Microsoft to drop Xbox 360 price by $100?

I don't know whether or not we're about to see a price drop, but I certainly hope we will. If I could pick up the 360 for $300 for the high-end version, that would probably be the impetus for me to actually get the machine.

Who are all you people and what is xbox?

I would rather have a 60GB HDD for $350 than the 20GB HDD for $300.

There's no doubt that a price drop is coming. MS is going to get absolutely destroyed this Christmas without one. Whether you're a Sony fanboy or a Nintendo fanboy, the excitement is not going to be centering around Microsoft this year. All the news coverage, all the lines of people waiting at stores, all that's going to be centered around the PS3 and Wii. They're the hot new systems.

This is the danger when you launch early, and it's a big reason why the "first mover" advantage is a myth. There is a real problem of what happens in Christmas of the second year. You are almost guaranteed to have your momentum taken away when your competitors launch, and it's very hard to get that back. Generally, whoever gets the momentum *last* is who wins. It's like a basketball game; you can score 20 points in the first 5 minutes, but it's usually whoever has the biggest fourth quarter that wins.

So MS would almost be foolish not to drop the price in order to stem the tide and present themselves not only as the alternative to the PS3 that you can actually find in stores, but also as the alternative to the Wii for the budget conscious. It won't be enough to get people to turn away from their competitors, and they'll still be the third-place console for the forseeable future after Christmas, but it will at least help stem the tide. I frankly don't see how they have any choice.

Nothing they've said up to this point about maintaining the current price means a damn thing. So you can discount all of that. Some of you guys need to learn that when a businessperson says something in public, it's not a binding contract.

In addition, even if Microsoft is taking greater losses by dropping the price, Microsoft is a much bigger corporation in far better financial straits than Sony, and can afford to take short term financial damage. Microsoft can endure. Sony cannot afford a battle of attrition; Sony's so far in the red that it needs results.

It'd be just like Microsoft to take short term losses to gain greater market share, and thus starve out the competition. I'd be shocked if - forgive me for this, but I still haven't gotten tired of the dying meme - Microsoft did not choose to attack Sony's most visible weak point this November for massive damage.

my guess is that a price drop is unlikely however packing in a game for free is likely.

Call of Duty 2 anyone for $400

and that XBL arcade for $300

That way Nintendo won't be the only one with pak in game and those games they are giving away are cheap now so they won't really lose money giving it away.

Here is my prediction:

There is no reason for a price drop this holiday season, neither the PS3 or Wii will have significant numbers to compete. That's if you even count the Wii as a direct competitor, the Wii will appeal to a very limited audience after the launch hype is all said and done. Let's face it, the Wii has nearly identical graphics as the GC so in a sense your buying another GC except with a motion sensitive controller...WOOPIE! Also, there are three major gaming markets and Japan is only one of them. Other systems did great in Japan but failed in Europe and the US (Saturn, PC Engine, Neo Geo, etc). The MOST important thing is that MS has gained considerable support from Japanese developers (one of original Xbox's major downfalls along with coming out about two years after the PS2) so whether or not they have the support of the Japanese consumers doesn't really matter any more. While Wii and PS3 will probably do great at launch in Japan and the US, MS has already established a foothold in two of the three major markets and is now getting a giant foothold in the smaller markets like India, Australia, and so on. It will take the Wii and PS3 probably until mid 2007 to even touch those markets.

My guess is that MS will release some bundles with free games this holiday season, push the marketing on their platinum titles, and release a black console to increase sales. When the PS3 (Wii won't matter) actually starts getting systems on the shelves then MS will make a considerable price drop to further hurt PS3 sales. MS is in a good position: The people who buy a Wii will probably realize how poor the graphics are and the people with the PS3 owners will realize there aren't any great games to play and be angry that they paid all that money for a system that looks nearly identical (except with a much weaker online service) to the much cheaper Xbox 360.

Here's a question: When was the last time you saw a game company advertise a controller as their key feature? Which is more possible: A) That a motion sensitive controller is so amazing that it doesn't matter that your playing GC ports and old SNES roms?, or, B) Nintendo is desperate to find an audience after the successive failures of the N64 and GC? With the GC Nintendo hasn't been able to get any 3rd party support and can only put a quality game out 2-3 times a year and it is only going to get worse for the Wii. But hey, at least they've got a great controller. Sure games aren't all about the graphics, but they are certainly not all about the controller. There is a reason why people are no longer playing the NES, Genesis, Sega CD, Dreamcast, Atari 2600,..., because they are outdated and disgusting to look at.

At least $100 cheaper then PS3, and only $50 more pricey then Wii (unless your buying a second controller set).

What point is there to a price drop?

Trust me, at E3 2007 - expect a $100 price drop when the competition is nowhere near beaing able to; and then they will be atleast $200 cheaper then sony and $50 CHEAPER then Ninty for one console, and only $50 more for the other one.

THAT is going to put them in a real nice position. Way more powerful then Wii yet the same price, not too underpowered to the ps3 but WAY cheaper.

@46. Have you ever heard of Linux? Its better than Windows and its certainly better than a knockoff Windows OS. Linux is bundled with the PS3.

We won't see a price drop until the 360's CPU is built with 65nm transistors, which M$ said will happen in the early part of 2007. So I would expect a price drop in Q2 or Q3 2007.

What interests me is the two comments #39 and #40.

I hope they drop the price right when Sony releases the PS3. Too bad that will not be until 2011...

It's Tuesday, must be time to post this old rumor again.

I plan to get a 360 this winter, but I'll probably wait til the end of November because I'm sure the deal will be sweetened in some way.

I agree completely with #57, the Wii will have a great initial launch then slide. Everyone's saying how after the PS3 sells out (5 seconds after launch) that parents will immediately buy a Wii instead, only because it's cheaper. This is rubbish. First, store employees are going to point them to the next comparable console - the Xbox 360. Secondly, kids aren't stupid. Many of us got our first Nintendo in Christmas of '88. How upset would we have been if our parents bought us a Colecovision instead? I had enough of a near-death experience that Christmas morning when my mom said she almost got me a Master System.

While Wii and Sony fanboys battle it out, the 360 will calmly walk into first place.

What's really interesting is that Micro Center here in Columbus, OH has been selling 360s with a $100 mail in rebate. That's a big difference from an official Microsoft price cut, but interesting all the same.

Microsoft has a lot of possibilities they could exploit.

The simpliest would a bundle. Inlcude a Microsoft game. Perhaps include a new accessory. Perhaps alter an existing accessory (bigger memory unit or hardware drive). There's several new accessories coming this year-- no?

Or they can lower the price.

I'm of the mind a price reduction wouldn't occur until after the holiday, however I think a new bundle would be a good opportunity prior to the holiday.

But there are advantages to lowering the price before the holiday. You can steel away the thunder of the PS3/Wii launch by making a surprise announcement that very same week.

@ #49 SquirrelPhister,

Xbox 360 is cheaper than PS3, AS A GAMING MACHINE.


- Premium Xbox 360 w/20GB hdd = $400
- Wi-Fi adapter = $100
- HD component cable = included in price
- Xbox Live Headset = included in price
- Memory card reader = included in price
- Ethernet Cable = included in price
TOTAL: = $500


- PS3 w/20GB hdd = $500
- Wi-Fi adapter = price to be announced
- HDMI cable = ~$32
- Headset = price to be announced
- Memory card reader = price to be announced
- Ethernet Cable = unknown if supplied
TOTAL = >$532


so there you go, Xbox 360 is cheaper than PS3, AS A GAMING MACHINE, and this is before any potential holiday price cut ;)

oh yea, before any smart ass claims my info is wrong why dont u show me proof backing up your claim.

where's the DOJ when you need them? oh well, what can they do against mighty M$ anyway?...

I can't believe all you XBOX 360 owners that have to keep on talking up your 360s. You don't realize that every single game system alive can outsell the 360 hands down. I am sure if they brought back the Turbo Grx-16 it would outsell the 360. The system is brutal and the only game you 360 owners talk about is Halo...who the hell cares about that game. It's one game compared to the numerous PS3 exclusive and unique games that are on the horizon. I mean I would take ICO on the PS2 over any 360 game out there.

One more thing, quit talking about how cheap the 360 is because it's not cheap at all. It's $400 CAN + the HD DVD aka "The Brick" for $250 CAN is around the same if not more expensive than the PS3 (60GB version). Sure you can find deals depending on what store you go to but for the geneal consumer the 2 systems will not be that far off in price. So all you people who keep bashing the PS3 get your facts staight and realize that Sony will have no problems selling the PS3, I know I am buying one.

I think after the 360's strong X06 showing, a price drop would be the icing on the cake (or the cherry on top, whichever you prefer). But they don't necessarily need it this year. I believe the PS3 will only be shipping 1.5 - 2 million units by Christmas, and the Wii will probably have about 3 million in that same time frame.

When the PS3 debuts in Europe, how perfect would a price drop be coupled with the release of Halo 3?

Ever since X06, Wii60 never looked so great.

I came across this article, as I was leaning towards XBOX360 due to it being cheaper...has rumble...HD-DVD is better than Blu-Ray at this time, and is cheaper...see it as being the next gen of movie formats...etc.

But, this article sold me. Comments?

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html

This article is also a little old, and PS3 has cut back on some of their specs. I have not seen any other comparisons unless you count on the silly comparisons Sony released the day after MS did at E3 2005. They only listed things they beat the box and, IMO, confused the laymen by comparing apples and oranges. This article seemd to make some sense.

Again, would appreciate some insight, but I'm now 99% certain the box is the way to go for everybody...it's not only cheaper, but easier to develop for, and is actually a superior gaming system as far as what it can do.