Critical Xmas for the Xbox360 ???

[Dodece]

I do not question the lineup being a valid strong feature of the 360 this holiday season. However I must question the lineup in comparison to the price of the system. Sure many of these games will give people an impulse to buy the console. However the price point on the system will curtail that desire. The price of both high end consoles effectively pushes them out of impulse range for most consumers.

I get the strong impression that Microsoft is still playing Sony and not playing Nintendo. Sony has a valid reason to play Microsoft they have no choice in the matter really. They are both high end machines and they have no chance to compete with Nintendo on the price front.

Microsoft does have a choice however to choose who it is competing against. All they need to do is get their price and value in line with the Nintendo console. Then consumers will have to make a choice between the comparative strengths of two consoles. Even if they cannot beat the Nintendo they can at the very least open their market up to more casual players. They would avail themselves of a much larger audience. Much sooner then Sony can.

With the current price drop rumor showing a less then compelling price point for casual players. You get the feeling like it is close but no cigar time at Microsoft. Sure a price drop might stimulate sales as the system enters the price range of fence sitters. However if the price point entered the Nintendo price territory I could have seen a jump of a million units per month world wide. I feel they would be lucky to get a quarter of that if the rumor pans out.