By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Microsoft - Will the $199 price for the 360 cement its place as 1st place HD system?

crumas2 on 25 August 2008

This should open up the console to large numbers of buyers who won't touch a console until it reaches that psychologically magical



Around the Network
HappySqurriel on 25 August 2008

If they were hitting $199 for a fully-functional XBox 360 (with a hard-drive) heading into the holiday season last year, when the XBox 360 hit its peak (in terms of software advantage), then it would have cemented its place as the first placed HD system ... Now, the XBox 360 has been on the market for 3 years and is heading into its fourth holiday season and only the undesireable "gimped" system will be under $200. As time passes the XBox 360 is becomming "old-news" rather than being seen as a high tech product, and by the time the "Real" XBox 360 becomes affordable enough for people to buy it they won't want it anymore.



woopah on 25 August 2008

it will help certainly but PS3 will continue to win in Japan and others



 nintendo fanboy, but the good kind

proud soldier of nintopia

 

celticlonewolf on 25 August 2008

There is a couple of points Id like to add and that is:
1) I really think you have to look at all the games the 360 has to offer not just whats coming out when considering the new price point. There are many people out there that want to play games like call of duty 4 Bioshock etc but cannot go out and puy the money for a hd console this price point will alllow them to do just that.
2) People keep going on and on about the 199 being the "gimped" machine and because of that people wont buy it. Again it brings the machine down to the range people can afford and gimped or not you can still play all the games you have read or heared about. Remember the hard drive really is only needed for online stuff and we know there are millions and millions of 360 owners who dont touch the online gaming.
3) MS has annonced already for EU the starter bundle where you get 60gig hard drive 3months xbox live and a head set. When MS brings that here to the NA and at the rumoured price point(100) it will bascily allow arcade owners to upgrade to pro without any extra cost but can be done in steps instead of one lump cost.
4) Last point we have to remember is that the other skus are coming down in price to this will also boost sales.



montrealsoon on 25 August 2008
crumas2 said:
This should open up the console to large numbers of buyers who won't touch a console until it reaches that psychologically magical <$200 price-point.

This is just the way things work.

 

That might have been the psychologically magical price-point a half decade ago, but the fastest selling console is currently doing so at $249.

 

Having said that, I'll be picking one up this autumn...



Around the Network
Paul_Warren on 25 August 2008

No



My most anticipated games:  Whatever Hideo Kojima is going to do next, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Gran Turismo 5, Alan Wake, Wii Sports Resort.  Cave Story Wiiware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqqLMgbtrB8

rocketpig on 25 August 2008

No, it won't "cement" it, but it will help. I expect the PS3 to keep creeping up on the 360 until the new Xbox is released. The question remains whether MS will be able to maintain a lead up until that point.

A price drop is badly needed in America. If MS is to offset Sony's advantage in Japan and Europe, they need American sales to jump again... The market for a $350 Xbox is stagnating in this country. But, if a price drop succeeds, it will be because of the 60GB model, not the Arcade.




Or check out my new webcomic: http://selfcentent.com/

Jackson50 on 25 August 2008
Seihyouken said:

1. I think you're underestimating SOCOM. It's always been a succesful franchise and next-gen franchise premiers always sell systems. It's just a question of how many. This is true of Fable II as well, however, unlike the PS3 with shooters, the 360 has already successfully penetrated the WRPG market last year with the release of Mass Effect. Fable II will no doubt sell many consoles, but I don't think it will move quite as many consoles as it would have if it was the first AAA WRPG to hit the system. Saying that Resistence 2 will sell more consoles (Not copies!) than Gears of War 2 is common sense. Just compare the two. 360 has sold 20 million systems as oppossed to PS3 at 15 million. Gears of War has sold 6 million copies as oppossed to Resistance at 3 million. 360 has already had 2 AAA exclusive shooters with Gears of War and Halo 3 and has successfully saturated the shooter market as oppossed to PS3 that has only had 1 AA exclusive shooter, that being Resistance. All of these clearly show that PS3 and Resistance 2 have much more room for growth through the release of a AAA shooter, if Resistance 2 turns out to be one.

I am inclined to disagree with you on Mass Effect adversely affecting sales of Fable II. If a game is making its next-gen debut and it has the hype that Fable II has, a year-old game which has not crossed 2 million in sales will not have an adverse effect on its sales. If that is the case, would SOCOM, which I am underestimating, not have an adverse effect on Resistance's sales? If Mass Effect adversely effects Fable II's sales, I would say SOCOM would do the same to Resistance. If Gears 2 markets itself successfully like it did last time, I have a feeling the excitement along with less expensive SKUs will look appealing to people. That is precisely why MSFT waited until now to drop its price; to couple the effects of blockbuster games with affordable SKUs. I think Gears 2 coupled with cheaper SKUs has more room for growth than the PS3 and Resistance 2.