It's official! Microsoft announces North American Xbox 360 price cuts, $199 Arcade

by Dustin Burg on Sep 3rd 2008 5:15PM

After months and months of rumors, speculation, leaked adscans and insider whispers, Microsoft just announced that the Xbox 360 price cut rumors are, in fact, true. Beginning this Friday, September 5th the retail pricing for Xbox 360 consoles in the US will drop to all time lows. The new console pricing puts the Xbox 360 Arcade at $199 (cheaper than the Wii!), the 60GB Xbox 360 Pro at $299 and the Xbox 360 Elite at $399. Remember though, this is only for the US as any other territories (Europe, Australia, etc.) have yet to announce any console price cuts. We can now also pretty much debunk that motion controlled Arcade bundle rumor. Happy shopping!

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Tags: arcade, elite, microsoft, price-cut, price-drop, pro, xbox-360

Reader Comments (64)

what system has the jasper in it.is it all of them and how will you know when it is in there?

This new only means that Micro$oft is preparing the new consoles. They already throw the towel, be prepared to spend more money on the new console. JAJAJAJAJA

So Sony's constant SKU refreshes and price drops are desperate?

Mmmm. My guess is that as much as this is a deal??? that Microsoft is probably trying to get rid of stock and will be coming out with something new to replace systems. Just a guess.

I am happy with my PS3 but still want to get an Xbox360, eventually, but waiting to see what Microsoft does with the hardware.

Yay! Now I can finally get my 360!

Europe and Australia, plus Japan, have already got price cuts, remember? Europe back in March, Australia in July, and Japan this week. The 360 now costs the same across all four regions; just do the math and you'll see ;).

It's really sad to see that a much superior device needs to be sold for less than the Wii.

The fact that 360 is cheaper than the Wii will force Nintendo's hand. Unless a customer only wants the Nintendo experience (IPs & waggle), they will opt for a cheaper, better system. This will force Nintendo to:
1) Stock more systems in stores
2) Find another differentiating factor like bundled goods, etc....
3) Release its next version iteration sooner than expected. Per Michael Patcher, WiiHD will be a powerful box.

I think this is a great move strategic move by MS and will finally give the world of gaming a decent chance this Holiday. I hope MS can supply enough 360s, Arcade skus in particular, to meet supply for the next 3 months. I think if they don't, then they will be in big trouble.

Japan & U.S price cuts during an RPG heavy season is a nightmare. Combine that with sold-out Japanese stores now and MS could be in Nintendo's position this holiday (demand>supply).

Jeez, I don't know the ps3 prices off hand but the gap in prices must be widening quite a bit.

As for the wii,I hope the consumer is smart and pays less for a HD system with DVD playback to say the least.

Or maybe nintendo will bundle wii play with the wii systems now....ugh

Fact 1: Not everybody cares about HD
Fact 2: Every person in the known universe who is buying a game console already owns at least one DVD player

The desperation of PS3 trolls stalking these forums makes me feel all warm inside. :3

Microsoft Japan is already actually paying people to take the machines, with little success. "We hope more people will be able to enjoy Xbox 360," said marketing marketer Takashi Sensui, "and we can stop enjoying quite so many of them. We also have this fine pile of HD-DVD drives ... Wait! Come back!" http://notnews.today.com/?p=63