Xbox 360 gets European price drop on August 24

35 Comments by Justin McElroy Aug 20th 2007 9:21AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

UK gamers who waited to buy their 360 until BioShock was released will find a nice surprise for them when they go to the register: A £20 price cut on the Core and a £30 cut on the 20 GB 360. That brings the prices to £249.99 (around $497) for the 20 GB system and £179.99 ($358) for the Core, which is, interestingly, the exact same cost as the Wii. It was also announced that when the Elite is released there this week, it will retail for £299.99 ($596).

Shizzle Games of Belgium is not only showing new prices for other parts of Europe (€449/€349/€279) but also new names for the SKUs, redubbing the Core model "Arcade" and the middle one the "Pro". That new "Arcade" SKU will also come with five XBLA games which should just about fill the 256 MB memory card it comes packed with. It's also sporting an HDMI port. Though we haven't heard of a similar rebranding of the Core here in the U.S. it does make us wonder if we should be interpreting Core systems being discontinued in a whole new way.

Read -- Official: Xbox 360 gets UK price drop
Read -- Nu ook officieel: Microsoft verlaagt prijs Xbox 360

Tags: pricecuts, uk, xbox360

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Jerk Face: Aug 20th 2007; 9:32AM

Awesome?

mike_p: Aug 20th 2007; 3:54PM

Yes awesome, indeed! Seeing as I'm moving from NJ to Manchester, I wanted to get an Elite 360 as soon as I got there. There was no way I was going to miss out on this fall's lineup.

Now I'm just wondering whether it's worth getting the Elite. HDMI is standard built-in (eventually). Also, the hardware here is cheaper in the US. My dollar is going to get raped - 2:1 ratio =( ...

leo2178: Aug 20th 2007; 9:33AM

What a joke!!!
"Arcade" unit with 265k memory!!
Not much of an "Arcade"!

Anonim: Aug 20th 2007; 9:38AM

256 *MB*
Enough to fit at least 5 x 50MB gaes or 1x150MB + 2x50MB.

And Arcade games are usualy SMALLER than 50MB.

Price DROP + GRATIS memory card + GRATIS 5 arcade games.
Very nice CORE pack upgrade.

Price like Wii.

Anonim: Aug 20th 2007; 9:39AM

Oh and HDMI connector on newer mainboard with upgraded cooling of course :)

GRANTED: Aug 20th 2007; 9:47AM

i don't think these are falcon units. a similar article from a couple of weeks ago confirmed that hdmi boards don't necessarily have 65 nm chips--at least not in NA. but hey at least you can save your progress in bioshock.

leo2178: Aug 20th 2007; 9:56AM

I wasn't saying that it is a bad price.

I'm just saying that touting it as the "Arcade" system is a joke.

The title would imply that it is the one to get for the XBOX Live Arcade experience.

I feel sorry for anyone who buys it with those intentions, since they will soon find out how limited that 256mb is.

AlexP: Aug 20th 2007; 11:09AM

It's not free if it's still profitable for Microsoft (the console, not the division), retard.

Jake: Aug 20th 2007; 1:37PM

Yeah, arcade seems like a weird name to give it. Doesn't make much sense. Nice value, though, with wireless controller, memory card, HDMI, and a price drop all in one package.

These names won't be taken to the US will they? That would piss me off because I have a Gamestop warranty to cash in for a Falcon Premium once they are available. If they change the name, GS might say I can't exchange it.

Karl: Aug 20th 2007; 9:35AM

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out now that the core 360 is the same price as the Wii. Microsoft have timed this well with AAA titles due.

AlexP: Aug 20th 2007; 11:11AM

The fucktards misadvertised it in Canada claiming the Core was 280 in the Bioshock TV ads, I'm surprised they're not getting sued or anything, because that's the Wii's price (I would grab a core at that price, yeah).

Curmeo: Aug 20th 2007; 9:48AM

a step in the right direction, but MS should have made headsets and HDMI cables standard across all SKUs.

gamernewz.net: Aug 20th 2007; 10:03AM

Multiple SKU's are crap.

jBiber: Aug 20th 2007; 10:04AM

the thing about this "discontinued" core story is the pieces just don't line up. What we're probably seeing in our BBuy leaks and things of that sort isn't a discontinued model, but rather a discontinued series. Okay sure, we're gunna lose the core model (and all other models too) - and in the bestbuy computers a "new" product will appear "XBOX 360 CORE W/ HDMI" or something of the sort.

blooh: Aug 20th 2007; 10:25AM

didnt they recently say no price cut in europe? lol

cybereality: Aug 20th 2007; 10:39AM

This is what the core should have been all along. At least we know Microsoft has people reading these comments, because I've seen that idea pop up a bunch of times. Now just bring it to America at $249 and let the real battle begin.

ALH: Aug 20th 2007; 10:42AM

Wait a minute...

120 gig hard drive = £130
Xbox 360 'arcade'= £179 + 5 arcade games

130+179= £310

Elite = £329

Karl: Aug 20th 2007; 10:55AM

Elite has wireless controller and will retail at £299 (£310 with Bioshock at Gamestation)

Anonim: Aug 20th 2007; 12:09PM

HDD 120GB will cost 129

ChimpTheChimp: Aug 20th 2007; 10:43AM

I have been considering a purchase for a while now, and now that the Elite is out soon I'll probably go for that. However, I will give it another 6 months to see the failure rate of the Elite and also having lived with a PS3 since April I am used to the silence...just how loud is the 360?

ALH: Aug 20th 2007; 10:46AM

its pretty loud, but not to the point where its a distraction. you dont notice it while youre playing games (unless you have the sound muted, obviously) and its silent when running arcade games, demos etc.

ChimpTheChimp: Aug 20th 2007; 10:55AM

Cool, I love my PS3 and all...but I can't wait 'til middle of next year to play some exclusives! Looks like I'll be picking up a 360 too (soon as some RROD figures are out...it's a shame, I know a few people who really want one but won't part with their money because of the hardware issues)

HB96st: Aug 20th 2007; 11:07AM

hardware issues are small... Besides, 360's are covered for 3 years..

Kye: Aug 20th 2007; 11:15AM

Yeah for the price drop.

Booo 'cuz we're still getting shafted when you compare the international prices.

Poisoned Al: Aug 20th 2007; 12:17PM

Yeah it sucks, but most of that high price is tax (the government here noticed that you get shafted every day instead of once a year you notice less), the high value of the pound that has been pumped high due to interest rates and the low US dollar because a jug-eared fuck-wit pissed away all of America's money and then some.

It's really hard t tell at the moment just how bad of a deal we get.

Kye: Aug 20th 2007; 12:35PM

Sometimes living in the UK REALLY sucks.

We get a raw deal on fuel, games, cars, electronics, just about everything.

We should be paying ~£175, not £250.

GRANTED: Aug 20th 2007; 2:41PM

america. f--- yeah.

Poisoned Al: Aug 20th 2007; 8:21PM

It could be worse. Sure American's get a better deal with electronic goods and fuel due to low tax, but you've got to remember that the reason the tax is so low is that everything public is shit over there. Sure you can get a cheap 360, but then you get healthcare that's worse then Cuba's.

Swings and roundabouts.

Slaziman: Aug 20th 2007; 12:42PM

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

YEAH

About time they stopped shafting Europe!

hvnlysoldr: Aug 20th 2007; 1:25PM

Lousy internet connection this morning. Hope any of these five are OK.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/hvnlysoldr/407e68bb.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/hvnlysoldr/99a1bd79.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/hvnlysoldr/3b295059.jpg

hvnlysoldr: Aug 20th 2007; 1:25PM

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/hvnlysoldr/179d82f2.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/hvnlysoldr/3b106eb2.jpg

ssuk: Aug 20th 2007; 4:59PM

While the Core system is pretty nicly upgraded and competitvly priced to meet the Wii, the Premium could have done with a larger price drop than £30.

I think MS is taking the piss at Sony with the Elite pricing. $599 (PS3 US price) = £300 (360 Elite EU price) PS3 EU price = £425. So, a jab at Sony and a good kick in the balls for Nintendo.
I whole-heartedly welcome a Nintendo Wii price drop though, maybe if they knocked it down to it's converted US price of £130~ now that the 360 is rivaling it. That'd do me just fine. =)

Slaziman: Aug 20th 2007; 7:59PM

why thank you, i may use the green mario one, thanks!

nissu: Aug 20th 2007; 3:22PM

Nice, but the Premium version has been available for as low as 330 EUR here in ultra-expensive Finland before the price cut. One game Premium bundles have been available for about 360-370 EUR and two game Premium bundles such as Gears of War + NHL 07 sell for about 400 EUR. I think the RRP is still 399 EUR or even 419 EUR.

So, if they discontinue the bundles and drop the price to 349 EUR it's really not much of a price cut. Hopefully many retailers will cut the price even more as they've done already, so there is a chance that the cut will actually matter.

However, HDMI and the new RROD-proof (...?) cooling is great and will probably tip me over as soon as the new consoles are available.

rufus: Aug 21st 2007; 12:25PM

i think we need to think more in terms like this.

these arcade systems will now help boost the sale of perhaps memory unit cartrige games. these games are small and can be priced acordingly increasing game title shelf space on 360. this is genius. hopefully well see alot more than 2 titles a week on xbl arcade.

i also think there will be another price drop in nov.

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