Everyone has pretty much known it was going to happen since E3, but Microsoft has only just now made it official: the Xbox 360 price has been cut by $50! Effective as of August 8th — just in time for the release of Madden NFL 08 on the 14th — the Xbox 360 will retail at a new low price of $349.99. The Xbox 360 Core System and Elite have also had their prices slashed, both set to begin retailing at $279.99 and $449.99 respectively. The Halo 3-themed 360 console has also now been priced, coming in at a $399.99 MSRP. Damn, Microsoft have a ton of different models to choose from, don’t they? It’s a great range of prices though.
“The fact that we have been able to keep our launch price longer than any other console while retaining our leadership position demonstrates that consumers believe in the value of Xbox 360,” said Mitch Koch, corporate vice president, Global Retail Sales and Marketing Group, Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “On the eve of the best holiday games lineup ever and the launch of Madden NFL 08, there has never been a better time to jump into Xbox 360.”
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Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
I already knew this a long time ago!!! BWAHAHAHA!!! Press releases had been released to Blockbuster stating that they would be receiving shipments of additional popular 360 games due to a price cut coming on August 8th. What’s with the gaming industry being unable to keep a secret anymore? LAWLZORS
Oh well…just means I’m finally going to be buying a 360 core system this year…guaranteed. Oh…and it’s not like this is one of those “hey, we’re gonna do it while supplies last” things that Sony pulled, either.
Wise, Microsoft…very wise.
Everyone has known it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when really. There were already leaked store fliers showing the drop- but the official MSoft press release only just came out to be announced to the public a few minutes ago.
As for the PS3/Sony price drop- stop overreacting to that lol. Once the 60GB model runs out of stock the 80GB price will be cut, so I don’t see what everyone is getting all worked up about over the situation. Just more examples of pointless Sony bashing…
Well Josh, you might not want to speak too fast regarding Msoft not using the price cut to phase a model out like Sony did. There are a lot of reports swirling that the core 360 is only going to be available at the new price until stock runs out. Nothing official yet, but the evidence seems pretty strong from what I’ve read.
While the Core model isn’t the prime point that sells for the most part, you’d be hard pressed to see many NOT buying it with the new price point. $250…same price as a Wii? I mean, it’s nice.
I’m just still not impressed by Sony. I’m not saying the PS3 isn’t impressive, and yes, it’ll definitely pick up. I’m just sitting here thinking “it’s nearly a year and they STILL aren’t gaining a ton of steam like before”. I’m sure the next year will be a great year for Sony, especially since Microsoft is unloading a lot this holiday season, leaving many to wonder what they’ll be able to unleash next season since so many big ones are hitting right now.
However…I started looking at it like this: it’s like the PS2 and Xbox all over again. PS2 launched first before Microsoft, and the head start really helped them keep the overall lead. That’s not to say the Xbox wasn’t an incredible system…but honestly, Microsoft took Sony’s game and pushed them back with it. They said “Yeah, well…we’re launching early, at a lower price point, and stealing your exclusives now…so what are you going to do?” It really is the same war over again, just in reverse.
I’ve given up on saying the PS3 is a crap console…it’s not. They just need more software for the thing, which is where Microsoft is really spanking them right now. Sony will get their stuff done over time…remember, tortoise and hare. However, with the profound lead that Microsoft has…and the fact that they sold just as much in their first year WITH hardware problems galore (and continue to do so) as Sony has done with the PS3…I don’t know.
It’s hard to just outright say Sony is going to lose, because they’ve been the kings for 10 years, ya know? I’m just losing more and more confidence and honestly have no excitement for the system outside of MGS4. Ratchet and Clank is great and all…but I’m still doing well enough with the PS2 ones that I don’t see the point in getting a $600 console for the game. You know what I mean, Matt…I just wish Sony would straighten their shit up and just say “Look, we’ve been fucking up how we’re handling this launch and follow-through. We’re fixing that right now and we’re about to bounce back, so watch out”. If they can give me 10 titles that I can just be like “ZOMFGLEETZOR” for, I might care more. LittleBigPlanet and MGS4 aside…there’s not much. After watching the KZ2 trailer…and all the glitches it had…it took me back to the nightmares of the original.