Xbox 360 games drop in price, no biggie [update 1]
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ May 30th 2006 at 2:25PM }
The first round of 3rd party Xbox 360 game price cuts is upon us! $39.99 will now bag you a copy of Burnout: Revenge, Amped, Madden NFL 06, NBA 2K6, NBA Live 06, NHL 2K6, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 or King Kong. The price cut is now in effect at major online retailers and is expected to hit brick and mortar retail stores soon. 3rd party games that are still at $59.99 include: Quake 4, Call of Duty 2, Gun, Need for Speed Most Wanted and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.Now, before you rush to call your broker with the intent to sell all your MSFT stock (or, more likely, proclaim in the comments thread of this article that this is a sign that the Xbox 360 is going under), hold on a second and take a breath. Cutting prices after a game has been around for a while is not a new thing. Some of these games have been available for up to 6 months: as Michael Pachter puts it "games are always discounted as they age, and last week's reduction of prices on select Xbox 360 games is part of this normal aging process." Going forward, he expects Xbox 360 games to settle into a system where we see the "first price cuts to $49.99 two or three months after release, and with $10 incremental cuts every 60 days thereafter." Just don't forget your change.
[Update: don't call your broker or your accountant. Well, you can if you haven't said hi in a while! Thanks youzer.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
chris @ May 30th 2006 2:31PM
So after a year or so, he expects the games will be given away for free at all retail outlets?
LunarDuality @ May 30th 2006 2:31PM
Funny how some of the games that got the worst reviews (Quake 4, Tony Hawk: AW, Gun) for the 360 are the ones holding out at $60. I mean, even CoD2 got a price cut for the Game of the Year edition, didn't it?
Kylie @ May 30th 2006 2:32PM
Hey this is a good week for 360!
And strong sales in Japan:
http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten.htm
1400 units this week (PS2 at over 20,000).
Markster @ May 30th 2006 2:40PM
"first price cuts to $49.99 two or three months after release, and with $10 incremental cuts every 60 days thereafter."
Sweet! I'm buying all my games when they're 360 days old!
Math note: $60 - ($10 * 360/60) = $0
Pedro @ May 30th 2006 2:47PM
They shoulld have sold at that price from the begining. They are just current gen ports. Joystig always kissing MS ass.
youzer @ May 30th 2006 2:47PM
Don't tell my accountant to sell my shares of Microsoft? Don't worry... that stuff is handled by my broker.
Andir @ May 30th 2006 2:54PM
So there's a disclaimer paragraph trying to provide a reason why someone would lower the price of a game (asking people to not freak out and sell their MSFT stock), but Joystiq can't yet find a reason to package a thousand dollars worth of equipment in a plastic case and sell it for $500? Trying to be biased my ass. You guys are MS and Nintendo bitches. Admit it and let's get over that fact.
The ZeroCorpse @ May 30th 2006 2:57PM
Now, you all know that the limit is $19.99 for "Platinum Hits."
Of course, the first Platinum Hits should be hitting shelves at about the same time that Sony wants you to spend $600 + $60 for a PS3 + a game.
Belcho @ May 30th 2006 2:57PM
Circuit City is selling Burnout for $29.99 and some others for that price too.
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catOid/-15584/N/20012841+20013223+20015584/link/ref/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do
Cabbage @ May 30th 2006 3:07PM
Andir: It isn't that the equipment packaged in the Playstation 3 isn't worth $1000. It's that in the end the gaming experience on the 360 will be very, very similar to the gaming experience on the Playstation 3, but the PS3 cost $100-$300 more, comes out a year later, and will have far less games come November than the Xbox 360.
Based on every other site or survey I have seen, most hardcore gamers feel that $599 (or even $499) is far too much to spend on a console. This isn't a "bias" thing (at least not on Joystiq's part).
Nathan Ziarek @ May 30th 2006 3:23PM
Andir,
My guess isn't the Joystiq can't imagine how a game console could cost $500 - that's the east part. Just because the PS3 packs a thousand (or ten thousand, for that matter) dollars worth of tech into the box doesn't make $500 (and more realistically $600+) a lot of money for a video game machine. If I do not care about Blu-Ray movies and the first three or four years of games fit on a regular DVD-9 (just speculating, no facts on that), then what is that extra cost to me other than more money out of my wallet?
On topic, I think it is a pretty good move. I don't own an XBox 360 yet, but when I do, it'll be nice to have some affordable games to walk away with. Cost-wise, the studios have probably either made back their investment or written the project off as a failure. With a price drop they may lure some new customers in...
LunarDuality @ May 30th 2006 3:28PM
Why is it that Joystiq can do something as innocuous as announcing a price drop on 360 games (which should always be a good thing for gamers) without getting ripped a new one for being "MS and Nintendo bitches"?
We all know there are things wrong (and right) about each console offering, so why do people hate it so much when the weaknesses of their platforms are pointed out? Is it good for gamers to have a $599 price tag for the PS3 or for the 360 to lack background downloading for so long (or any of the other 360 annoyances listed on this site)? No. It isn't. That's why we complain as gamers...and our collective voice should (hopefully) drive the companies to do better for *all of us*!
My deux centimes.
Gamer Jay @ May 30th 2006 3:30PM
If $40 is still a bit steep for some of you, then check out Fry's (if there's one in your area). They have Madden 2006 (360) for only $25, Burnout Revenge for $28, and FIFA 06 for $30. Cheap prices for Xbox 360 games.
Alex @ May 30th 2006 3:33PM
hey activision, get with the program already. when i left my gamestop job last month we still had a hojillion copies of gun and tony hawk for 360 that we could not give away.
Epic @ May 30th 2006 3:34PM
The story itself doesn't suggest any bias on Joystiq's part. It's the paragraph of apologia that follows. Was it really necessary to include a desperate sounding "don't take this the wrong way!" paragraph in this entry? It smacks of the type of insecurity that you find in console fanboys.
KilgoreTrout XL @ May 30th 2006 3:37PM
Good time to pick up Tiger Woods 2006 (seriously) if you have a HDTV. Fun game, great controls, more challenge than previous verisons, and staggeringly beautiful looking courses.
There just probably aren't enough of them to really justify $60. But the gameplay is solid, and you can sit back and enjoy the view. I'm pretty damned happy with the game.
Strangely, it feels good to like a game that everyone seems to hate.
Miharu @ May 30th 2006 3:38PM
No price cuts in Europe I presume. 70 € for a game as usual (~90 dollars).
Andir @ May 30th 2006 3:50PM
"very similar to the gaming experience on the Playstation 3"
Everyone seems to be blaming Sony on this part. I blame the developers. They always take the easy way out. The reason they are similar is the fact the development team will produce a game for the minimal system specs they can get away with and port it to the other system. They lack originality and drive.
The problem I have with the gaming market is just this. I have done allot of research and come to the conclusion that the PS3 is definitely ahead of the race in capability. The sad part is that most companies will take the source code from the XBox game and recompile it for the PS3. This is where the idea that the systems are the same comes from. Yes, they are the same code and the same game, but if the developers took that extra day or two to add content that the next system can handle or think of a way to adaptively add content based on system specs the difference between systems will be services (like XBL and the Sony online service).
So the question you have to ask is why would I want two systems that perform the same if they both play the same games? Sony sees this and responded. The Playstation goes above gaming. It takes what the XBox360 can do and does one better. It adds a "Next-Gen" drive (that could be used for gaming content if the developers decide to get off their stump and create it), an operating system that has limitless possibilities, media content, and all kinds of things to take the consoles to the next step.
If anything, I congratulate Sony for taking the bold move to innovate.
SuicideNinja @ May 30th 2006 3:59PM
To add to the responses to Andir's comment:
There may be supposedly a $1000 worth of stuff in the PS3, but what if we don't need/want it? Does all of it have to do with gaming?
Personally, I don't care about Bluray or HD-DVD whatsoever. Wireless is silly when I have a more-reliable wired setup. Therefore, I don't want to pay for those features.
Sure...I could get the $499 model. But missing something that can't be added on later (HDMI)...it kind of ruins it.
Guillermo @ May 30th 2006 4:13PM
Andir
What about the titles that are being developed "exclusively" for the PS3? Those games right now are looking on par to Xbox 360 titles. What are the excuses them for this titles?
TxdoHawk @ May 30th 2006 4:15PM
This is good news. I don't know why, but my local EB's/Gamestops have a ton of used 360 games (both good and bad titles), so this means that those will drop in price too.
I'm hoping to hop onto the 360 bandwagon sometime next month, so anything that nets me a lower total price is all aces in my book.
Guillermo @ May 30th 2006 4:19PM
Correction
"those titles". Some are even been developed by Sony themselves. If Sony can not show better than Xbox 360 graphics, what can you expect from third party developers.
Guillermo @ May 30th 2006 4:27PM
Correction
"What are the excuses then about those titles?"
Some are even been developed by Sony themselves. If Sony can not show better than Xbox 360 graphics, what can you expect from third party developers.
cringer8 @ May 30th 2006 4:46PM
Whenever $money$ is mentioned, this "PS3 price point" topic surfaces. It's been covered, guys. Go check the previous posts on the subject where all of these points (and some better ones) have been made.
As for the drop in 360 game prices, that's the best news I've heard all day. Keep 'em dropping, MS.
RazorElite @ May 30th 2006 5:10PM
I always got my 360 games for under $40 on eBay anyway, so no biggie. As for the whole PS3 thing, well what hasn't been said already? Hundreds more dollars for a system and games on par with 360, what's the point.
embassy @ May 30th 2006 6:11PM
andir..
lol@ u saying devs should take an extra " day or 2 " to add new content...ignorance is bliss isnt it...
adn for everyone claiming joysitq is pro MS and pro nintendo...
go back and look at joytiqs xbox 360 annoyances # 1 - 579358fht
also check out joystiqs previews of Madden Wii and Red Steel along with a few others..
but yeh your right...they're totally MS bitches...
Ben @ May 30th 2006 6:14PM
Andir:
"I have done allot of research and come to the conclusion that the PS3 is definitely ahead of the race in capability." - Really? I would love to see this "research". Did it involve getting ahold of a PS3 development kit and analyzing it and talking to Sony programmers or was it more like you heard somewhere that the PS3 was more powerful?
"The sad part is that most companies will take the source code from the XBox game and recompile it for the PS3." - I had no idea that game companies basically just take the source code and recompile it in five minutes. I thought that Xbox 360 and the PS3 were vastly different machines that required a little bit of effort to develop for.
"Yes, they are the same code and the same game, but if the developers took that extra day or two to add content that the next system can handle or think of a way to adaptively add content based on system specs the difference between systems will be services (like XBL and the Sony online service)." - Number one, if it only took an extra day or two to completely add new features that make the game vastly different on different systems, don't you think game companies would do it? It's not like they are going to spend a year working on a game and then say, damn, if only we had spent another day working we could have doubled the textures and made this game so much better. Number two, Sony doesn't even have a real online service yet, so it's kind of hard to assume it will be some groundbreaking achievement with nothing in common with Xbox LIVE, especially seeing as how Xbox LIVE has been pretty sucessful thus far and Sony's announced online features are identical to those of Xbox LIVE.
"So the question you have to ask is why would I want two systems that perform the same if they both play the same games?" - I never asked myself this question because it's stupid. I don't want two systems and I never have. But if I did, I think I might choose the one that only costs half as much, seeing as how you just said they both play the same games.
"The Playstation goes above gaming. It takes what the XBox360 can do and does one better. It adds a "Next-Gen" drive (that could be used for gaming content if the developers decide to get off their stump and create it), an operating system that has limitless possibilities, media content, and all kinds of things to take the consoles to the next step." - The Xbox 360 has an HD-DVD drive coming out. While as far as we know, it can't be used for games, like you pointed out yourself, the PS3's Blu-Ray drive isn't always going to be used for games either. The Xbox 360 also has an upgradable dashboard. This would seem to imply that it has limitless possibilities too. I feel kind of stupid pointing this out, but the Xbox 360 also has media content. And what are these "all kinds of things to take consoles to the next step"? The controller with motion sensing they stole from Nintendo?
"If anything, I congratulate Sony for taking the bold move to innovate." - And I congratulate you for making the bold decision that innovation is bold. Here I was convinced that innovation was completely ridiculous and that no other company had thought to even make an attempt.
xenikos @ May 30th 2006 6:55PM
"Of course, the first Platinum Hits should be hitting shelves at about the same time that Sony wants you to spend $600 + $60 for a PS3 + a game."
Yawn. Don't buy it if you don't want it/can't afford it. Whining about price is really boring, though.
One argument people keep making - that games won't utilize PS3's power. Well that is somewhat true for multi-platform games. But for PS3 exclusives....Metal Gear 4 is already doing things with audio and whatnot that couldn't be done on any other system, and that's right at the start of the platform's (long) life cycle. That same long staying power, by the way, makes the PS3 effectively cheap over time.
Belcho @ May 30th 2006 7:17PM
Not innovative = Using the same played out controller design for the past 10 years.
That dual-shock/shake controller design sucks with or without motion sensing capabilities.
Granted that controller was very cool 10 years ago, but it's just not cutting it anymore. When you take your controller and just decide to slap a couple of analog sticks on it where ever there's room, disregarding ergonamics and comfort, you can't call yourself 'the most advanced system out there' no matter what kind of processing power you can get out of your machine. Don't get me wrong, the boomerang would have sucked way more, but how about something new.
Whether you like the system or not the 360 controller is the most thought out and comfortable controller available.
Andir @ May 30th 2006 9:48PM
For all of you pointing to the Blu-Ray drive. I have one game that's still in Beta on the hard drive of my PC right now that's upwards of 20GB and there was serious thought of possible console ports (Ok, so it's 18, but the game isn't near finished, thus the Beta part of it). If you think games are going to remain in the 4-9GB range for long, your only kidding yourself. Keeping with the DVD format is Microsoft repeating the whole "640K should be enough for everyone" all over again.
For those pointing out my poor choice in the "a day or two" comment. Get off your high horse and read past the literal. Please. Your worse than those pointing out a single mispelling in a 14 page document. So I have a section of my brain that thinks up bad analogies(whatever), get over it. Yes, I know it takes longer than that. The idea is that we consumers cry up a storm if something is a day late (anyone remember 9-9-99 ?) so taking any extra time to adapt the games to other consoles is out of the question for the most part.
"I had no idea that game companies basically just take the source code and recompile it in five minutes." -- They do, I know people that work for game companies (like Shiny) who have done just this. If it works, they do it. If not, they go back in and update it just enough to get it to run.
"Really? ..."research". ...PS3 development kit...like you heard somewhere that the PS3 was more powerful?" -- No, but it did involve me reading through pages and pages of dry papers on Cell technology and realizing that the technology is sound. We have yet to see what Sony is doing with it. If you claim that E3 was their only chance, you are just like the rest of the media whoring world who would believe anything posted on the net and make first impressions on an unfinished product. On that note, you must only compare games based on the video. For that I feel deeply sorry for you missing out on some really great content games.
Also, PS3 didn't steal the controller from the Wii. If I recall correctly, motion sensing has been around since the U-Force for the good old 8-Bit? It's just taken time to work out the bugs and both Nintendo and Sony think it's time to bring it out and play. Where is Microsoft on this? Well, as Joystiq posted a few days back, apparently Microsoft thinks people don't move their hands when they play games. I guess when you bank your entire console on first person shooters, your bound to make more than one mistake. [how the hell can you play an FPS on the console? Give me a mouse and keyboard any day and I'll wipe the floor with your blood!]
For the record, I actually wished the boomerang was the choice controller. I have big hands, the PS2 controller does tend to cramp now and then when I'm in a race relying on a smooth corner and a that edge of your seat grip for extended periods. I don't like the XBox controller for the simple reason that the analog sticks aren't positioned relative to each other. They should both be in line if you ask me. That's my only complaint so far with the PS line.
Innovative is including a larger format drive to entice the developers to use it, taking a step into the unknown on a processor that has potential in order to try to improve the gaming potential rather than simply relying on the video card manufacturers to make it look better, and including basic devices needed to pull the user into the next generation of gaming rather than requiring them to buy it later. Developers look at the base system when designing a game. If the system has something out of the box, it will get used more often than an add-on device. How many games did the Laser Cannon have? Robby(?) the Robot? What about that U-Force. Sega had some CD Addon for one of it's consoles... You and I both know it. Add-ons make a ripple, never make a splash, in gaming.
On another note, marketing includes pricing your console high when the demand is there. So you won't be able to afford it out of the box, several million others will (they say 4 Million will be ready at release and every single one will sell). Sony knows this. Has Microsoft finally got past the supply fiasco yet? I think most of you are truly only upset by the price (and maybe a few that know your not going to get 2-3 times as much on EBay for it...you lazy SOBs trying to make money off someone elses product) I for one am not concerned with the price and will be buying one when it comes available to me (HDMI and all). Not all of us are hooked on Microsoft. [also, for the record, I consider the Wii a side console used for when I have friends over for the "party" games. MS and Sony have the only "serious" gamer consoles IMHO. Read it how you will. I frankly don't care.] Also for the record, I think a good quantity of you out there bashing the PS3 for the only reason of price are those that purchased a XBox360 and don't want your money to feel like it was wasted if (when?) the PS3 dominates once again. This also includes you that think Blu-Ray wasn't needed. I point you to my first paragraph and my previous comment. Call me a Sony fan, call me an anti-MS fan, or call me a "middle of the road" Nintendo fan. Any of those are right. Live with it. Nothing you can say will ever get me to buy a Microsoft system. (Even when my friend told me I could get one chipped. It wasn't going with the rest of my stereo equipment or anywhere near my TV. Right now, Microsoft has a worse image in my eyes than a company that at least tried to bring something new to the table.)
ChrisRX @ May 31st 2006 8:18AM
And of course as usual UK is seeing stupidly high prices.
Burnout Revenge: £49.99 - $93.75
Madden NFL 06: £39.99 - $75.02
NBA 2K6: £39.99 - $75.02
I think you americans should give us brits a moments silence for all our lost money.
JP @ May 31st 2006 12:06PM
Andir-
Did someone at Microsoft piss in your cheerios? Really your constant crying about Microsoft and the 360 is annoying. Everytime something is said bad or negative about the PS3 here you come.
Look I'm not knocking you for your Sony opinions. That is what they are...opinions. If you think for one minute that the PS3 is flawless and will never be flawless....then what does that say about you?
I am not a MS or Sony or PC or Nintendo whore. I PLAY games because they are fun. I could care or less who has a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive. If you do your research you will see that both of those technologies are not going to be mainstream for awhile. For example...you have 100 DVD's and the Blu Ray is not going to play any of them....that would piss me off..what about you? (And the stupid copy protection they want to install that will render my HD picture quality useless if I don't have HDMI on my HDTV is yet another reason to hate the idea of Blu-Ray) Is that going to make you rush out and get a PS3?
I think you have to seperate the fact that Sony is force feeding the Blu-Ray. There is no argument you can think of otherwise. I have to have this Blu-Ray in the PS3. If the developers don't take advantage of the Blu-Ray or are slow to do so...why pay the 600+? Because of the Cell technology that you read so much on ...? That is also unproven in mass production? That is still graphically on par with the 360 when it is all said and done?
I think we as gamers need MS, Nintendo and Sony to keep competing to drive each other. All this gamesmenship is doing is making better games and better options for all of us to choose from. If you choose to hate on MS that your right .... but Sony needs MS just as much as MS needs Sony to be successful. They police each other making sure one doesn't flood the gaming community with weak content and crap for consoles...
teph @ May 31st 2006 6:05PM
xenikos said:
"But for PS3 exclusives....Metal Gear 4 is already doing things with audio and whatnot that couldn't be done on any other system, and that's right at the start of the platform's (long) life cycle."
Read it.
http://www.games-digest.com/2005/11/kojima_says_met.html
I know I read the full interview where he said it... but I'm not tracking it down atm.
Andir said:
"For all of you pointing to the Blu-Ray drive. I have one game that's still in Beta on the hard drive of my PC right now that's upwards of 20GB and there was serious thought of possible console ports (Ok, so it's 18, but the game isn't near finished, thus the Beta part of it). If you think games are going to remain in the 4-9GB range for long, your only kidding yourself. Keeping with the DVD format is Microsoft repeating the whole "640K should be enough for everyone" all over again."
I know nothing will change your mind about this whole PS3 thing... but frankly speaking, you can't change mine either... so we'll call it a draw. But... just for the hell of it... read this.
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/hardware/PS3-gamble.ars
Now, if you're to too proud to do so... let me some up some points made in the article. First, let me say that it's very a balenced, poised article with some solid logic. With that said, you'll find what many of us also understand... games really aren't taking up tons of space. Whatever this "20 gb beta" is you have sitting on your desk... I don't care. I don't believe it... but whatever. Wave unfinished garage creations in our face. It doesn't prove much.
Bottom line... the need for space doesn't grow exponentially like you make it sound. "Last generation used 4 gb... next generation will use 45!!"
YOU get over it. Use facts.
""I had no idea that game companies basically just take the source code and recompile it in five minutes." -- They do, I know people that work for game companies (like Shiny) who have done just this. If it works, they do it. If not, they go back in and update it just enough to get it to run."
Yes, that's where SHITTY ports come from.
"Innovative is including a larger format drive to entice the developers to use it, taking a step into the unknown on a processor that has potential in order to try to improve the gaming potential rather than simply relying on the video card manufacturers to make it look better, and including basic devices needed to pull the user into the next generation of gaming rather than requiring them to buy it later. Developers look at the base system when designing a game."
While this statement is... somewhat true... I guarantee a developer's #1 concern isn't size. It's not even the top 10. Compression exists to keep that shit small. Better engines are written to keep that shit small. No doubt... it's growing. And it always will... but get serious. And as far as the cell goes... read what the smart people say. Anand, Carmack, even Kojima say the 'GLORY of the CELL' (or what the fuck ever) is completely theoretical. Ohhh, and by the way... the cell isn't new. It's died more than once from becoming the king processor.
Don't get me wrong, I think the concept will become more relevant in the future... I just don't think this Sony Shitstation is going to bring us to the mecca of computing. Sorry, bub.
Like I said. I'm not changing your mind. I know that. You also won't see me allowing this shitty sony company shove another proprietary format down my throat. I didn't support the last 10... and I won't support the next. Its a shame that a company is so pompus that they take good technology and squeeze it till it's dead. It's pathetic.
"(Even when my friend told me I could get one chipped. It wasn't going with the rest of my stereo equipment or anywhere near my TV. Right now, Microsoft has a worse image in my eyes than a company that at least tried to bring something new to the table.)"
Yeah, well, your friend tried to help you out. Sorry your pride once again failed you. You missed out on the best media box you can find anywhere. Now, I realize not everyone wants such a thing... but when you can play every new TV show, cartoon and movie (in good quality) with the touch of a button, its awesome. I've turned many doubters into believers.
But again, I'm not saying you'll be one of them. You've got too much pride to use your brians.