Global Hardware 18 May 2019

[COKTOE]

RolStoppable said:

COKTOE said:

I'm going to address this SAD situation one more time before moving on: Terrible execution. A lower price should have been THE hook for that particular SKU and it's not difficult at all to find the undeniably superior XBO-S for less than the SAD. The 3 digital pack-in games are all on Game Pass....outstanding. And that name. That name and the acronym that accompanies it. Did nobody at Xbox catch this? SAD has become the defacto way of referring to it. Not just on gaming forums, but by youtube content creators, and even the gaming press.

It exactly happened how it was explained: Removing the disc drive won't reduce the retail price because any retailer with a brain will demand a hefty profit margin to put it on shelves, because no customer will buy physical games for such an SKU.

It's an idea that cannot be executed well. If Microsoft gifted the SKU to retailers, it would be available for a lower price than other SKUs, but that in turn makes it a financial nightmare for Microsoft. It's an idea where always at least one of the involved parties (console manufacturer, retailer, customer) gets screwed over, unlike the regular way of selling a console where it's possible for all parties to be winners.

Mmm. Yes. I did completely forget about the retailer variable. What you say makes sense, but is there verifiable information to support it? If XBO hardware sales were increased from this SKU at a lower price point, and the retailer was profiting from each unit sold as it does, presumably, from every XBO SKU, would this not be a positive? Broker a deal. Shift orders slightly from software to hardware.

Assuming you're bang on correct, it's even worse than I realized.....So, such a concept, one that cannot inherently be executed well, went ahead for what reason(s) in your opinion? It's my day off and I'm exhausted. Be nice Rol.