Reasonable said:
You think MS knew the current econimic crisis was going to hit? Lol! Don't be... well, don't go there. Of course they didn't. They, like everyone else, are taking the hit and like everyone else will see it impact their business. Luckily for them its good for 360, however I suspect PC sales, etc. are going to start slowing down a lot (if they haven't already) and that is sure going to hurt them more than 360 helps them. But for the 360 its good news vs the PS3. But having their price cut (which would have been good for them anyway) happen to overlap with an economic crisis that will drive many shoppers to the lower cost option if one is deemed to exist... that was luck.
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Many of the conditions that were present in the financial markets just prior to the market crash of '29 were present again even back in 2005. Some would argue even earlier. It started at the bottom with the subprime mortgage crisis and eventually worked its way up to the top, which is what the market at large has currently been experiencing.
So sure, many (most?) ignored all the signs in the interest of promoting further growth (backed by toxic debt), but to say that MS planned their video game console (read: toy) price strategy around a projected crash in the market is absolutely ludicrous.
MS, like just about everyone else, lost far more than they could ever hope to gain by selling cheap video game consoles. Don't take my word for it; look at their stock performance. It's the absolute worst it's been in years.
There is no victory here. No clever master planning of scheduling price drops around a tanking economy. Stop giving the MS accountants and financial strategists far more credit than they are due.
It's just good fortune that their product life cycle and the current cost of production has allowed them to price their console the most aggressively.
Like you said: luck. 100%
