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Microsoft has officially dropped the price of Xbox 360 in America, with good, if expected, savings to be made across all SKUs as of tomorrow.
The new prices:
- Xbox 360 Arcade – $199
- Xbox 360 – $299
- Xbox 360 Elite – $399
“We are thrilled to be the first next-generation console on the market to reach $199, a price that invites everyone to enjoy Xbox 360,” said Xbox boss Don Mattrick.
“Xbox 360 delivers amazing performance at an extraordinary value with the leading online service and best line-up of games, downloadable movies and TV shows available from a console.
“The majority of consumers make the decision to buy consoles once the price falls to this mark, making this an important milestone for consumers and the industry.”
Press release after the break.
Newsflash:
Xbox 360 Invites Everyone to Play
Published September 3, 2008
Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies from Netflix, live out their musical fantasies through Rock Band 2 and Lips, star in their own Hollywood classics with You’re in the Movies, or have the power to never miss the latest episode of Heroes—all from one device, starting at $199.*
Xbox 360 is the most affordable next-generation console
on the market, offering something for everyone.
That device is Xbox 360®, and today Microsoft announced lower retail prices for the gaming and entertainment console in the United States, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE® service. Beginning September 5, Xbox 360 Arcade retails for the estimated price of $199.99, the Xbox 360 console for $299.99, and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99.
Industry Milestone
“We are thrilled to be the first next-generation console on the market to reach $199, a price that invites everyone to enjoy Xbox 360,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 delivers amazing performance at an extraordinary value with the leading online service and best lineup of games, downloadable movies and TV shows available from a console. The majority of consumers make the decision to buy consoles once the price falls to this mark, making this an important milestone for consumers and the industry.”
No matter what kind of game makes your heart
race, Xbox 360 has something for everyone.
History shows that more than 75 percent of all console sales happen after the price falls below the $200 mark. For millions of consumers who have been waiting for the perfect time to buy an Xbox 360 console, their moment has finally arrived. At $199, Xbox 360 is the most affordable next-generation console on the market, offering something for everyone with the most dynamic, interactive entertainment experiences available.
Digital Entertainment Powerhouse
Xbox 360 Arcade plus a 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership and a Netflix subscription costs $100 less than 12 months of digital cable. Xbox 360 invites everyone into a limitless world where the best games, movies and TV shows can be enjoyed live side-by-side with your personal pictures and music library.
No matter what kind of game makes your heart race, Xbox 360 has something for everyone. Music lovers can play new games such as Lips, the only singing game that offers wireless motion-sensitive microphones and the ability to sing along to your own music collection.**
If you’re ready to rock and roll, Guitar Hero® World Tour and Rock Band 2 let you virtually step into the shoes of your favorite bands. Enjoy family-friendly games such as the big-screen movie-maker You’re in the Movies and blockbusters such as Gears of War® 2, the biggest entertainment event of this holiday season. With Xbox LIVE Arcade, downloadable games are available that the entire family can enjoy—titles such as Braid, Castle Crashers, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, PAC-MAN Championship Edition, and UNO®.***
Hi-Def Movies and TV Shows
Whether you want access to streaming movies and TV shows or a library of high-definition content, it’s on Xbox 360. Starting this fall, Xbox 360 is the only game console to offer instant streaming of more than 12,000 feature films and television shows from Netflix.****
In addition, the Xbox LIVE Video store has more than twice as many hours of high-definition (HD) movies and TV shows than the nearest competitor.***** Download your favorite TV shows such as 30 Rock, The Office, and House, or even get a little old school with episodes of The A-Team. If it’s movies you want, check out the latest blockbusters and the best in family films, cult classics, horror and much more, all available through Xbox LIVE and Xbox 360.
Viewing 15 responses
Blerk said:
Didn’t see that one co… oh wait, everyone did.
patlike said:
Just need the Euro drop now, and everyone will be happy.
DrDamn said:
What were the previous prices? I don’t think Sony can do much with their price at all can they? They tend to be very set with how they drop there prices, not reacting to competition but dropping when they planned to drop.
Blerk said:
Previously they were $279, $349 and $449, iirc. The biggest drop is for the arcade, which kinda makes the Elite look pretty poor value – an HDMI cable and a 120gb HDD for $200? Bargain!
patlike said:
Yep, those previous prices are right. They’re going to have a very good Christmas.
Blerk said:
I’ll be interested to see just how well they actually do. There is a chance that everyone who wanted Gears of War has already bought an Xbox, so can the other new games manage to shift the machines to new users? I dunno. Guess we’ll see.
patlike said:
I think now they’ve hit $199 there’ll be a swathe of people in the US that will just go “no-brainer” when it comes to Christmas, and I think those same people will have been put off “next gen” by price up to this point.
The question for me is what happens in Europe. My gut feeling is “not much,” even if they do make a proper drop.
DrDamn said:
If you look at the new US prices for the Premium and Arcade they are exactly the same as UK prices when you factor in current exchange rates and VAT. If they do something in the UK I would expect it to only affect the Arcade pack.
Blerk said:
The difference between here and the US is that the 360 isn’t being having its arse kicked by the PS3 like it is in much of continental Europe. I still think we’ll get another price cut in Europe before Christmas.
patlike said:
I agree with Blerk. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t get a Europe-wide cut this year, and a proper one.
bxsentinel said:
okay so we got the price reduction everyone knew was coming. Now; where are the xbox 360’s with the Jasper mother boards already?
patlike said:
Ah, you’d have to ask Psychotext that. He’s read all the books
Blerk said:
Last time I asked he seemed to think August, which could mean they’re already in the wild. But I’ve not heard anything.
Psychotext said:
I still reckon the best you’ll see in Europe is bundling with games. Price cuts wont help here anyway… they need to advertise the bollocks of it.
Blerk said:
I was reading an IGN article today called something like ‘ten things they could do to get the 360 selling more’ and one of the things they said there was that there’s absolutely no advertising for the machine AT ALL in the US at the minute, aside from those ’slightly sponsored’ third-party game ads which flash up the 360 logo at the end.
Quite why they’re suddenly on advertising shut-down, I have no idea. A jumbo media campaign for Christmas would seem like a no-brainer, though.