360 price drop is a reality
As we had previously reported, thanks to the good folks over at Wired’s Game|Life blog, and as Kotaku has pointed out here (among other posts), there has been more and more information leaking about the newest price cuts for the Xbox 360. It seems that as early as this coming weekend, the Arcade version will sell for $199, according to Walmart (as shown in the above scan of the ad starting this Sunday, September 7), and based on the other reports, the 60 GB Pro will retail for $299, with the 120 GB Elite rounding out the group at $399. So yes, Microsoft will in fact be the first to break the $200 price point - if only by pennies and with the crummy Arcade system, but hey, it’s still progress. If anyone bought a 360 recently, I hope you still have your receipts! (If you paid with a credit card, it should be easy to get a refund for the price difference through the merchant account company.)
Also, no word yet on whether the price drop will affect any remaining 20 gig units, which are currently priced at $299 and would undoubtedly continue to sit there not selling were they to remain the same price as the 60 gig.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
will RRD be included in the price???
September 1st, 2008 at 11:40 pm
It’s about time!!!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 am
Ha,haha,ha You’re loser.. Got to drop price because it sucks anyway.. Make up for the Death Ring.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:51 am
Who woulda want an Arcade System? Only dumb people or people that know nothing about video games. Given the option of buying an Arcade System or the Wii, the Wii is by far the best option. And given the option of buing the Arcade System or a real console, better go for a real XBox or a PS3.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 am
I dont see how the arcade is “crummy” if all you want is HD gaming plus simple online thats PERFECT for you… My cousin doesnt want any demos or arcade games he just wants HD gaming plus xbox live which is what he gets with teh arcade.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Why is a wii a no brainer over an arcade system, when it also doesn’t feature a hard drive, nor does it offer HD gaming.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
“So yes, Microsoft will in fact be the first to break the $200 price”
Last time I checked $199+ tax goes over $200 and oh wow its under $200 by one penny. Gimmie a break. If the Elite was $199 then that would be another story.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
great.. time to buy another one for my girlfriend!!! yeah
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
OK. To actually comment on the article.
That’s great. Microsoft has a great advantage on all the other systems. But this one hurts them big time. The Wii is already close to its lowest price without losing money and Playstation can’t go any lower because they’re losing so much money. Microsoft has dropped it’s price twice now and the consumer is responding.
To respond to you guys disagreement. I have all three systems and I have now preconceived notions about any of them. I like them all. But after playing them all I can honestly say that the 360 has more quality games and advanced media options that the other systems can’t match. If someone is a big fan of gaming, movies, and any other entertainment source than 360 is the only way to go.
Don’t get me wrong, I like them all.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
Yeah, I don’t see how the arcade version is crummy. It basically gives you most of the same features as a Wii in HD without the motion control. It certainly is a step up from the PS2.
I think this is a great value for consumers. It is fairly easy to upgrade to hard drive as well.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
I agree, objectively, considering the games, 360 has the strongest offering right now. The one qualifier to that is that there seems to be a great degree of variance in the reliability and performance of the 360 units - some people are having awful problems with frame rates and overheating, while for others the system performs perfectly well.
So I guess the truly objective statement is: “360 has the strongest offering right now - provided you own a well-behaved copy of the console”.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
hold it!!! the 120 gb elight is 399$ and well i could buy a ps3 with that money.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Okay, so the Arcade isn’t totally “crummy.” I apologize for that. The previous “Core” system, which did not come with any games or memory cards, was a pretty lame system, but at least the Arcade has the small memory card. It’s not a lot of memory, though, and depending on how many games you want to play, it’ll fill up pretty quick. It is definitely a good option, as jlkjafds mentioned, for those who aren’t interested in making it the center of your entertainment system or downloading movies and demos.
Lewis, you could buy a PS3 for $399… with less memory (80 gig) and no backwards compatability.
And Ms. Croft, the way the marketing execs like to play the game, $199.92, even after tax, is still breaking the $200 price point, and in their effort to get the most consumers, having a talking point like that is huge. Also, it brings the customers into the store, seeing ads that show an Xbox 360 for under $200, and if the salesperson is smart enough, he or she will be able to convince the purchaser that the Pro or Elite systems are better values with the included hard drives, thus making even more money for Microsoft, all based off the fact that the simplest, most toned-down version just barely comes in under the $200 mark. Also, not all states have sales tax
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 am
Excellent !!!
Death to Sony and the ps2.5
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 am
Yeah Jared, like you, I have all three systems, heck i have a a second wii still in the box because i plan on selling it at Christmas. But anyway, im not a fanboy of any of the three, but the 360 wins out in terms of quality games, they look better, and i love the controller. But i will admit this is my 4th 360, but now i have the 65nm chip and the cooler heatsinks, so i hope this is the last one. And in case your wondering i’ve had only one PS3, and still using my first Wii.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
“Lewis, you could buy a PS3 for $399… with less memory (80 gig) and no backwards compatability.”
actually the 80 gb ps3 does have backwards 80% of the ps2 games(maybe a little less) do work on ps3. However yes 360 does have better games. Microsoft sucks at building consoles… Even the new falcon chips get rrod so if you dont mind risking rrod then 360 is great but since microsoft has a 3 year warrentey on all rrod issues this isnt problem my console recently got it and going on my second
Personally i have a 360 cause its cheaper but ive played both systems
September 6th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Actually, I was referencing the NEW 80 gig PS3, the one that costs $399, which does NOT have any backwards compatability. The older, $499 version with Metal Gear, did have the 80% you mention, but that was $100 more. The rumored 160 gig bundle, due out in November it seems, will most likely have the same backwards compatability as the previous models. If not, Sony’s dumber than they look.
September 6th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
ahh well ive played the older versions not the new ones my cousin has an 80gb from when it first came out… anyway if sony had better games on the system ps3 would own… but ps3 only gots very few good games.