Microsoft has announced details of a 360 price cut. Also, despite the rise in the price of the Arcade unit, Xbox World reports that it'll come without the XBLA games previously included. The Elite console is going down to £199.99, while the Arcade SKU will be upped to £159.99.
Update: Microsoft has given CVG the following statement: "In order to offer the Xbox Elite to consumers at a reduced price, now €50/£30 less at $249.99/£199.99, 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 has also confirmed to CVG that the arcade games will no longer be bundles with the Arcade model. The game's were: Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy. Update out
Here's the full release:
Xbox 360 today invites you to experience more fun, more entertainment and more ways to connect with friends and family at an even better value. From August 28th 2009 an Xbox 360 Elite console will be priced at only £199.99 estimated retail price (ERP). And with 120GB of storage, there's plenty of room for your favourite games, movies and more from Xbox LIVE.
Xbox 360 puts all your entertainment in one place so you can play games, watch movies, listen to music and coming this Autumn, watch live TV via Sky Player, Sky's Online TV service as well as being able to enjoy music with LastFM and be part of the social collective with your Twitter and Facebook, all from your Xbox 360.1 And, as announced earlier this year, the Xbox 360 bought today will work in the future with "Project Natal" the controller-free gaming experience.
"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 ,Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft 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."
The new pricing structure provides choice, differentiation and value at both entry and premium levels with the new price point for Xbox 360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive at £199.99, and £159.99 for Xbox 360 Arcade. The Xbox 360 Pro with a 60GB hard drive is to be phased out.
Having an Xbox 360 at the centre of your living room provides more fun for less and entertainment for any occasion through Xbox Live:
Play games for everyone. Families and friends can get together to belt out tunes on "Lips" or build a famous foursome and relive the music of the Fab Four with "The Beatles: Rock Band." For those who crave action, players can tear up the tracks of "Forza Motorsport 3"; jump back into the "Halo" universe as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in "Halo 3: ODST"; or deploy for combat with this year's highly anticipated title from Infinity Ward, "Modern Warfare 2," the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game in history, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."
Watch live TV and movies. Coming this Autumn, Sky Player on Xbox will offer access to Sky's on line TV service including -- Sky Sports - a comprehensive on-demand library of thousands of programmes spanning entertainment, movies, documentaries, kids, culture, news and sports. Along with high definition movies on Zune video megastore in 1080p clarity for many videos and the convenience of on-demand, coming this fall.2
Connect with families & friends. Xbox LIVE, the industry-leading online gaming and entertainment network, will soon offer its 20 million community members even more blockbuster partners and features, introducing a whole new era of social entertainment in the living room. Starting this Autumn, you can interact with friends on Facebook and share photos and real-time status updates right from your television, or stay connected to Twitter by reading, posting and replying to Tweets.1 And visit the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace for the latest fashions or download full Xbox 360 titles to your hard drive through Games on Demand.
With all of these experiences available for the holidays and the future addition of "Project Natal," which will work with every Xbox 360 sold today and tomorrow, the Xbox 360 system provides more fun for less.
Hang on, I'm fairly certain I paid £160 for a Pro last year, has the Arcade always been that price? Also, why would you keep the worst version of the three around and sacrifice the Pro? It has a hard drive!
I agree with you Wildhook2 - as long as the selection of games is suitable for those in the market for a hi-def console. My Elite was a bargain when I got it brand new from Gamestation just before Christmas (when Woolworths were on their way out), so this new RRP really doesn't seem that attractive to me. When I was deciding to make a purchase, the Arcade wasn't even considered - so I have little knowledge to back up the point I want to make:
Is Microsoft taking the bloody p**s by phasing out the Pro and not the Arcade?!
Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but this really does make them sound desperate. It's like they know that the lower priced PS3 will eat into some of their sales and cannot afford that loss.
And before anyone says to me that Sony sounded desperate, they didn't, because for months and months everyone had begged for a price cut, so it made Sony look 'caring' and 'considerate'. Noone actually begged for a price drop on the 360 (or, indeed, a price rise), furthering the sense of desperation.
Additionally, the price rise of the Arcade is blatantly to cover the cost of the price drop of the Elite. The Elite is up on Game for £229.99, the Arcade for £129.99. 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 bloody stupid.
It's because they've almost maxed out all of their potential sales. The thing's been out for 3 years now, so almost everyone who wants one already has one. This is just to grab the last of the people sitting on the fence.
Personally, I'd rather they dropped the price of the peripherals. The 120Gb hard drive could use a £50 drop, the pads could easily come down a tenner or so.
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Yeah, strange that isn't it?
I don't know about all this seeming like a move out of desperation - it's just a price-cut....no different to what Sony have done (which I really don't think makes them seem caring at all - it was just a reaction to get sales back on track, just business).
Anyways - before the morons get on here - I'll just say price cuts are good for everyone concerned, unless you're a shareholder of either Sony or MS....seeing as none of us are, I'm really not sure why anyone would try and put any negative spin on either move.
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Mortey, you must have missed lordirongut's post before commenting. I've just checked the prices myself - at this very moment on GAME.co.uk, you can buy an Elite for £229.99 and an Arcade (piece of s**t) for £129.99. So the new pricing structure that they claim provides "value" is another p**s-take. I'm in shock!
Elite Was £229.99 NOW £199.99 Arcade Was £129.99 NOW £159.99...?!?!
Is there a new incentive that hasn't been reported? I would hate to be working in customer-facing retail right about now!
Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but this really does make them sound desperate. It's like they know that the lower priced PS3 will eat into some of their sales and cannot afford that loss.
And before anyone says to me that Sony sounded desperate, they didn't, because for months and months everyone had begged for a price cut, so it made Sony look 'caring' and 'considerate'. Noone actually begged for a price drop on the 360 (or, indeed, a price rise), furthering the sense of desperation.
Additionally, the price rise of the Arcade is blatantly to cover the cost of the price drop of the Elite. The Elite is up on Game for £229.99, the Arcade for £129.99. 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 bloody stupid.
I tend to agree. I think this is so that MS can say: 'Yeah, we have a price cut too!'
Whether they can get the better of Sony again this xmas, however, remains to be seen.
And before anyone says to me that Sony sounded desperate, they didn't, because for months and months everyone had begged for a price cut, so it made Sony look 'caring' and 'considerate'.
Sony are making a loss on each Slim they sell? That reeks of desperation.
i reckon the price on the elite is a steal. Fair play to MS, they knew Sony would drop their price on the ps3 so just waited patiently to drop theirs and nullify Sony's price drop.
it's just business, that's all.
I already have a pro and an elite so i don't need any more 360's but if anyone is thinking about getting on i really recommend you do.
mind you i've pre-ordered a ps3 slim as well. got my bases covered
Why did they bother phasing out Pro? I mean, of course it was confusing having 3 Xboxs on the market. But it baffles that they should keep the inferior model and not improve upon what you get in the box with the remaining two. Like a HDMI cable perhaps? Or even, dare I even whisper it, an extra controller?
Sorry MS, but this is a disgrace. Get rid of the Pro, make the cheap one more expensive and then saying you're taking £30 off the elite, when really you're just taking things away from the elite package. PS3 Slim for me.
Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but this really does make them sound desperate. It's like they know that the lower priced PS3 will eat into some of their sales and cannot afford that loss.
And before anyone says to me that Sony sounded desperate, they didn't, because for months and months everyone had begged for a price cut, so it made Sony look 'caring' and 'considerate'. Noone actually begged for a price drop on the 360 (or, indeed, a price rise), furthering the sense of desperation.
Additionally, the price rise of the Arcade is blatantly to cover the cost of the price drop of the Elite. The Elite is up on Game for £229.99, the Arcade for £129.99. 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 bloody stupid.
I tend to agree. I think this is so that MS can say: 'Yeah, we have a price cut too!'
Whether they can get the better of Sony again this xmas, however, remains to be seen.
i think a lot of people are missing the point - the elite has a price drop as it is the 360 that competes with the ps3 not the arcade edition. MS has to stay competitive and this is one way of doing it, not doing it would be foolhardy.
droppping the hdmi cable probably accounts for a fair chunk of the elite price drop and making more on arcades might cover the rest.
i'm hoping retailers dont stick to the rrp's and offer good deals but in my experience with consoles this doesnt tend to happen. probably one of the few industries where sellers dont offer decent discounts. i bought my sony tv for £300 less than the rrp for example through amazon.
I have both a pro (xbox, not lady of the night) and a ps3 and am desperate for a new, bigger drive for the 360 but refuce point blank to pay that much, even £60 for 120 is insulting when you can buy a drive for 1TB regularly. It has to be said that Sony, with the easily exhanchagle hard drive, did the right thing here.
Might there be a drive drop when the start the Sky thing? my 20gb is usualy full anyway and not sure how TV recording will go down.
also is the Elite still only in black. I like the white colour of the Xbox! Shame to make it black.
they've actually saved themselves some money.... like people have already said, there's no actual price cut, just a rearranging of numbers. and somehow they thing this justifies REMOVING things from both packages.
is they had any sense, they would have just dropped the arcade machine. its useless. i don't know who its for, other than maybe peripheral packaging collectors. fine, it makes absolute business sense of course, but treating your customers like idiots doesn't get you anywhere.
In one dumb move Microsoft have actually made Sony look like they know what they're doing.
Price increases will NEVER please customers, and patronizing press releases trying to tell us its a good thing just turn unhappy people into Sony customers.
Its lame they've got rid of the HDMI cable from the Elite pack. I know it was a 1.2 and not 1.3 version but to have one all the same was some bonus.
But who's gonna buy the 'tard pack when for £40 more you can get a 120gb HDD with the system? Good job I got my Elite when I did.
As for the systems themselves, I do think the PS3 represents better value overall now. The lack of Wi-Fi on the 360 I find is just plain stupid (due to the price of the adapter itself)
The ps3 has never come with anything other than standard composite leads.
It's madness to put the Arcade up by £30 and to take away the arcade games that go with it. Why is it even called the Arcade anyway?
To be honest, if you were to buy an Arcade in the first place you were obviously a bit nuts. This cements it. The elite for £50 less is pretty good, the ps3 is the better media hub, but as a games machine the xbox still wins it for me.
Gonna get me a slim though soon, now it doesn't collect finger prints.
Well if MS can effectively sell the 120GB drive for £40 in the elite bundle now, why can't I buy one for that? I would bloody well upgrade my drive for that price!
You only save £40 for not getting a HDD?!!! That's stupid! Without a HDD you can't download movies, games, demos, etc. This is one of Microsoft's stupid decisions.
I own a 360 with 120GB HD and also a Wii, and I must admit the new PS3 Slim and price cut has got me considering a purchase in time for Christmas - (PES 10 editing being my main draw really)
It's great that the Elite is now at the £200 price point but as others have said by the time you add an HDMI cable, a wireless adaptor and pay for gold memembership you've added £100 back on.
The whole Arcade version seems crazy to me but it must be selling well to justify their decision. Obviously the Arcade is competing direct with the Wii market at £160 so maybe the people who purchase this are simply not bothered about hard drive or online.
I'm a xbox 360 nut,and have no intention of getting a ps3 BUT; What planet are microsoft on?The arcade(without hard drive)now the price of the old pro.The elite 50 notes cheaper than a ps3 but without blu-ray and less reliable.Any gamers who have yet to take the HD gaming plunge are not going to,or less likely to,go the 360 route!
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Dont come on to this website with your thought out and reasonable assumptions
This place is only for Loons .
Yeah, he should've just said something like 'The PS3 Slim was designed by Paedophiles' or 'The 360 Elite batters pensioners'
What I find funnier is the fact that your comment just takes the p**s out of everyone else, yet you are still here.
Who's the bigger fool?
I beg your pardon?
I'll go to any site I wish.....my comment wasn't actually aimed at anyone in particular, yet you seem to have taken offence to it - if you don't want to feel offended by comments like that, don't set yourself up for it.
Jesus, you're an adult that's getting tetchy over a flamin' console - yet you ask me who the bigger fool is?
The decision to phase out the pro probably is a clever ploy to get more people to by an elite. As well as there are probably much higher stock levels of the arcade than the pro. You can't phase something out if theres loads of them in the market place.
Also think about it, your in the market for a 360. you could pay £160 and get an arcade model. or pay £40 extra and get an elite with a 120gbHDD and a headset. considering the RRP of the thing by itself. It'd make sense to buy an elite.
When the pound recovers i could see another 360 price cut happening. Eventually leading to the phasing out of the arcade.
Don't see the need to fight about it though. Surely price cuts on both the 360 and Ps3 are a good thing for all. great time to pick up a new games machine.
Dajmin i agree the 120gb hard drive needs a price drop but the pads are cheap enough, If you shop around you can pick them up for £20 quid. As for this price cut and rise i think microsoft have f**ked up they should have dropped the arcade and kept the pro. Its almost ironic that microsoft are so keen to promote games on demand yet they drop a console with a hard drive and replace it with the arcade which doesn't have one and then add £30 on to the price.
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Dont come on to this website with your thought out and reasonable assumptions
This place is only for Loons .
Yeah, he should've just said something like 'The PS3 Slim was designed by Paedophiles' or 'The 360 Elite batters pensioners'
What I find funnier is the fact that your comment just takes the p**s out of everyone else, yet you are still here.
Who's the bigger fool?
I beg your pardon?
I'll go to any site I wish.....my comment wasn't actually aimed at anyone in particular, yet you seem to have taken offence to it - if you don't want to feel offended by comments like that, don't set yourself up for it.
Jesus, you're an adult that's getting tetchy over a flamin' console - yet you ask me who the bigger fool is?
I didn't take offence. I just thought it was ironic that you were trying to put yourselves on a pedestal. That, in my eyes, makes you just as much a 'loon' as everybody else.
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Dont come on to this website with your thought out and reasonable assumptions
This place is only for Loons .
Yeah, he should've just said something like 'The PS3 Slim was designed by Paedophiles' or 'The 360 Elite batters pensioners'
What I find funnier is the fact that your comment just takes the p**s out of everyone else, yet you are still here.
Who's the bigger fool?
Oh and you've never posted anything like that on here have you Mark? I think everybody has - take it with the good humour with which it was obviously intended.
Wasn't there a spate of Elites selling for about £190 earlier this year/last year?
No doubt Sony are going to make up some ground with this. Anyone wanting more than a games console is rightly going to see the wifi, blu ray etc think it's worth £50. People wanting a games console will make a decision based on the gaming side of things.
I probably would've got a PS3 if the difference had been £50. No serious gamer is going to buy one without an HDD, so they've totally lost the £100 cheaper than a PS3 angle by getting rid of the Pro. If you NEED wireless, the PS3 is now cheaper.
And yeah, bring the HDD and wireless down to a decent level. Although I think the controllers are fairly priced - I've seen a lot around at £25 over the last month or two and isn't £32 ish the going rate? Isn't the DS3 the same price?
Natal is a long way away (I assume), I think the 360 will still sell well (probably not as well as the PS3 worldwide, but not enough for Sony to close the gap). But MS do need to come up with something to get some momentum going again.
I'm happy with my Elite I got a couple month back regardless of the price drop. I think its a real bad move to up the price of the s**tty version where you either have to buy a memory card or a HDD to even save your games, nevermind get the full benefits of LIVE. Oh well, I'm really considering saving up some money and getting a slim PS3 though now just for the exclusives. But my 360 will always be my main console, as all my friends who I play online with have a 360 aswell. I might even see about trading my Wii in to go towards a PS3, that thing hasnt even been plugged in for a year!
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Dont come on to this website with your thought out and reasonable assumptions
This place is only for Loons .
Yeah, he should've just said something like 'The PS3 Slim was designed by Paedophiles' or 'The 360 Elite batters pensioners'
What I find funnier is the fact that your comment just takes the p**s out of everyone else, yet you are still here.
Who's the bigger fool?
I beg your pardon?
I'll go to any site I wish.....my comment wasn't actually aimed at anyone in particular, yet you seem to have taken offence to it - if you don't want to feel offended by comments like that, don't set yourself up for it.
Jesus, you're an adult that's getting tetchy over a flamin' console - yet you ask me who the bigger fool is?
I didn't take offence. I just thought it was ironic that you were trying to put yourselves on a pedestal. That, in my eyes, makes you just as much a 'loon' as everybody else.
Oh, I don't deny it!
It's hard to post anything rational on this site at times (as StoneCold said), so it's hard not to come off as perhaps a little self-righteous when you try to add a little reason to the debate.
Still, I did blow up a little there, so I apologise...as I said earlier, I wasn't taking a swipe at anyone in particular - but, if I may, can I just pretend that it was aimed at SVD?...I'm sure most can understand that!
SVD actually thinks this is a "war" though, and he is pa-trolling the bridges of gaming news (probably in a cosplay MGS 4 solid snake suit) throwing poop at any enemy soldier who dares to breech the lines of rational though and sanity. The soldier wakes up at the crack of 2pm everyday to scour the internet for any 360 news articles so that he can infiltrate the comments sections and make the same attack day after day like a virtual suicide bomber, knowing that one day he will be with Alla and 100 untouched, boxed and virginal PS3 slims in the sky. In this war, the victor will be decided by brute repetition, and for that SVD, we salute you.
It annoys me when companies try to treat consumers like idiots. There has been a price restructuring for the 360 but not a good one and i find it insulting when companies try to feed consumers a bull*hit excuse as to the reason behind the decision that frankly leaves consumers worse off (removing things from both arcade and elite and dropping the pro).
I thought this generation was reserved for sony to make the bulk of retarded decisions but now it seems microsoft have joined the party!!!
i hate to say it but the simple fact now is (and im going by high street prices here because thats where most will be bought by joe public):
xbox elite with online play (assuming you are not going wireless)= £240
PS3 slim wireless and online play ready = £250
So essentially for £10 more you get a blu ray player.
Now if you don't have either console and considering exclusives are becoming fewer and far between, it makes it that much more difficult to justify an xbox over a ps3.
ps I know xbox live is better than ps network but at the end of the day its money and features that will do the talking and a bluray player for an extra £10 is very hard to overlook.
MS are desperate....um okay Still no blurays/wifi/free XBL....yeah, its an Xbox not a PS3
How about, "cool, now I can buy a really good Games machine even cheaper" ....No...okay.
Dont come on to this website with your thought out and reasonable assumptions
This place is only for Loons .
Yeah, he should've just said something like 'The PS3 Slim was designed by Paedophiles' or 'The 360 Elite batters pensioners'
What I find funnier is the fact that your comment just takes the p**s out of everyone else, yet you are still here.
Who's the bigger fool?
I beg your pardon?
I'll go to any site I wish.....my comment wasn't actually aimed at anyone in particular, yet you seem to have taken offence to it - if you don't want to feel offended by comments like that, don't set yourself up for it.
Jesus, you're an adult that's getting tetchy over a flamin' console - yet you ask me who the bigger fool is?
I didn't take offence. I just thought it was ironic that you were trying to put yourselves on a pedestal. That, in my eyes, makes you just as much a 'loon' as everybody else.
Oh, I don't deny it!
It's hard to post anything rational on this site at times (as StoneCold said), so it's hard not to come off as perhaps a little self-righteous when you try to add a little reason to the debate.
Still, I did blow up a little there, so I apologise...as I said earlier, I wasn't taking a swipe at anyone in particular - but, if I may, can I just pretend that it was aimed at SVD?...I'm sure most can understand that!
I know what you mean. I must come across as a complete tosser to some folk!
There are times when I do regret a post. That was probably one of them, so please ignore.
It looks like Microsoft are hoping to drop the multiple choice system when it comes to their consoles. By putting the arcade price up to £160 and the elite down to £200 surely you would just fork out the extra £40 and get the model with the HDD. It probably wont be long until the elite is the entry level and an xbox bundled with natal is the premium bundle. Only a fool would buy an arcade version now.
I'm surprised nobody understands how or why we have product price structures. This kind of thing goes on in many consumer products from electrical goods, through to cars.
In marketing, advertising and point-of-sale, Microsoft are able to show customers they can buy an Xbox FROM £xxx. Obviously listing the lowest price.
Advertising has always done this. Listing the absolute maximum you could pay for a model of car or TV, for example, wouldn't generate as much interest and could possibly impact on the amount of sales.
Clearly the production cost to Microsoft between the two Xboxes is minimal. But there's more profit for them in customers choosing the more expensive Xbox. So they have increased the cheaper product to make it less attractive to potential customers who when they consider the features, will see that the 360 Elite is the better product to purchase. The timing is a direct answer to Sony's price reduction and new model of Playstation. Microsoft have to do something seeing as their only true competitor has made changes. So next to pointlessly squashing the 360 into a smaller box, a price restructure makes perfect sense.
Talk of desperation isn't that far off the mark, as long as you consider that EVERY business is DESPERATE to make more money. But Microsoft are no more or less desperate than Sony. They're all desperate to get their hands on our money.
MS desperate! really have they started putting PC's in mental homes now?
I'm sure Bill is really worried, how about MS keeping ahead and keeping competitive, oh no that would be a well run business and we can't have that.
Well done to Sony and MS for keeping the market attractive, shame some of your consumers represent the same social awareness and intelligence as distinctly stupid amoeba (look it up thickos)
if you are thinking about getting a 360 and a wireless bridge and xbox live its with an elite console it will cost. around £270 if you shop around, oh wait the ps3 is £250,its smaller, won't break and its better.
In marketing, advertising and point-of-sale, Microsoft are able to show customers they can buy an Xbox FROM £xxx. Obviously listing the lowest price.
And how does it benefit Microsoft's marketing or the customer that the lowest entry price is now FROM ONLY £159.99, rather than £129.99?
I was thinking the exact same thing. Bonkers.....never ever ever raise the price of something, it's never ever going to be understood by joe public. It comes across as a cynical ploy and just cements the 'us and them' mentality.
Crafty so and sos. Now, people will be more likly to fork out for the 200quid elite because it will be the only console they wil be selling with a hard drive. Oh well, it is a buisness at the end of the day.
MS desperate! really have they started putting PC's in mental homes now?
I'm sure Bill is really worried, how about MS keeping ahead and keeping competitive, oh no that would be a well run business and we can't have that.
Well done to Sony and MS for keeping the market attractive, shame some of your consumers represent the same social awareness and intelligence as distinctly stupid amoeba (look it up thickos)
I give thanks to all the valid contributors
But an Amoeba proteus has no intelligence! So to presume that people have the intelligence of a Amoeba proteus is well................Stupid.
We all kinda saw this coming from MS but couldn't really belive it...and now it's official!
Am I reading it right? Have MS REALLY upped the price of the arcade to £160?! Who in the right mind would buy that now?! I guess their reasoning behind it is that they DON'T want people people to buy the arcade and pay the extra for the Elite?!?
It's a big gamble because people may just think, if i'm genna fork out a more might as well get the Wii/PS3 Slim. It could play right into their rivals hands.
It's gonna get interesting! Perversly, I think Sony, currently the weakest selling of the three, seems to now has the upped hand (It's reported that the PS3 Slim has topped the preorder list on most games retailers website, including Amazon and shopto...That's no easy feat!) and Nintendo, the best selling is now losing ground to both Xbox and PS3.
I have no doubt in my mind that the Wii's top spot is safe for this generation but it will be interesting how it all pans out and big (or small) a margin it will finish at...
that it will. I have a feeling in the end they'll be a lot of people owning all three, and why not. All three have some great games and then at the end of the day thats all that matters. back to pummeling thugs in Arkham. (GOTY anyone)
For MS to have the confidence to put their prices up in this market doesn't tell me they are stupid, tells me they have no fear of the competition at all. They must have information on the state of sony that the rest of us don't know about.
The Elite is now cheaper for any gamer who wants to get a 360.
The PS3 Slim is now cheaper for any gamer who wants to get a Playstation 3.
If you are a gamer with sufficient money and lack of fanboyism, you should be happy as the main SKU's for each console are now cheaper.
If you have a brand loyalty towards one company or the other, then it's now harder than ever to distinguish between them. If I could only choose one console then it would be a harder decision than ever before.
The PS3 now represents overall better value when it comes to hardware. But the Xbox 360 still has a better online service, and arguably better quality third-party titles, a better controller and a larger number of better exclusives. Of course those are just personal preference though.
I had a 360 since launch and it has been one of the best console experiences of my life. When it recently died out of warranty, I replaced it with a cheap Arcade with only a slight annoyance, as I have had more hours of entertainment from that box than almost any other product I've ever bought.
When the PS3 came out, I felt Sony did a poor job of pricing and marketing that thing, so although I always planned to get one, I held off until I felt that it was giving me sufficient value-for-money. With the advent of the Slim that has now happened, so I've got one preordered straightaway.
I do think that Microsoft has made an error with the Arcade pricing and removal of the Pro system, but I don't particularly care, as I don't have shares in Microsoft.
The 360 is likely to stay as my favoured console due to friendlists, controller etc. but there are some PS3 exclusives now and coming soon that I just cannot forgoe.
SVD actually thinks this is a "war" though, and he is pa-trolling the bridges of gaming news (probably in a cosplay MGS 4 solid snake suit) throwing poop at any enemy soldier who dares to breech the lines of rational though and sanity. The soldier wakes up at the crack of 2pm everyday to scour the internet for any 360 news articles so that he can infiltrate the comments sections and make the same attack day after day like a virtual suicide bomber, knowing that one day he will be with Alla and 100 untouched, boxed and virginal PS3 slims in the sky. In this war, the victor will be decided by brute repetition, and for that SVD, we salute you.
If you hadn't used the word 'poop' that would have the best and funniest comment I've ever seen on here.
The Elite is now cheaper for any gamer who wants to get a 360.
The PS3 Slim is now cheaper for any gamer who wants to get a Playstation 3.
If you are a gamer with sufficient money and lack of fanboyism, you should be happy as the main SKU's for each console are now cheaper.
If you have a brand loyalty towards one company or the other, then it's now harder than ever to distinguish between them. If I could only choose one console then it would be a harder decision than ever before.
The PS3 now represents overall better value when it comes to hardware. But the Xbox 360 still has a better online service, and arguably better quality third-party titles, a better controller and a larger number of better exclusives. Of course those are just personal preference though.
I had a 360 since launch and it has been one of the best console experiences of my life. When it recently died out of warranty, I replaced it with a cheap Arcade with only a slight annoyance, as I have had more hours of entertainment from that box than almost any other product I've ever bought.
When the PS3 came out, I felt Sony did a poor job of pricing and marketing that thing, so although I always planned to get one, I held off until I felt that it was giving me sufficient value-for-money. With the advent of the Slim that has now happened, so I've got one preordered straightaway.
I do think that Microsoft has made an error with the Arcade pricing and removal of the Pro system, but I don't particularly care, as I don't have shares in Microsoft.
The 360 is likely to stay as my favoured console due to friendlists, controller etc. but there are some PS3 exclusives now and coming soon that I just cannot forgoe.
Did you intentionally overlook the part where I said that was personal preference?
As far as I can see it's almost inarguable that the 360 has a better online service.
Most people as far as I know prefer the 360's controller to the SixAxis
Many comparisons have shown third-party games running worse on PS3 (Orange Box probably being the standout example), and although there are of course third-party games that run worse on 360 these appear to be of a lesser quantity.
There have also been far more timed-exclusives on 360, and of course the online service is again usually superior.
As for exclusives it simply comes down to whether you prefer LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 1&2, Wipeout, Demon's Souls, Ratchet & Clank Future, WarHawk, Flower, Resistance 1&2, Super Stardust HD, Shatter, Gran Turismo HD Prolouge, MotorStorm 1&2, PixelJunk Monsters & Eden, Everyday Shooter, Fat Princess, Singstar, Buzz, Heavenly Sword and inFamous OR Gears of War 1&2, Halo 3, Mass Effect 1&2, Left 4 Dead 1&2, Geometry Wars 1&2, Halo Wars, Test Drive Unlimited, Viva Pinata, Dead Rising, Shadow Complex, GTA4 DLC, 'Splosion Man PGR3&4, Fable II and Forza 2&3 for example.
As I said, I have no bias towards a particular brand or company, but why shouldn't I have a personal preference based on experience and educated research? I'll be playing all the best games of this generation, whilst fanboys look longingly at their rival console of choice.
Did you intentionally overlook the part where I said that was personal preference?
As far as I can see it's almost inarguable that the 360 has a better online service. Most people as far as I know prefer the 360's controller to the SixAxis Many comparisons have shown third-party games running worse on PS3 (Orange Box probably being the standout example), and although there are of course third-party games that run worse on 360 these appear to be of a lesser quantity. There have also been far more timed-exclusives on 360, and of course the online service is again usually superior. As for exclusives it simply comes down to whether you prefer LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 1&2, inFamous or Gears of War 1&2, Halo 3, Mass Effect 1&2, Left 4 Dead 1&2, Forza 3 for example.
That was 2007. Mote multiplatform games look identical now.
ME1 and 2 probably go to PS3 in the future, read Bioware article.
Then again so do all the 360 fanboys over here. The only difference is, there are a lot more 360 fanboys here than ps3 ones. A LOT more. All the 360 fanboys huddling together and pointing at the few ps3 ones and agreeing with each other how bad the ps3 ones are is just the same damn thing, only less loud. And i have both systems. But i don't do the "kick sony when they are down" routine but do think sony's pricing sucked. But i also do not glorify/forget the last few MS years. It didnt always have this amount of software, the first year sucked just as hard. Both have strenghts and weaknesses. 360 is a better 3rd party consoles and ps3 does better exclusives (I hate Halo).
on the day the 360 got released a mate and i waited for the shop to open to bag our pre-orders (yeah i know it's sad) and then rushed in as the doors opened. anyway, because i wasn't prepared to look like some deranged speed walker i was about 5th or 6th in the queue. in front of me was some kid around 10 years old and his Dad. His Dad asked him what he wanted, anything at all, he could have it. The kid asked for the arcade version or whatever it was called then. his Dad asked him whether he wanted the premium instead but the kid was adamant he wanted the sh!t version. then he ordered an extra WIRED controller and a couple of the crappiest games available. my mate and i were cracking up at this. i seriously nearly pulled the Dad to one side to tell him his son was a f^cking idiot, but thought that he'll learn from it somewhere down the line.
Well you know, it takes all sorts and the public on the whole sure are stupid. I bet that kid does the walk of shame every day now there will still be loads of people buying the arcade version. the mind boggles.
any chance then that they'll sell the 120gb drive for £40 ?
i think the 360's great and will keep mine, however I'd now be easily tempted to buy a ps3 slim if only there were any exclusives for it with an edge review 8 or above apart from LBP... one day maybe...
That was 2007. Mote multiplatform games look identical now.
That may be true, but those pre-2008 games are still being sold and played, so it's a factor.
Xbox 360's that are being manufactured and sold now may not have the production issues that they once had, but that doesn't stop it being an issue does it?
In marketing, advertising and point-of-sale, Microsoft are able to show customers they can buy an Xbox FROM £xxx. Obviously listing the lowest price.
And how does it benefit Microsoft's marketing or the customer that the lowest entry price is now FROM ONLY £159.99, rather than £129.99?
Of course, that's a good point. Clearly Microsoft have thought about this and come up with that old chesnut "the economy" has caused the price increase on the basic model. This clearly makes no sense when the Elite has come down in price. I can only hazard a guess that they were selling more of the entry level 360 compared to the Elite and feel a smaller difference in price will mean more people opt to spend a little more for the Elite model. Plus, those that are still going to buy the basic one will be a little more profitable for Microsoft now. Clearly it's always a tough sell explaining a price increase, but they have the Elite's price reduction to off-set the bad news, rather convienently. Either way, what the price changes are an attempt to sell more 360 and/or make more money with the current forecast of sales.
Seems strange why they dropped the Pro but still sell the bottom-of-the-range Arcade which comes with no hard-disk and no games now either. To be honest I'm real tired of the trend that has appeared in this generation of consoles(except Wii)to sell different versions of the same console in various different configurations at seperate prices. If you want to buy accessories for it or upgrade the memory fine, because accesories have been going from day one and you simply buy the stuff YOU want, but as for the machine itself there should only be one version, and one price, and you either buy it or not.
Buying the Elite, a wireless adapter to use wireless internet and Xbox live is still more expensive than a PS3. I appreciate that not everyone needs these things, but I do, so PS3 slim is better value for me.
The Elite only had the extra HDD over the Premium.Now they have simply upgraded the Premium HDD to 120Gb while keeping the price and eliminated the Premium ....although they seemingly have done just the opposite.The Arcade price has risen,though.
With Wifi ,Blu Ray ,free online ,free Vidzone etc the PS3 is a better value for money.
Then again so do all the 360 fanboys over here. The only difference is, there are a lot more 360 fanboys here than ps3 ones. A LOT more.
Quoted For Truth.
The decision to phase out the pro probably is a clever ploy to get more people to by an elite.
Clever for you maybe...
If they binned all the other HDD sizes except 120GB, they'd probably save money in the long run too.
I'd agree but not long term, only in the mid-term < 1yr - 1.5 yrs. After that, Microsoft & the X360 could be screwed because they have no solution for HDDs > 120GB which are now the bare minimum for consumers. Amazon prices 2.5" 500GB+ HDDs at £62 and 120GB at £34. Anything smaller costs almost as much as a 120GB drive (e.g. 60GB = £27). Microsoft's 60GB strategy = epic fail.
Raising the price of the Arcade takes the p**s...
The Arcade X360 should be obsolete by now. The lack of a HDD has always been a problem for Microsoft. In 1yr - 1.5yrs, the PS3's HDD standard will be 250GB. The X360 would be even worse value on every newspaper ad.
We feel that we're not even at the halfway point (of the Xbox 360's life cycle). That is something we believe in strongly. People have invested in these consoles, and we have massively connected communities and we have storage. I think what we did with the New Xbox Experience is a sign of what we want to do with the console.
The only added value Microsoft could then offer is to include Natal with every new system. As Sony has a motion controller coming out early next year as well, we'll have to see how those are bundled / priced. Sony's motion controller will dent Microsoft's bigger strategy. Sony won't make the same song & dance about motion control as Microsoft, but it'll be enough to sidetrack new console punters. Natal will fail to revitalise the X360 in 2010, then what? Are we now seeing the end of the XBox 360?
on the day the 360 got released a mate and i waited for the shop to open to bag our pre-orders (yeah i know it's sad) and then rushed in as the doors opened. anyway, because i wasn't prepared to look like some deranged speed walker i was about 5th or 6th in the queue. in front of me was some kid around 10 years old and his Dad. His Dad asked him what he wanted, anything at all, he could have it. The kid asked for the arcade version or whatever it was called then. his Dad asked him whether he wanted the premium instead but the kid was adamant he wanted the sh!t version. then he ordered an extra WIRED controller and a couple of the crappiest games available. my mate and i were cracking up at this. i seriously nearly pulled the Dad to one side to tell him his son was a f^cking idiot, but thought that he'll learn from it somewhere down the line.
Well you know, it takes all sorts and the public on the whole sure are stupid. I bet that kid does the walk of shame every day now there will still be loads of people buying the arcade version. the mind boggles.
I'm not sure I believe that. If my memory serves me correctly there was only one type of 360 on launch.
on the day the 360 got released a mate and i waited for the shop to open to bag our pre-orders (yeah i know it's sad) and then rushed in as the doors opened. anyway, because i wasn't prepared to look like some deranged speed walker i was about 5th or 6th in the queue. in front of me was some kid around 10 years old and his Dad. His Dad asked him what he wanted, anything at all, he could have it. The kid asked for the arcade version or whatever it was called then. his Dad asked him whether he wanted the premium instead but the kid was adamant he wanted the sh!t version. then he ordered an extra WIRED controller and a couple of the crappiest games available. my mate and i were cracking up at this. i seriously nearly pulled the Dad to one side to tell him his son was a f^cking idiot, but thought that he'll learn from it somewhere down the line.
Well you know, it takes all sorts and the public on the whole sure are stupid. I bet that kid does the walk of shame every day now there will still be loads of people buying the arcade version. the mind boggles.
I'm not sure I believe that. If my memory serves me correctly there was only one type of 360 on launch.
When someone says 'I swear this story is true but...' they are usually lying BUT there WERE 2 360s at launch...The XBOX 360 and the XBOX 360 CORE. The core was the cheaper one with composite cables etc...
The Arcade X360 should be obsolete by now. The lack of a HDD has always been a problem for Microsoft.
I agree. If they were going to scrap any version, it should have been the Arcade, and the 60 gig should have been the entry level version.
But instead, they raised the darn price of the thing instead, and scrapped a FAR more useful version *boggle* I sometimes wonder what goes on behind closed doors at Microsoft, like who is making these terrible decisions.
Nevertheless, it's done now. It's not gonna stop pig headed folk in either camp from believing their chosen messiah, err, console, sorry, is the greatest.
CVG REACTED TO THE TRUTH IN THE EXACT SAME WAY THE GAMER IN THIS ARTICAL REACTS AFTER THEY RED IT
ISNT IT IRONIC CVG STAFF REACTED LIKE IDIOTS TO A ARTICAL ABOUT THOSE GAMING IDIOTS
THE ARTICAL GOES ON ABOUT HOW A HARD CORE GAMER (COUGH) REACTS TO WII IN A BOOK SHOP BURNING ALL THE COOKERY BOOKS AND EXERCISE BOOKS AND PROTECTING THE SCI FI SECTION ETC
AND BEING PUT IN A STRATE JACKET AND THE WII TRUTH BEING EXPLAINED TO HIM
I PROVIDE A LINK TO THE ARTICAL THE REACTION OF THE CVG STAFF WAS TO REACT IN THE SAME WAY THE GAMER DOES IN THE ARTICAL ITS SELF
LIKE BLIND f**kING FAN CHILDREN
DOESNT THAT IN ITS SELF PROVE CUBEBOY RIGHT PROVE THE ARTICLE RIGHT AND PROVE NINTENDO RIGHT
AND PROVE CVGAS COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE GAMING TRUTH
http://malstrom.50webs.com/newworld2.htm THE TRUTH THAT INFURIATES THE IDIOTS OF THIS WORLD INCLUDING CVG STAFF
http://malstrom.50webs.com/washinghardcore2.htm THE TRUTH
So I take it your not very happy with C&VG then? You know you could just stop coming to there site or take anger management lessons.
The Arcade X360 should be obsolete by now. The lack of a HDD has always been a problem for Microsoft.
I agree. If they were going to scrap any version, it should have been the Arcade, and the 60 gig should have been the entry level version.
But instead, they raised the darn price of the thing instead, and scrapped a FAR more useful version *boggle* I sometimes wonder what goes on behind closed doors at Microsoft, like who is making these terrible decisions.
Nevertheless, it's done now. It's not gonna stop pig headed folk in either camp from believing their chosen messiah, err, console, sorry, is the greatest.
I agree as well, that they should have just scrapped the Arcade. I do have an inkling that they will next year when Natal launches and they release an SKU with Natal bundled in. Although I reckon they'll continue with their stupidity and not include a HDD.
CVG REACTED TO THE TRUTH IN THE EXACT SAME WAY THE GAMER IN THIS ARTICAL REACTS AFTER THEY RED IT
ISNT IT IRONIC CVG STAFF REACTED LIKE IDIOTS TO A ARTICAL ABOUT THOSE GAMING IDIOTS
THE ARTICAL GOES ON ABOUT HOW A HARD CORE GAMER (COUGH) REACTS TO WII IN A BOOK SHOP BURNING ALL THE COOKERY BOOKS AND EXERCISE BOOKS AND PROTECTING THE SCI FI SECTION ETC
AND BEING PUT IN A STRATE JACKET AND THE WII TRUTH BEING EXPLAINED TO HIM
I PROVIDE A LINK TO THE ARTICAL THE REACTION OF THE CVG STAFF WAS TO REACT IN THE SAME WAY THE GAMER DOES IN THE ARTICAL ITS SELF
LIKE BLIND f**kING FAN CHILDREN
DOESNT THAT IN ITS SELF PROVE CUBEBOY RIGHT PROVE THE ARTICLE RIGHT AND PROVE NINTENDO RIGHT
AND PROVE CVGAS COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE GAMING TRUTH
http://malstrom.50webs.com/newworld2.htm THE TRUTH THAT INFURIATES THE IDIOTS OF THIS WORLD INCLUDING CVG STAFF
http://malstrom.50webs.com/washinghardcore2.htm THE TRUTH
Oh my God....it's all a huge conspiracy against Wiiboy - tell the newspapers, let's expose CVG for what they are!
apparently game are selling the elite with gta4 and cod4 for £200 which seems like a good deal when on their site you can buy the ps3 slim with zero games for £250. the same ps3 slim deal as the elite would cost about £315 if bought separately.
Are you sure about that. I always thought the PS3 was like the aire to some vast fortune left to it by its ageing father.He then squandered it on cheap whores and expensive wine. Its a shame he was a clever boy but never lived up to his potential.
the 360 on the other hand is more like a solid workhorse, with arthritus. It'll see you right and does its job to the best of it's abilities, it'll see you right and be a good and loyal companion. But your always uncertain as to when its going to have to go to the nackers yard.
The 120Gb hard drive could use a £50 drop, the pads could easily come down a tenner or so.
I agree with you on the pad prices, but you can find the 120gb HD at a very low price. I got mine for £60 several months ago.
I'd like to be able to use a standard external drive via one of the USB slots, rather than fork out over the odds for an official MS one. Speaking of which, it's all very well being able to connect one to watch stuff, but I don't use FAT32. I use NTFS. Why is that not supported? I've kept my USB sticks as FAT32 solely so I can drop video files onto them to watch on my 360.
The other peripherals are extortionate too. The webcam, for instance, is a rip-off. I can buy the same quality camera for my PC for less than half the price. Thankfully, I managed to get it with that crappy You're in the Movies game for £15. Half-price camera along with a game my sister plays. I just scan in pinata with it
its a marketing ploy and in my opinion a bit stupid, increase the lowest priced unit by 30 quid and drop the expensive unit by 30 quid, its ridiculous! they have shot themselves in the foot, its promoting spending not saving people will surely see through this and shop elsewhere
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. Welcome to the debate 
Shame that everybody i know has a 360 
