Microsoft confirms: Xbox 360 60GB for $349, 20GB now at $299

by Ross Miller { Jul 13th 2008 at 4:00AM }

Microsoft ha s confirmed that the 20GB Xbox 360 console has received a $50 price cut to $299, and taking its place in the $349 tier is a new 60GB console arriving early August. The Xbox 360 Arcade (i.e. no HDD) will continue to sell for $280 and the Elite (120GB) model will sell for $449.

We wouldn't blame if you if you felt this was old news: rumors of the 60GB model date back to mid-June and it seems like every major retailer confirmed the price cut in the last week. Now if only someone can explain to us why anyone would continue to buy the HDD-less Arcade model when you can get a 20GB hard drive for only $20 more ...

Gallery: Xbox 360 $299 price drop

Tags: 60gb, breakingnews, price-cut, pricecut

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

someone @ Jul 13th 2008 4:05AM

Fix the title.. Its supposed to be 349 for the 60GB HD, not 249 :P

Russell @ Jul 13th 2008 4:06AM

The 60gb and 20gb are switched in the title

colin @ Jul 13th 2008 4:07AM

you have a significant typo in the title, ross. 349 not 249. you can delete this comment.

Kevin949 @ Jul 13th 2008 4:07AM

Your title is messed up, the 60 gig is 349.99 not 249.99.

Sean @ Jul 13th 2008 4:19AM

I bet they dropped the 20gb to 300 to sell them out. Then they will discontinue it. That way they keep the 60gb going for 350 and the Arcade remains at 280. No point of having 4 SKUs. This is clearance stuff here.

Chris @ Jul 13th 2008 4:49AM

What gave you that idea, the article saying "while supplies last"?

Great prediction there, Kreskin.

MC Double Def DP @ Jul 13th 2008 9:12AM

O RLY?

Obie @ Jul 13th 2008 10:24AM

Agreed, this is a clearance sale, not a price drop.
Once the 20 gig sell out they will have 3 SKU's:

The 60 GB
The 120 GB
The *crappy* arcade model

CB @ Jul 13th 2008 7:06PM

Whatever happened to the Elite being a limited-time console?

Dwag @ Jul 13th 2008 4:20AM

They still don't realize consumers don't go with the complex oh I have 3 SKUs system. I stil thibnk M$ was stupid for releasing the 60GB HDD at 350 and still 450 for the Elite thats a little too much for a paint job and 60 more GBs.I'm glad the price drop is also in Canada now they might actually get some 360s sold over there. They need to drop the Arcade there is no use for it now its just a waste of money producing them without a bundled game or a HDD.

WTF is MS on right now? Can someone explain to me why this is a good business strategy? cause frankly I don't get it, I need Pacther or somebody to explain it to me.

Korova of the highlands @ Jul 13th 2008 7:33AM

The arcade may be sold for parts. When the unit is broken and cant be fixed, get an arcade and put in yer old HDD, do drm management and yer sail free.

juju187 @ Jul 13th 2008 7:36AM

about the elite, you would think they would include a data cable, now im still using my old HDD because of my save files >.>

Solid Chief @ Jul 13th 2008 7:51AM

The arcade is popular in Australia...So blame us for buying it =p

KingOfGods @ Jul 13th 2008 12:26PM

Juju you know you can just contact MS and have them send you a data cable for free

juju187 @ Jul 13th 2008 12:43PM

i have they said give it time... i guess i kno what im gonna do monday

Eric @ Jul 13th 2008 10:27PM

Well, Bowser, since Dishwasher was available as a long demo when the XNA option was added to XB Live I did in fact play it. And it is a gem - Viewtiful Joe meets Ninja Gaiden (2d) - ask Fenix, he's played it too.

'Level of content'? OK, I am going to type s l o w l y so that you understand. 'Level of content' means the 'amount of content'. Or degree: a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality (wordnet.princeton.edu). So, to clarify, the amount of quality content found in the current gen games I mentioned was never seen on the DC (no knock on the DC, one of my favorite consoles). Could you follow that?

I wasn't aware that I was pulling titles out of my ass since I am part of and follow the industry - people in the know are aware of the games I mentioned.

Angry little man? Not quite, I just have a low tolerance for psuedo self important idiots. If you think your pattern of personal insults followed by a wide-eyed "Oh, I just thought we were having a discussion" isn't transparent then you are woefully mistaken.

Don't enter a battle of wits unarmed, Bowser. Your tender 22 years or so is neither a foundation for knowledge or acumen. Quite frankly, you are a sad little boy.

class dismissed.

Devise @ Jul 13th 2008 4:25AM

It's a fire sale not a price cut. That's why the price of the arcade model is unchanged. The pro 20GB has been discontinued and the price cut was made to clear remaining stock.

Syn @ Jul 13th 2008 4:37AM

Still doesn't make me want one. Not Trolling, I just don't see any exclusives 'I' want to play. Maybe one day...

Foetoid @ Jul 13th 2008 4:57AM

You're not the only one. I have a friend with a 360 and Halo 3, GOW etc etc and the only game out of the 20 he has that ever gets played is Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. All these so-called A+ 360 titles collecting dust simply because they are Xbox 1 titles with better graphics.

Solid Chief @ Jul 13th 2008 5:58AM

Sure everyone is entitled to have their own opinions (not that they matter either ;3 ) but I have to question your friend's mentality...

It seems pretty obvious he has rich parents or a fat wallet...Else why would he buy 20 games and only really like 1? He seems to be a sucker for marketing, reviews or impulse purchasing...

It is possible to rent games. You should tell him that to save him money! What kind of friend are you to simply watch him spend it all mindlessly if he isn't going to ever play them?

Lord Bowser @ Jul 13th 2008 6:55AM

I have a 360 so I'm completely unbiased: the 360 exactly like the original Xbox but with better graphics. Now some people may be awed by the wonder of such spectacular visuals, but a peek under the veneer reveals yesterday's games. If you've played games at the turn of the century you've played the 360's library. I would say, aside from visuals, what the 360 is doing today could have been achieved on the Dreamcast.

Is that sad? I'm not bashing the console, I'm just telling it how it is. I would say the 360's predicament is almost as disappointing as the Wii, but because it's a Microsoft product the lack of ideas was that much of a surprise.

Korova of the highlands @ Jul 13th 2008 7:42AM

Bowser, that's like saying that a car bought at the turn of the last century is the same as the one you buy today. Yes - they are both personal transportation vehicles with 4 wheels, seats and a saloon, just like consoles still play video games and dont fly to the moon. But the comfort and convenience of a lexus surrounds the basic function with so much extra that I doubt many would go for the model T over it.

I have xbox1 and go back to play it once in a while. Overall, its a completely different experience - like the 90's internet vs. today's.

You are throwing the babe out with the water.

... I am off looking for more metaphors.

Foetoid @ Jul 13th 2008 10:11AM

Actually Chiefy he just buys games that are supposedly good. Granted that PGR4 and DOA4 come in the bundle he got the 360 with, but he has slowly bought games that review well and play well over time. Halo 3 was the only real impulse buy, we just thought that it would have been better than the originals but its still totally spoilt by the barbaric dual-analog controls. GOW is great, N3 is great, Naruto is great, Saints Row is great, they are all great games he has, but they just dont have any replayability.

Whenever i bring over the Wii, we play countless hours of everything; Naruto: Clash of a Ninja Revolution, Mario Kart 64, GH3, Tenkaichi 3, MK Armageddon, Wii Sports, Metal Slug Antholgy, Lylat Wars, SSBB etc and that only a tiny selection of the 35+ games i own on the Wii spanning Wii/Gc/Vc/WiiWare. 360 is a good console, when Gears 2 and Fable 2 come out he'll buy them and we'll finish them, then they'll probably go back to colleting dust, tho Fable is the sort of game i can finish more than once.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 13th 2008 10:36AM

"I have a 360 so I'm completely unbiased"

Lol. No you're not. I really hate that reasoning. BECAUSE I HAVE SOMETHING(or sometimes all three consoles)IT MEANS WHATEVER I SAY IS UNBIASED!!!

"the 360 exactly like the original Xbox but with better graphics"

And the ps3 is exactly like the ps2 but with better graphics. So what's your point?

Lord Bowser @ Jul 13th 2008 10:53AM

Then why buy it? I didn't buy my 360 and I wouldn't recommend anyone to purchase that console unless thay have a particular interest in kill games. Likewise, I probably wouldn't recommend anyone buying a Wii seeing as it has been a great disappointment. My point is if these games are so similar to yesterday's games then maybe we should ignore the hype, and accompanying loud noise, and see it for what it really is: 60 Euro updates. Is that really responsible in today's financial climate?

But that's another discussion. Korova got my point, he disagreed with me, but he at least saw what I was getting at: he's a beautiful man. But as usual, Vegeta jumps the gun, misuses his all caps button, and starts getting angsty.

Luis @ Jul 13th 2008 10:58AM

@Bowser:
You forget that the original xbox was ahead of the other consoles with xbox live, aside from "wagglemote" and bluray, online implementation and better graphics have been the breakthrough in this generation of consoles, the xbox already had live before, they just improved upon it, in that sense it is just like the original xbox and thats not a bad thing. The only console that really redefined itself this time around was the Wii

PeterF @ Jul 13th 2008 11:09AM

"the barbaric dual-analog controls"
WTF do you want to use? Buttons? You saw you enjoyed GoW. Guess what, you used both sticks in that, too!

Eric @ Jul 13th 2008 11:34AM

Again, LB trying to sound smart and aloof and those of us who are smart see right through it.

Granted, there isn't much groundbreaking innovation in gaming anymore, but comparing the 360 to the DC is just stupid, what what can one expect from this idiot?

XB Live on the 360 defined modern online console gaming (which the DC began, as so many of Sega's innovations became mainstream later). I don't think that games like Oblivion, Mass Effect, Viva Pinata, and yes LB's favorites Halo 3 and Gears could be done on the DC? And I am not talking about graphics, I am talking about level of content (say what you will about Halo 3 but it is packed with features), A.I., and storytelling.

As much as I love competitive gaming I am also a fiend for original, fresh games and for whatever reason people like Lord Moron ignore the XB Live arcade when they bash this generation of consoles. Again, original and fresh are relative at this point as it is with books and film - it's the presentation and execution that give a title life.

How about gems like Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Geometry Wars, Carcassone, Jelly Car, a true multiplayer anytime Bomberman, Rez (a great game brought to a new audience), and Rogoo?

Again, the argument that there is nothing fresh this generation of consoles is paper thin (I didn't even mention the gems you can find on the PSN). I spend as much time w/my Live Arcade games as I do with my other games.

I think XNA will bring out tons of fresh, quirky concepts and that is a great vehicle and an innovative way to bring new games to the masses. It's really just in its' beta phase right now but we're seeing the genesis of a cost effective way for new ideas to be presented by indie developers and brought to the public on the consoles.

Lord Bowser @ Jul 13th 2008 12:15PM

Oh, look who it is. What a surprise it is to see Eric throwing around insults. I hope the Joystiq-Nation notices that this was a most pleasant thread of thought, no slander, no snarky comments, until Our Eric decided to waddle in. It is a trend of his; hopefully his mother will straighten the boy out.

"I am talking about level of content"

What does that quote even mean? Please offer qualification, if you're capable.

Actually, Eric, the fact that you're pulling titles out of your ass leads me to believe you haven't a clue what you're on about. Dishwater Samurai, the first "gem" you named, has yet to be released. How can you tell this game will be any good if you've yet to play it?

This coupled with the personal attacks lead me to the conclusion you're a angry little man with a Napoleon complex. Just because you're on the internet it doesn't validates that you have something to say. Nonsense is still nonsense and you, my sir, are talking nonsense.

Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Jul 13th 2008 1:05PM

"I hope the Joystiq-Nation notices that this was a most pleasant thread of thought, no slander, no snarky comments, until Our Eric decided to waddle in."

Sorry, no. "Joystiq-Nation" knows that you're a joke, and to hear you, YOU say that since you have a 360 so you're unbiased is one of the most laughable statements I've ever seen on here.

Heh @ Jul 13th 2008 1:08PM

Lord Bowser, I love how your quote fits EXACTLY what EVERY reader here on joystiq thinks of you:

"Just because you're on the internet it doesn't validates that you have something to say. Nonsense is still nonsense and you, my sir, are talking nonsense"

Lord Bowser @ Jul 13th 2008 1:40PM

I've read my fanmail.

J @ Jul 13th 2008 2:28PM

Ok, fine. Even if all of you who are saying "the xbox 360 games are just like xbox 1 games with better graphics," were correct in saying so (even though you could say that about all games since they were ever created, you know, since they're all just mathematical systems with tactile input and audiovisual output, right?), since when are better graphics not something we want?

They don't just have better graphics, they have waaaay better graphics. Better sound too. Higher framerates. Higher resolution. Higher capacity for game content. It all adds up to a more immersive experience. I'm sorry if that's not your thing but some of us like "better graphics."

If you really think there's no innovation in today's games, you're either not playing enough games or you just don't know enough about the industry. If you did, you would know that in fact there is a great deal of innovation going on in the technology and software being developed across all platforms. Example? Euphoria. It's a huge step from traditional animation that gives developers more control over the look and feel of a game's characters, and at the same time saves space and time since it's procedural. If you don't call that innovation, you're using the word incorrectly.

And that's just one example. Need more? How about Epic's Kismet visual editor for Unreal? How about the deformable track surfaces in Sega Rally Revo? How about the analog "flickit" controls in Skate? Audiosurf? Portal? Guitar Hero? As I said, if you don't consider these games innovative, you don't know the meaning of the word.

Foetoid @ Jul 13th 2008 6:18PM

To PeterF

Yes, i said barbaric dual-analog controls. GOW was great, dual-analog works a treat for 3rd person shooters like GOW and Brute Force, but it's shocking for FPS. What do i want to use? Well Metroid Prime 3 controls or standard WADS PC controls would be nice.