celador said:
RJ_Sizzle said:
If they don't drop the price, I'm sure it's because they don't want to agitate Microsoft into doing something extremely desperate. MS is already at a point where not only is the price of the XB1 bundles cut, but they're throwing in free controllers, extra games, gift cards, giving free access to EA Access and whatnot. Walmart's free Xbox One extras seems to have turned into a permanent deal, for example. http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=xbox%20one&typeahead=xbo
MS is willing to race Sony to the bottom, where as Sony seems to want to stay profitable. Everything is riding on Halo 5 for the future of the Xbox One. To challenge that could end up being costlier than they expect in the long run. A beleagered MS could just say, "screw it" and either eat losses like crazy by going full fire sale, or, worst case scenario, they go nuts and try to jump start a new gen early deciding they can take the hit on another go around. Reapeating the process they did last gen with the 360. Go in early and cut deals to try and cripple Sony again.
MS's current goal, according to Michael Pachter, who's quoting MS brass, and even Phil Spencer himself, is to "win". Win in quotes because that means they're really only concerned with the US/UK market right now. My guess is to create a cascading effect of word of mouth from the English speaking world toward Xbox One. But Sony has to do something. Having a competitor gain ground in a market is one thing, but, not trying to expand your potential consumer base with an accessible retail price is another.
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MS could do a lot of things, but no matter what they do I don't think Sony should stay still much longer. The console was making profit over a year ago and has recently had it's production costs lessened again, so I don't think Sony will have to compromise between install base and profit too much. Throw in a plus subscription and a game and they will still make money on each purchase. Whatever happens it should be an interesting time for sales.
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I think Sony know when they will do a price cut, and are not willing to let MS dictate the terms of when they will do it. I really think they will do it this year, after the cost cutting of the units, it seems likely.
I agree with RJ_Sizzle... Sony dont want a race to the bottom, they want to control the terms of the price cut. Yeah throw games in and add value, increase the hard disk size, sometimes give offers. It's smart, Sony know MS is desperate to try and dictate the terms, but as the leader they dont need to rush into anything.
