Joystiq

4GB Xbox 360 arrives in Japan on Sept. 9

JC Fletcher — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Microsoft is launching its cheaper 4GB XBox 360 S in Japan on September 9. It'll sell for the same ¥19,800 ($235) price as the original Arcade system, and will come packed with a wireless controller, AV cables and an AC adapter. No big surprises. It makes even more sense to have a cheaper Xbox bundle in Japan than it does here, since Microsoft has to do something to try to sell some of these.

What is a bit more surprising, considering the stealth launch of the accessory in America, is that Microsoft officially announced a separate 250GB hard drive for Japan at the same time. The ¥15,540 ($184) price is a good indicator that people should seriously just buy the 250GB Xbox 360 bundle.

4GB Xbox 360 arrives in Japan on Sept. 9 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle discounted to $249.99 at Amazon

David Hinkle — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:20:00 EST

If you pounced on what was already a good deal for the Final Fantasy XIII bundle, then we apologize, because it's been discounted again. Amazon has knocked another $50 off the price tag, bringing the console down to a very appealing $249.99. For a 250GB HDD, two wireless controllers, a copy of Final Fantasy XIII and the console itself (plus the custom faceplate, which Amazon is still throwing in), that's a damn good price -- even if there is a sexier, slimmer console on the block now.

Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle discounted to $249.99 at Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon's FFXIII 360 bundle to include UFC 2010 and Bioshock 2 on August 2

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:20:00 EST

Amazon's upping the ante to try and move more units of its recently discounted Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle. According to the retailer's Twitter account, the $300 package will come with free copies of UFC Undisputed 2010 and BioShock 2 when purchased this coming Monday.

Continue reading Amazon's FFXIII 360 bundle to include UFC 2010 and Bioshock 2 on August 2

Amazon's FFXIII 360 bundle to include UFC 2010 and Bioshock 2 on August 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has confirmed the inevitable to Joystiq: Xbox 360 Memory Units and the 120GB hard drive are being phased out. Acknowledging what's been in the stars since February, the Xbox spokesman stated that "the channel is being drained" of the storage options. The same goes for Memory Units, which, after today's official announcement of USB support, makes the MU even less useful.

This makes the $130 250GB HDD the primary option ... well, at least until this fall, if the Xbox Slim comes to pass.

Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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120GB Xbox 360 hard drive drops to $99.99

Justin McElroy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:25:00 EST

With the new 250GB 360 hard drive moving into the price territory once occupied by the 120GB drive, it should come as no surprise that the old model is getting a price cut. In fact, we're a little surprised it's not getting more of one. Microsoft just told us that the price on the 120GB HDD has been cut to $99.99, effective immediately. Microsoft tells us the drive is available at that price "while supplies last," so it sounds like they may not be on the market all that much longer.

In case you're bad at math, that's $0.83 per gigglebyte on the old model and $0.52 for the new. In case you're bad at Newegg searches, those are both still bad prices.

120GB Xbox 360 hard drive drops to $99.99 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard [update]

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST

While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price).

Though it's odd to see an official reveal through the Xbox Dashboard, we have been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- listings even popped up on retail sites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've contacted Microsoft for pricing and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the Dashboard advertisement for you below.

[Update: We've just gotten official word from Microsoft that the 250 GB HDD retails for $129.99 and should be available today.]

Gallery: Xbox 360 Dashboard with 250GB HDD ad

[Thanks Rodney!]

Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3's Torne DVR launching in Japan March 18

JC Fletcher — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST

If you want to pick up the Torne PS3 DVR unit, March 18 is the day to do that. If you're buying a PS3 for the first time and hoping to get the bundle, you should know that the package (which includes a PS3 with a 250GB hard drive and the Torne unit for ¥42,800 or $466.52) will be available in "limited quantities." You should also know that this is designed for Japanese terrestrial TV signals, and isn't likely to work outside of that country.

On Saturdays throughout February and early March, Sony will hold demonstrations of the Torne device in electronics stores in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as Sony's own Ginza Sony Building.

PS3's Torne DVR launching in Japan March 18 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greenberg: No plans for 250GB Xbox hard drive outside of bundles

JC Fletcher — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST

If you've been downloading demos and premium themes at a furious pace in anticipation of an upcoming 250GB hard drive for Xbox 360, you may want to rethink your data footprint. Speaking to Joystiq yesterday at X10, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Product Manager Aaron Greenberg told us that the 250GB hard drive is likely to remain exclusive to limited-edition bundles.

"We did it with the Modern Warfare bundle, which, as people know, was a huge success, completely sold out," he reminded us. "We're excited to bring it back with the limited edition Final Fantasy bundle." Greenberg said that the limited nature of the bigger drive is "part of what makes it special."

Greenberg also mentioned that much of the Xbox 360's functionality, like Netflix, Facebook, and Twitter, and even the Zune Video Marketplace, doesn't require storing big files on the hard drive. "That said, we understand that game demos, a lot of the game add-on content does take up space."

"We're always evaluating," he said, "but for now we feel like the 120 is serving us very well as the standard offering, and then having the 250 as a limited edition is a good balance." Keep some space in your browser cache free for our full interview with Greenberg.

Greenberg: No plans for 250GB Xbox hard drive outside of bundles originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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120GB Xbox 360 HDD discounted in Europe 'while supplies last'

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

According to Eurogamer, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 120GB hard drive has now been discounted to €129.99 ($180) in Europe and £79.99 ($125) in the UK. Curiously, the Microsoft representative appended "while supplies last" to the announcement, implying that the 120GB won't be around for much longer. This news comes on the heels of a standalone 250GB hard drive being announced for Japan. When asked whether that drive would release outside of Japan, Microsoft informed Joystiq that it had nothing to announce at the time.

If the separate 250GB drive did become available elsewhere and the 120GB were discontinued, consumers would have to choose between 60GB and 250GB add-ons. As Microsoft's typical strategy has been to replace the lowest end of its hardware spectrum, it would make more sense to discontinue the 60GB drive instead.

Then again, as we've learned time and again, sometimes that strategy can be typical Microsoft.

120GB Xbox 360 HDD discounted in Europe 'while supplies last' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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250GB Xbox 360 HDD headed to Japan in March [update]

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST

Update: When asked whether the 250GB drive would release outside of Japan, Microsoft has informed Joystiq that it has "nothing to announce" at this time.

Microsoft has announced (translation) that it will release a standalone 250GB hard drive in Japan later this year. The drive - which carries a price tag of ¥15,540 (~$170) - is set to be released on March 11. On the same day, the company will also be releasing the Wireless Controller Game Pack and the Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter.

This will mark the first time that Microsoft has released the 250GB hard drive as a standalone product. Thus far, the 250GB model has only been available as part of certain bundles such as the Modern Warfare 2 bundle released in 2009. Previously, Microsoft's Albert Penello noted Microsoft didn't have any specific plans to release the 250GB drive by itself, though he did note the possibility. While this particular drive is currently slated only for Japan, it seems likely that other territories will follow.

We've contacted Microsoft regarding any North American or European release plans and will update this post with any new info.

250GB Xbox 360 HDD headed to Japan in March [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 'super elite' 360 bundle bound for Australia only, EA says

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:15:00 EST

EA has confirmed it will only be shipping its $600 AUD ($550 USD), 250GB HDD-equipped "super elite" Xbox 360 bundle (breath) to Australia, according to a report from VG247. "This is a local bundle deal that the [EA Australia] team has sorted," an EA representative explained.

The bundle is said to contain two black wireless controllers (standard Microsoft issue) and a wired headset; a regular, non-fancy copy of Mass Effect 2; an Xbox 360 Elite (sans promotional artwork, unfortunately); and a 250GB HDD. Just like the Modern Warfare 2 "Super Elite" console, we imagine supplies will be limited -- to Australia, in this case.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 'super elite' 360 bundle bound for Australia only, EA says originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony: 250GB HDD + Uncharted 2 PS3 bundle 'complete fabrication' [update]

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:20:00 EST

A PlayStation 3 Slim bundle containing a 250GB hard drive and Uncharted 2 was leaked by an anonymous tipster at Engadget. Though no price or release date info was provided, Engadget was able to independently confirm the bundle's legitimacy. We've reached out to Sony for comment ~~and have yet to hear back as of publication~~ [see update below], though a representative from Uncharted 2 developer Naughty Dog had yet to even hear of the bundle.

Considering we heard about the larger hard drive nearly a month ago via an FCC filing (those things don't lie people!), we're pretty sure the Sony's just holding off on an announcement until the Tokyo Game Show next week. Those three UK-based PS3 bundles now seem to be that much more likely, don't they?

Update: Sony America says, "That tip is a complete fabrication." To be clear, this statement does not represent SCE (Japan) or SCEE (Europe), though it does absolutely deny the existence of any 250GB PlayStation 3 bundle in the US this year.

Sony: 250GB HDD + Uncharted 2 PS3 bundle 'complete fabrication' [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Germany lists Xbox 360 with 250GB HDD, Forza 3, two wireless controllers, for €280

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:45:00 EST

After being the first major retailer to release info on the PS3 Slim before Sony itself had announced the system, Amazon Germany is at it again, outing a 250GB Xbox 360 model for 280 euros ($379). An eagle-eyed Engadget tipster spotted the listing, which includes two wireless controllers and a copy of Forza Motorsport 3 in addition to the massively embiggened hard drive.

Since Forza 3 won't be hitting shelves until October 23 in Europe, it stands to reason that this listing represents a deal still a few months off, though Microsoft could very feasibly release this new SKU (sans accessories) earlier. On the subject of new Xbox bundles, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told us in an interview yesterday that, "I'm sure there will be different offers depending on where you go and what time of the year it is." Looks like we've found at least one bundle so far! We've contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this post when we know more.

[Via Engadget]

Amazon Germany lists Xbox 360 with 250GB HDD, Forza 3, two wireless controllers, for €280 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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