xbox 360 Elite will be cut by £30 to £199.99 and by $100 to $299 from Friday, August 28.
Additionally, the cost of the Xbox 360 Arcade will rise by £30 to £159.99 and the 60GB Pro model will phased out. In the US, the price of the Arcade will remain unchanged at $199, while the Pro will be cut by $50 to $250 while stocks last.
However, the now cheaper Xbox 360 Elite will no longer be bundled with an HDMI cable. "In order to offer the Xbox Elite to consumers at a reduced price, we eliminated the inclusion of an HDMI cable. That said, we are confident that providing even better value for our premium console will allow people the flexibility to purchase the HDMI cable of their choice so they can enjoy the full benefits of our high-definition and 1080p experiences over Xbox Live," Microsoft told CVG. Meanwhile, the Arcade will no longer ship bundled with a selection of XBLA titles.
“With the Christmas season right around the corner, it’s another opportunity to put the consumer centre stage with entertainment and games that everyone will enjoy,” said Neil Thompson, senior regional director of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division in the UK and Ireland. “We have a goal over the next 18 months to deliver value with amazing content and rich interactive experiences in the living room.”
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I just realized how ridiculous we "hardcore" gamers sound sometimes. I'm not trying to play the "It's just videogames card" but I'm thinking that we're putting too much personal stock into criticizing/commending the decisions of hardware manufacturers. Sure debate, but do we really care that much that Sony took too long to drop the price or that MS has made some questionable decisions with pricing (recent price-increase and ridiculous peripheral prices) especially when most of us have already made our this-gen purchase already? Anyway I'm off, this forum is just too overwhelming to wade through the hate and flaming fanboy antics. Good night, and good luck.
Hahaha! Brilliant. Her face says it all.
Your speech is comedy gold, lol.
Nick you're just pissed because nobody on here is praising your boyfriend Microsoft.
Wow, good job gang. Way to totally NOT prove his point by following his post up with immature and/or fanboy filled responses.
Awesome...
but how bout you cut the price on the standalone HDD now? my 20gig is crying.
"In order to offer the Xbox Elite to consumers at a reduced price, we eliminated the inclusion of an HDMI cable.
Hey Microsoft, let me give you some advice. It's 2009 and here is a $0.06 HDMI cable .
Microsoft, you silly sausage. They haven't made too many cock ups this generation, price wise before you all jump on the RROD nightmare. This however, is completely stupid. The Elite being cheaper is nice, no HDMI is no real lose, you can buy one for a fiver. You'll still get component cables anyway. But to raise the price of the Arcade is ridiculous, especially considering you don't even get the arcade games any more. You are paying more for less. They should have got rid of the Arcade and lowered the price of the Pro to the price of the Arcade. Most of you are right in saying it must be a ploy to lure people to splash out the extra and go for the Elite. Watch it work though, the general public are idiots. Trust me, I've worked at Gamestation and seen people paying nearly £400 on shitty Wii bundles.
I think the lose of the HDMI cable will count against them, as you are spending more money instead of saving, the PS3 comes with it as standard which is one of the selling points.
Rising & keeping the Arcade is just plain stupid, but to PHASE out the Pro is even more stupider, the Elite at £199.99 is abit of a let down as it should have been around £180 to take the place of the Pro price.
MS really needs to sort out its pricing policy. Am just hoping they have sorted out the technical problems that have dogged the 360 by now, but the hope will have to keep hoping.
Unless this is a new development, the PS3 most definitely does not come with an HDMI cable in the box.
I was just gonna say that. They don't even come with component cables do they?
Of course they come with componnent cables, your just being silly now!
Do they? I thought it was just composite cables that came with it. I bought my PS3 second hand and it only came with a HDMi cable and no other cables so I wasn't sure.
That's what I though!
Lower the price of the Pro to the new Arcade price & eliminate the Arcade, or call the Pro the Arcade....whatever!
Their, very capable, marketing department told them this is going to work. I hope Europe doesn't make them right.......a very real possibility
Price wise I mean just for an entry level purchase for a console. They have made several cock ups with pricing additional extras like HDD's and Wi-Fi adapters.
Hmmmm... I've worked for YEARS as a games journalist for a few different sites and a mag or two and i NEVER got a free 360. or original Xbox, for that matter. I once DID get a LOANER original Xbox that had to be returned after about a week, but other than that, I'd love to get on the gravy train you mentioned...
Granted, I'm SURE some of the more "respected" editor types have gotten free consoles, but that's something that takes a lot of writing. even then, it's not a good thing to skew your writing "pro" anything whether or not you got a console for free. People will tell after a few articles (at least I can)...
Anyway, Microsoft is out of its mind here and UK gamers should put a collective foot down by voting with their wallets. When you have to issue a press release to explain a price drop that's actually a not a price drop and a rip-off (no games now AND it costs more?) that's really only based on looking like you're the cheaper buy (when you're not) to save face... that's kind of bad. That Arcade press release above spins so much that the walls here turned brown.
The crazy thing about all this - when you buy a 360 Arcade thinking it's a one-shot deal, you're still not done paying. you need to buy into Live (they take PayPal now, so no one has an excuse NOT to subscribe, thinks Microsoft) for that tempting premium content and by taking the free game set from the arcade, even the consumer who's NOT a rocket scientist wills see that he or she now has to shell out for those formerly pack-in games now. By the time you leave the shop, you end up spending more than you think for what's supposed to be a "price cut" on some bean-counter's spreadsheet And let's not talk about a bigger hard drive if you get conned into an Arcade and want to start downloading demos and such over LIVE.
Yeah, yeah, The ELITE IS THE BETTER BUY, you yell. Again, try telling that to the average non-gaming consumer looking for something cheap during Xmas. I worked in game retail for 3+ years and it was the same crap each holiday.
One year, we finally got fed up with all the consumer ignorance on "cheaper is better" and the usual game company BS (with different, confounding SKUs) and printed out a spec sheet and price points for all the console varations we carried. It helped out a LOT as we ended up selling more expensive systems once more formerly price ignorant people realized being "cheap" was actually costing them more money. AND they came back on a regular basis because we were the ones who broke it down for them, so it was a win-win in the end.
Oh, an I'm a firm non-fanboy supporter of Sony's 10-year plan because at the end of the day, it's all about what you play, not what you play it on, folks...
All this blather about price cuts and increases and HDMI cables and hard drives and they're STILL bending people over for that $100 wi-fi adapter?
I think most things have already been said, but actually increasing the price of the Arcade is obviously obsurd! The only way I can think MS thought this was a good idea is if your 360 has died, you have a 360 HDD already and need a new console. I wouldn't buy an Arcade in this situation through principal though....I'd get a PS3 slim as it has a Blu-Ray player.
The 360 isn't really comparable to the Wii though. Completely different markets. As I see it if you truly like games and play them often you are going to buy the 360/PS3. If you buy things because other people have them and you think you should have one too (iPod, iPhone etc) then you will get the Wii....and then either never play on it, or sell it.
I think it is really obvious why they have raised the price. They want to drive sales towards the Elite, as it is still cheaper that the PS3. The Acrade is there merely so they can say from £169.99 on the adverts.
They want one console to sell (the Elite) and have essentially made it cheaper to be more attractive. The Arcade is essentially a 'broke' Elite, as i said, to drive sales to the Elite.
Maybe we'll see that in the repackage.
“If you buy things because other people have them and you think you should have one too (iPod, iPhone etc) then you will get the Wii....and then either never play on it, or sell it.”
This comment is just ridiculous. I agree that some people like the follow a trend but the iPhone sells because it’s the best phone on the market.
And the Wii, despite the amount of shovelware currently available is a fantastic games console and deserves it’s success.
I really cannot tell what is going to happen this Christmas it's actually genuinely interesting. On the one hand the PS3 Slim would seem the superior choice, but your average non gamer mother buying for her kid might just see the cheaper price tag of the Elite and better known games Halo and Gears specifically and go with that. Then there is the in the know gamer who on paper probably want the PS3 slim, however they are also probably aware that their American cousins are getting the same deal for cheaper. Then there is the superior online and digital store on Xbox 360. So in summary Sony should win this Christmas and my brain says they will, but it is definitely not in the bag.
the average nongamer won't notice any price cut, all they'll see a 360 for $299
That, and everyone who wanted Halo 3 probably has it by now.
hehe
:)
One has a price rise of £30, one has a drop of £30, total price drop across the range, £0. They must think that we're buttoned up the back.
I think this is so that MS can say: 'Yeah, we have a price cut too!'
PS3 for £250 is better value - Blu ray, free online, built in wifi, bluetooth connectivity, etc.
An 'arcade' machine now costs more, and a machine with a hard disk now costs...more.
WTF.
Absolute rip-off, they raise the Arcade SKU to £159.99 (by £30) with no HDD and before the raise one could get the 60GB SKU for that price.
As for the Elite, £200, with all due respect neither of the systems are worth their RRP.
I can see a lot of consumers putting down an extra £50 (for all it is) and getting the 120GB PS3 slim.
Some online stores are already accepting pre-orders for the PS3 Slim at less than £230 delivered. With the PlayStation brand's monstrous pedigree and reputation, that's a no-brainer for your average punter.
What a mess...
Wow! They really aren't scared of the Slim!
I don't really understand this. It seems Microsoft could balance this out somehow. If the international markets are forcing a price increase, they could offset this by reducing their own controllable, like the HDD - logic tells us it's much cheaper than its retail.
Eliminate the Arcade. Make the Pro the entry model. Although I guess they're just playing a sad game of "follow-the-leader" with other console companies to squeeze extra money out of Europe, but it's still ridiculous.
In America the Elite is coming with composite cables. I hear the Elite will come bundled with two free games, In Game (the shop).
Fair enough with £30 off the elite and no HDMI is great, you can still use component cable that will surely be still bundled to achieve a high def image. Having trouble finding a justification behind getting an Arcade though, you'll be paying another £50 for a 60gb or £90 for a 120gb hard disk. All in that's already more than Elite at £211 or £249 respectively. You'll wanting a game also, so that's another £30 on top of that.
The smart money would go on the Elite. Microsoft should have just dumped both the white boxes and be done with it, maybe that's exactly what Microsoft have planned. In the first place it was a loony idea having 3 models on that market at once, it seems like this is the right move for Microsoft to make.
Dropping the Elite to £199 is a cracking move, and who really cares abotu bundled software, when was the last time you saw a console bundled with games you really wanted to play? It allows them to keep that all important advantage over the PS3 Slim and dip below the magical £200 (even though you still need to buy the wi-fi adaptor). I'm surprised they didn't drop the Arcade completely and just go to one SKU, at that price it'd have made more sense.
Every PS3 bundle I can think of came with good games. MGS4 and Uncharted. The 360 bundles also came with Fable II, right?
Is Microsoft run by brain dead monkeys? One week after the Ps3 Slim and Sony price reductions M$ decide to raise the cost of the one 360 model that still looked like good value for money. They deserve to have their market completely destroyed by Sony, and i say this as a 360 owner.
Is Microsoft run by brain dead monkeys?
It's run by Steve Ballmer, so you're not far off.
Is Microsoft run by brain dead monkeys?
This is quote of the week for me.
lol, my thoughts exactly.
Seems like 2 really dumb moves.
Removing bundled software and gouging the price of the base model by (arguably) the cost of a retail game? Microsoft, you idiots...
You now put the Arcade model in the same price bracket as Wii, but without any software and no novelty/buzz factor to compete with Nintendo's console. This is jaw-droppingly stupid.
I can see this actually encouraging sales of Wii, not stealing from them.
Desperate, for all their talk they're really are still frightened of the PS3.
I agree, plus without the bundled games people are just going to see the two models and be unsure of the differences (beyond colour) and all opt for the cheaper model, only to find the Wii - with bundled games - costs about the same, plus has the controllers to attract them. I think this will backfire badly for them this Christmas.
I'm getting sick of this.I've looked around and the level of media condemnation is so low.If Sony has done this they would be utterly slaughtered.The Guardian even called the Arcade price a price cut.The 50 quid difference is huge,in value terms, in favour of PS3 slim vs Elite.The Blu ray is worth that easily not counting Bluetooth,Wi Fi,Browser,Vidzone and free online service.I own all consoles and you can probably tell I prefer my PS3 but the thing that gripes me is not the dislike of PS3 by media,but the lies and unbalanced reporting used to reinforce their belief.The media has been dishonest.
Every arguement I've heard seems to ignore any pro PS3 counter
eg.Live is better than PSN.I rarely hear anyone talk about larger player counts in ALL Ps3 games or that host advantage is rife on 360,or even that I've been bumped more on 2 player 360 games than 32 player PS3 games.
When I get asked "what game system should I buy"my first question is "what games do you like".I want ot say PS3 but keep in balanced and try to find out what they require from it.Surely "professional"media should be fair.
I know that journos(even freelancers) get free 360s and Live accounts(stated by Shane Bettenhausen on 1up yours before he left) and not PS3s but come on,are you that easily bought.