Rumor: $199 Xbox 360 Arcade with motion controller

by James Ransom-Wiley { Aug 22nd 2008 at 12:58PM }

Building on reports of an impending Xbox 360 price cut, which allegedly will drop the Arcade SKU below Wii to $199, comes the reemergence of Microsoft's elusive motion controller, now rumored to be included with the Xbox 360 Arcade this holiday. A source "close to Microsoft's marketing department" detailed the bundle to X3F, claiming the new Arcade system will feature a 512MB memory card (in place of a hard drive), the New Xbox Experience pre-loaded and a motion controller, along with a few compatible minigames developed by Rare.

The motion controller supposedly will be sold separately as well, in a package that includes even more minigames. The controller is said to be compatible with all versions of Xbox 360. So how 'bout it, Nintendo -- you gonna trump this by tacking on HD?

Tags: hardware, motion-controller, motion-sensing, rumor, rumorang, waggle, xbox-360-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

MC Double Def DP @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:00PM

I wish this ment the new dashboard would be out Sept 7th but I doubt it :(

I will have to wait for my wannabe miis!

Tim The Enchanter @ Aug 22nd 2008 4:59PM

Yes, the wanamiis

Andrew Hutchison @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:26PM

i ahve a hard time beleiving the motion controller, considering nothing was mentioned at e3 to hype it

TheAzureKnight @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:03PM

But Nintendo is DESTROYING THE INDUSTRY!

syrik zero @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:09PM

With bad games and worse ports... I agree!

The Fatass of Kickassness @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:26PM

I've enjoyed the games Nintendo themselves have pumped out. A shame that the system doesn't have much to offer outside of those games but I wouldn't say that Nintendo themselves are offering 'bad games and worse ports'.

Shit, I didn't bash the Wii enough. Now I'll never get upvoted!

Anywhos, I don't see what use the motion controller would have considering I have yet to hear of a motion enabled 360 game. They could use motion sensing to simulate one of the analog sticks, but I've played games using controllers just like that in the past, and it's just awful, so I hope they don't go that route.

Mr Khan @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:39PM

When your Motion Controller flagship game is to be entitled "The Fast and the Furriest," i don't think you're going to be much of a threat to anyone

gir @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:58PM

No, you're not getting upvoted for says "Now I'll never get upvoted!"

We know reverse psychology when we see it.

gir @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:02PM

oh crap I meant to say

You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? Yoooouuu gonna make biscuits??

syrik zero @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:27PM

I'll give you that fatass. Nintendo has put out the only good games that I've seen. I really just don't see the console being used by "core" gamers. It's more of a toy. My grandparents own one... So that is weird. The only game that I can think of right now that looks like it may be good is the Conduit or whatever.

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread) @ Aug 22nd 2008 3:11PM

while i do agree that the Wii really doesnt have much to offer me besides their top notch first party titles, i will say that this new game Mad World is a third party game that looks completely awesome.

VashStrife @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:03PM

SOrry, I Doubt this is true. I just came from a media conference with microsoft and they said the new plans for the arcade are to put the 256mb memory card onboard as flash memory to eliminate the memory card... other than that there were no new plans...well then again sony told me there would be no bigger system than the 80 as well, so take it with a grain of salt.

jcd @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:35PM

wait, who the hell are you and why would you claim to know better?

Hyams @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:12PM

He's actually Bill Gates. He likes to post on Joystiq from time to time.

E.J. @ Aug 22nd 2008 6:19PM

He's a guy breaking his NDA.

Or maybe he's just full of crap.

Or both!

why not the LS2LS7? @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:03PM

I heard it has a BluRay drive.

Arttemis @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:21PM

"no, MS will remove the DVD playback to make it more like the Wii"

*copied from X3F's comments.

Delgado @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:57PM

Seriously though, they need to get on top of the external BluRay drive or Sony is going to keep taking a big share of that market.

I really want a BluRay drive and I would rather just have it attached to my 360, but if need be I'll go with the PS3 without qualms (why not get a game machine along with the player?)

Metal_Gear @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:31PM

@ Delgado

You do realise Sony is one of the main companies involved in the creation of Blu-Ray and M$ would have to do a lot of ass kissing to get in on the act.
Besides, M$ have claimed digital downloads are the future anyway, why do you think the prices of the HDDs havent gone down?

Xoviet chiK @ Aug 23rd 2008 9:46AM

Microsoft wouldn't have to kiss anyone's ass to get in on Blu Ray. Sony and Microsoft really aren't competitors outside of the video game business (which is why you rarely hear from Sony reps, and always from SCE heads), they use each others technology in their products all the time. Microsoft could add Blu Ray Disc support to Xbox 360 whenever they want, all they need is licensing.

If anything, Sony (or, properly, the BDA) would jump on the opportunity to license Blu Ray technology to Microsoft for use on the Xbox 360, it would mean that many more people would support the medium ensuring it will have a strong enough foothold to stand on as alternatives such as high-quality digital downloads and the long looming HVD format as well as promising advancements to existing red-laser optical storage disc technologies become available.

Arnon @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:45PM

Does Microsoft even need permission to use Blu-Ray? Is it patented? Because I could just see them putting in any drive that could use all disc formats, and it would be perfectly legal.

I mean.. it's not like we need permission to put a blu-ray drive into our computers.

Correct me if I'm wrong though, please.

Fenix @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:06PM

ZOZOMG!! M$ is teh DE$PERATE!!!

Hey, at E3 they did confirm they would beat PS3 this gen. Looks like MS is really striving for it.

Go 360 Go! :P

Wiinterfang @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:11PM

So microsoft had the elite to rival the ps3 and the arcade to rival the wii?

Dammmmnnnn.... Go microsoft, GO GO GO!!!

Kodros @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:45PM

"at E3 they did confirm they would beat PS3 this gen"

lol how can anybody confirm that.

Fenix @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:50PM

Ahh, lol you know what I mean.

samfish @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:08PM

I still expect them to come out with a motion controller sooner rather than later, but this isn't happening.
It would have leaked by now...either on the fliers that have been showing up, a developer, new SKUs in stores...SOMETHING. It's all way too last minute to seem like it has any validity.

syrik zero @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:12PM

Is it still months away. Honestly if they did this I would think about getting it. As long as it's not like the Wii with only mini games and the "good" games still aren't any fun for me. I did like that Paper Mario game and Mario Galaxies wasn't too bad. I can't think of any other games that justify buying the console though.

Zertoss @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:22PM

It is a little soon to call it one way or the other. What I'm curious about is if the rumored motion controller will be a regular controller with added motion controls, and if so, will it sport the improved D-pad?

Wiinterfang @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:29PM

Well it's still your xbox 360, and can play the sames games, except it doesn't have a hard drive which you can buy a 60 dollars used.

I though I was gonna miss this generation, but microsoft just make the xbox too accessible, if I don't buy this I'm gonna regret it later.

Arttemis @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:33PM

I doubt the improved D-pad will be on anything other than that limited edition puke-green abomination...

even though I wish it were made standard for all controllers. =(

Wiinterfang @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:09PM

Had you see the new Nintendo game?

wii are fuck.

Shagittarius @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:22PM

My love for you is like a truck, Berserker

syrik zero @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:49PM

What a great song! Haha

xGeneral DEATHx @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:51PM

My love for you is ticking clock BER-ZER-KERRRRRRR...

tactics @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:15PM

who didn't see THIS one coming?

Tez (PSN: Tezasaurus) @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:31PM

Not me!

emirabal @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:18PM

i hate rumors

343 Guilty Fart @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:48PM

I hate tumors.

Dirty @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:17PM

I hate sooners.

343 Guilty Fart @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:20PM

Those damn Oakies! Always stealing our land!

jsn @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:29PM

as long as they have a mini game to simulate endlessly power cycling a 360 to fix RRoD, I'm in!

Mr Khan @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:42PM

Such a move only further weakens Microsoft position in terms of PR. Even as they bash the Wii, they try their hardest to emulate it. Price, UI, and controls

360 has a great thing going with its own target market, and it should stick with it. The software sales from that market more than make up for the tremendous losses in the hardware strategy

nsdcx @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:52PM

I'm sorry, but emulating price? That's a stretch. Microsoft is dropping the price to push more units, not to be like Nintendo. They are trying to bank on the idea that, this holiday season, Wii's will STILL be hard to find.

A parent goes, "Hey, this XBox 360 is $50 cheaper and has the same motion controls as the Wii. Why should I stand in a line for 4 hours when I can just buy this for my kid?"

All that this would do is expand the target audience. The system still plays the always-popular FPS's and is getting a bunch of quality RPG's, and now if they add motion controls they could gain a share of the casual market.

It's not stealing, it's business.

Mr Khan @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:58PM

I know emulating price was a stretch, but that's really the reason they've kept Arcade/Core all this time, to try to keep their price of entry as close as possible (and now lesser than) the Wii

I don't know. It just seems to me that all the people who praise Microsoft's "integrity" should be a little uncomfortable by this move, since it takes away from that fallacious concept

Expanding your audience is a good thing, but it shouldn't be done haphazardly, and i feel that they could be doing this whole transition with a lot more grace

jsn @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:14PM

integrity in retail is pipe dream for idealistic fanboys. They, like nearly every other company on earth, are out to make money and if they see profit in jumping on a gimmick market, they're going to do it.

IMO the world is still waiting on a high quality motion controller and revolutionary video games to go with it. Nintendo simply teased us with the Wii to stuff their pockets (INTEGRITY!). If Microsoft thinks they can do better, more power to them.

Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Aug 22nd 2008 4:33PM

"""Such a move only further weakens Microsoft position in terms of PR."""

You are an idiot or what?

Next time you gonna claim that Xbox emulates other game consoles by publishing games on optical disks.

Disclaimer: Wii owner.

Marty @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:43PM

I think it's pretty clever that Rare is working on all this Nintendo-like stuff for the 360.

Not that I'm all that excited about it, but it's funny that Rare, a company who has worked very closely with Nintendo for many years, and which can definitely deliver the "cute," is now being put up to all this stuff for a different system.

Anyway, Rare has almost always delivered quality stuff in the past, so I have confidence that they can do the same with all the new stuff as well. It didn't seem this way before E3, but 360 owners have quite a bit to look forward to.