Official Xbox 360 price cut details and new SKU

[KnackChap]

Official Xbox 360 price cut details and new SKU

 

 

Xbox 360 Console Now Offers Triple the Storage

 

Published July 13, 2008

 

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

 

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

 

"We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we're giving it to them at no extra charge," said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. "No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you'll have three times the storage to manage all that great content."

 

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft's Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

 

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

 

* Xbox 360 console: The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.

* 60GB Hard Drive: The 60GB detachable hard drive allows you to save your games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos, and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.

* Upscaling DVD Player: With an HDMI cable (sold separately), watch your favorite DVDs in near high-definition using the upscaling capabilities of Xbox 360.

* Xbox 360 Wireless Controller: This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller features the Xbox Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of up to 30 hours on two AA batteries.

* Xbox 360 Headset: The headset lets friends and family around the world chat while playing games, watching movies, or sending voice messages on Xbox LIVE.

* Xbox LIVE Silver Membership: For no additional cost, Xbox 360 owners can chat with friends online, collect Achievements to improve their Gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, and purchase or rent HD movies and TV shows, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade. (Broadband Internet access required.)

* One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold: An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, and chat with an entire group of friends at a time.

 

 

in short

arcade - $279 (20$ price cut)

20 gb - $299 (50 $ price cut till stocks last)

60gb - $349 (same as 20gb before price cut)

120gb elite - $449 (no price cut)

[KnackChap]

[AtheK]

^^ hahahaha where do you find all those image from KC

[ctrl_alt_del]

I can't understand what is funny here?

 

Somebody please enlighten me.

[tesla]

It seems the price cut will not affect the Indian pricing at all. We do not have the arcade system here and the 20GB premium console will disappear as out of stock. So it will be 27900 for the 60GB version a few days from now.

[Keyofx]

^^ You ask that like you expect a half decent answer

 

ROFL @ KC's image though. hehehe.

[MarketTantrik]

I can't understand what is funny here?

 

Somebody please enlighten me.

Just the response of a hardcore cynic.

[CarbonCore]

I can't understand what is funny here?

 

Somebody please enlighten me.

 

Its a fake price drop, more like clearance sale. There was similar response like this when Sony dropped the price before last E3, only to raise it back again. Also the difference between Arcade and 20GB sku now is 20$, but the standalone hdd still costs four/five times that.

[ctrl_alt_del]

A fake price drop? But the consoles will be available for lower price, even if it is till stocks last which is good news any which way you decide to see it.

[AtheK]

isnt it good for gamers anyway..so what is the hue and cry...plus i think we should stop fighting on this as it is all for US ppl not for us mortals here in India...

 

Happiness is if this reflects in India also and we see a price drop here and we get arcade here for a good price...

 

stop fighting for a US price drop...IT JUST DOES NOT EFFECT US.

[Don Karnage]

Well isn't that surprising, in effect there's no price cut. Just a clearance sale that will probably not even come into effect in India. KC's image is right

[HundredProofSam]

Dizzy From The Spin

 

Spin, spin, spin! The E3 hype machine is starting a bit early this year with some mighty spin coming from Redmond, Washington.

 

Microsoft announced a few things “officially” this morning, including the “temporary” price drop of the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro model… I say temporary because this is nothing more than a clearance sale to purge those models from the pipeline. The only way to get rid of those in any speedy fashion is to lower the price and entice retailers to add their own incentives to them in the form of “bonus” gift cards. For someone wanting an Xbox 360 and not minding the hard drive is only 20GB* (*barely over half that is usable by you,) then yeah, your deal just got $50 better.

 

If anyone thinks I’m going to let a move like this “slide by” as a “price drop” after all the crap everyone gave Sony about the 60GB PS3 price drop being a clearance sale, well… that’s just not going to happen. This is 100% “turnabout is fair play” and 0% related to my dislike for the 360. I love tossing Xbot logic back in their own faces. They usually resort to ALL SORTS of hilarity when that happens.

 

In addition to lower the price (temporarily, remember) of the 20GB model, the announcement from Microsoft also brought some more information with it. With the push(es) for various forms of digital content, apparently Microsoft has deemed it “acceptable” to expand on the “bend over if you want more than 20GB” plan of theirs, now offering a new 60GB Pro model (at $349 or as they say “no extra charge.”) No extra charge? Holy crap Microsoft, you’ve reamed us FOR YEARS on the price of that hard drive… $99 for 20GB of storage space is what you felt was an acceptable and justified price (not to mention $179 for the 120GB model.) “No extra charge,” wow… how blatantly rose tinted that half-full glass of water must be at your mid-day “pat yourself on the back” luncheon.

 

There are still some recently rumored details that were left out of the official announcement such as the price for a stand-alone 60GB drive, or a reduced price for the stand alone 120GB drive, but as of this morning, the contents of the announcement are all we know “for sure.” Don’t get me wrong, this is a relatively positive move, but if the rest of the rumors pan out to match what was announced today, the reaming we’re taking over hard drive prices for the 360 is only marginally better (but still overpriced.) I liken it to someone being tortured every day… they look up to see someone heading toward them with a scroll proclaiming they’ve just been offered some leniency and will now be whipped 10 times a day instead of 30 times. You’ve got to feel somewhat better, but at the end of the day, someone’s still beating the crap out of you.

 

Microsoft… here’s my advice (and this is from someone very critical of you… someone that went in with an open mind and got shafted seven ways to Sunday by you, your console, your customer service, etc.) Drop the frickin’ arcade SKU completely… make EVERY Xbox 360 ship with a hard drive. Stop pricing hard drives like they’re made out of solid gold. Release a hard drive “kit” that ships with just the shell and allows people to add their own 2.5″ drive like Sony has… they’re making you look “redonkulous” (as Frawlz would say) by charging what you are for hard drive solutions. You should be able to price your models ~$50 cheaper than Sony’s PS3 models and do well with that.

 

Bend over backwards to appease the millions of customers that are begrudgingly sticking with you in spite of the crap you’ve shoveled their way this generation. It’s not something to be proud of that your customers are sticking with you after 2, 3, or more failed consoles. They’ve got hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars invested in their 360 systems and libraries… of course a lot of people will still keep going through the send in for repair, wait for refurb that’ll probably fail cycle. They’ve got no other choice! If you keep screwing around, the competition’s going to catch up and you’re probably going to wish you’d done more to erase the bad memories some folks have. Your company mission right now should be to “undo” all the screwups you’ve made and to not only erase the memories of hassles people have had to endure, but to OVERCOMPENSATE to the point that a level headed person would say “Wow, Microsoft’s customer service and policies are really impressive.” Nobody’s ever said that sentence without a healthy dose of sarcasm or a 4 foot long wooden nose, I can assure you.

 

Keep in mind that all these changes and updates to your SKUs do exactly NOTHING for your existing customers… well, except the ones that tire of sending in their failing units and getting refurbs back, selling them off cheap to buy brand new 360s, hoping to get a newly revised model that will be less trouble. You should be ASHAMED of the fact that people do that. I’m not talking 1 or 2 people, I’m talking thousands of people. I could give two sh*ts that you’re bringing new customers into the fold at slightly higher hard drive capacities or lower clearance sale prices… what are you doing for the EXISTING customer? If you mumble anything about expanded install base or software attach ratios, I’d smack you upside your head with a large log… if you were, well, a real person. Nobody cares about those things but you and developers…

[arjunsood2003]

watvr every1 says, this price drop is really gonna boost some sales..even if its temporary

[ЯeVeЯse]

I'd be pretty happy if Microsoft enabled me to throw any random 2.5" hard drive into my 360.

 

A 120GB hard drive for 149$ is quite atrocious.

[KnackChap]

Its a fake price drop, more like clearance sale. There was similar response like this when Sony dropped the price before last E3, only to raise it back again. Also the difference between Arcade and 20GB sku now is 20$, but the standalone hdd still costs four/five times that.

 

pretty much

there is no price drop, its just some ammo so that they can shout about it in their conference.

i'm pretty certain by "till stocks last'' means that they are not going to supply the retail partners with more 20 gb units, the one's already available at the retail channel is the one that wil get the 50$ price cut and once they are gone, its gone.

also microsoft being microsoft can make those 20gb's disappear overnight.

[tesla]

They just cannot afford a price drop before the launch of Jasper. The 65nm GPU should reduce costs. I hope they do not ignore India and announce a price cut in Diwali.

[soni1985]

where can i get cheap xbox 360 in india.

 

pls let me know

[SchizoidFreud]

^ Stop spamming

[Somebody]

E3 '08: 60GB Xbox 360 official, 20GB discounted and discontinued

Following weeks of rumors, Microsoft unveils new console model, prices older SKU to sell at $299--while supplies last.

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot

After long declining to comment on "rumors and speculation" about the Xbox 360's $299 price cut--even when such "rumors" came from the Wall Street Journal--Microsoft has finally come clean. Today, the company formally announced it is dropping the price of the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro to $299 in the US and Canada, down $50 from its prior $349 cost.

 

However, the price cut isn't as straightforward a story as had been assumed. In a move reminiscent of Sony's discounting and then discontinuing of the 60GB PlayStation 3 at last year's E3 Media & Business Summit, the $299 price point will only be in effect while supplies last. That's because Microsoft is phasing out the 20GB 360 and replacing it with a long-rumored new model with a 60GB hard drive. The 60GB 360 will go on sale in "early August" at the 20GB's former $349 price point.

 

In a press release titled "Xbox 360 Console Now Offers Triple the Storage," Xbox director of product management Albert Penello played up the fact the 60GB 360 will cost as much as the 20GB used to. "We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we're giving it to them at no extra charge," he said.

 

Contrary to other rumors, Microsoft is not discounting its other two Xbox 360 models: The $279 hard drive-less Arcade and the $449 120GB Elite. Today's move will likely only have a temporary effect on the current console sales struggle, which has seen the PS3 running neck-and-neck with the 360 this year. Currently, Sony's non-backwards-compatible 40GB PS3 costs $399, while the full-featured 80GB PS3 retails for $499. The cheapest and most popular console on the market remains the single-SKU Nintendo Wii, which retails for $249.

 

Microsoft UK has confirmed to GameSpot that the price cut and new model are not currently plannned for Europe. A spokesperson said, "’The 60GB Xbox 360 and the 20GB clearance sale are for the US only. We have not announced any changes in Xbox 360 offerings or pricing in Europe."

[tesla]

As someone pointed out rightly before the prices of 60GB 80GB and the 120GB HDD units is on the higher side. This is where their profit lies. When someone sells a console at a loss its the accessories where they can make up for their losses. In fact it is due to the sales of accessories that Microsoft's entertainment division is in the green.

 

They need to ensure the die shrinks happen without any delay which will reduce the cost of manufacturing the console. Only then they can even think of a price cut. Having said that I'm sure a price cut will be announced this holiday season but announcing it early will lead to stall in sales.