IncGamers

Michael Pachter has made a prediction regarding the retail model of Microsoft’s next console, which most of us are calling the Xbox 720 until we know any better.

Pachter, gaming analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes that Microsoft will adopt a pricing model similar to that of a smartphone – with a low up front cost and a rolling subscription.

“I think Microsoft’s got it right [with their console strategy], and I think Sony will keep plugging away because they have an integrated strategy across all of their consumer electronic products. Microsoft, they have a strategy to take over the world.

“Console will have to be multiple purpose devices, though. The Xbox 720, this is my prediction, is going to be your television as well [as your game console]. You’ll be able to tune into television through it.

“You wont need a ‘smart TV’ when you’ve got an Xbox 720, it will be your television and your internet. It’s going to be open architecture and I think it’s real trick will be that one Xbox will be able to display television to as many screens as you have in your possession.

“The next Xbox will be Windows for sure, and you’ll be able to open up multiple TV channels in different windows and you’ll use SmartGlass to shoot off different channels to how ever many screens you want. That is happening, that I’m certain of.

“I’m pretty confident that in the US Microsoft is going to partner with a cable TV provider, so I expect that the console will be priced like a smart phone. I expect you’ll be paying $99 for the console with a cable TV subscription.”

Pachter’s word came during his session today at the Evolve conference.

Yeah, there was a deal like this very lately, where you got a 99$ xbox slim+kinect as long as you bought a 2-year Gold membership (15$ per month).

I personally see it upped to 199$ as a new console w/ gold subscription (the 360 99$ deal is 200$ saved off the 299$ price), since a new vanilla console would be say 399-499$.

I agree they could likely follow this strategy widely in the US at least. Do we know how the 99$ 360 deal worked for MS? Did it sell well?

Anyways, none of this is really groundbreaking stuff, but he could be right on this one. The rest about MS dominating and Sony plugging away is just more of his wishful MS fanboy thinking (he is either a MS fanboy or at least sold out to them due to company ties of sorts).

$100/a month for 6 months.. or $15/a month for 10 years...

I'd say its likely that the Nextbox will eventually be able to watch television. Not sure when and not sure the price though. I hope the PS4 implements this feature as well. Would be pretty cool.

It would be awesome if it could even give you an opinion on the shows it watched.

More like Rob the Robot, but better :)

Micheal is a idiot, I'm sorry but the $99 dollar deal has went over bad. Also if this was to happen and they force me to choose my tv provider just to game, I will not be buying MS anymore. Sorry but I like to game just to game. I like my smart tv and thats just it. People already have smart TV's and lots of them have sold. WHy do I need a machine if my tv already does it. gaming and tv should be kept seperate and people will feel the same. Lets say they want to do this. What if I want to go to a friends house? or the damn tv goes out. WiiU is starting to look really good if this is the case. You want to have tv at your house, call directv or who ever you want because this is bad for gaming. I game to game, not to do all this sh-t my tv already does. I have last Fm on my tv and all that. My tv has made my Xbox multi media not necessary but does that stop me from gaming and using it for what it is for? no It doesn't. However as much as micheal has been wrong, I highly doubt MS will be that stupid to basically give a ultamatum.

God I would love to be pachter, Just seat around and make up bull sh-t all day. I'm starting to think pachter get told stuff to see people's reaction. So if there is a good reaction then they will go wtih it.

It may be an amazing idea from a business standpoint, but how many core gamers will be interested in getting a TV suscription to be able to play games? I wouldn't be interested in this in the slightest.

If Sony went this route I would move on to Nintendo.

Anyway, it's Pachter, so the chances of this being true are slim.

I know this is a rumor, but this whole subscription idea sound like a "potential" bad idea: I mean say if the next xbox cost about $200 to make and they sell with a $99 subscription and after a month or two the buyer just stops paying....MS has lost about $70 assuming it was $15 a month like the current deal.(all hypothetical of course)

maybe I just threw out some horrid business analogy...i just don't want so see MS losing money.