MS actually does have alot of their games @ $50. Blue Dragon was/is $50usd @ launch, and Viva Pinata was as well.
About my "60% of the reason Wii is selling well is because of the price":
We can assume through all the research that under $300 is the "mass market price". The issue with the Wii is, although it's definately not the cheapest console made in any generation (if anything, it's the most expensive console ever for an entry into next-gen @ $249 usd), the fact is, the other consoles are FAR more expensive. Last gen, the initial prices ranged from $200 for a Gamecube in Oct. 2001, to $300 for a PS2 in the same year. By May 2002, consoles were a mere $150-$200 from the GC to PS2/Xbox.
Thus far, this gen, consoles are $249-$600. Thats a huge jump. 25% increase on the minimum, and a 100% increase on the maximum. Considering the next cheapest entry (true entry) is the X360 Premium @ $399, that's $150 more, and out of the "mainstream" price range.
Also, about the tier pricing.
There was a quite over at NeoGAF, from someone that had a "reliable" source (go figure).
At any rate, this source at MS has stated what I've been saying since the drop was announced: They are clearing out inventory of non-Falcon models. Once the Falcon launches, they are going to drop the price another $50 on all models. Not only this, Microsoft will be MAKING money on the $299 premium. This is the exact reasoning why H&E said they would make the X360 profitable by Q4 2007 - a $299 premium that makes MS money.
He also said pricing on the Core/Elite was not taking a $50 drop. It was going to be $279 for core, and $449 for the Elite, as they are not as popular (production-wise), and far less inventory to clear.
Again, it's all rumor from a "reliable" source, but these are the same resources that said we'd see a MS pricedrop by August 1st....Which we did.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
