Price Drop official.

[RockTheCasba]

i saw this one coming from a mile away didnt see it coming with the madden release tho.


It's Official: Xbox 360 Sees Price Drop
All system types to see cost reduction.
by Jeremy Dunham

August 6, 2007 - Microsoft has just given word that it has officially dropped the price of the Xbox 360 by $50 U.S. dollars to coincide with the release of Madden NFL 08. Beginning August 8, the "Premium" system will retail for $349.99 (down from $399.99) and will still come complete with a headset, controller and 20GB hard drive. The Xbox 360 core system, which is the system only, has dropped $20 itself -- down to $279.99 from $299.99.

In "special package land," gamers with extra money to spend can pick up the Elite version of the Xbox 360 for $449.99 (down thirty bucks from its original $479.99 pricing). The Halo 3 Xbox 360 will ship in September for $399.99.

"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."

Expect more should it develop.

[l Maximus l]

It's smart....get it going before Christmas....the 360 will be the system of choice. I mean, why would anyone drop $600 for a PS3 only to play the same exact ports that are found on the 360?

This was Microsoft's problem when they launched the Original XBox. They got a lot of PS2 ports eventhough the Original XBox was a lot stronger technilogically. 3rd party developers want to make games that they can streamline to competing consoles, especially if there are no exclusive contracts. Exclusive contracts have 3rd party companies making a ton of money from the console manufacturers. I'm sure Tecmo with their next gen Ninja Gaiden on the Original XBox got some serious coinage to go exclusive...

[Conchord]

It's smart....get it going before Christmas....the 360 will be the system of choice. I mean, why would anyone drop $600 for a PS3 only to play the same exact ports that are found on the 360?

Blu-ray?

[CrazyCougar]

That sure aint enough reason to put down $600 for a PS3. Blu-Ray will not be accepted by the general public, its only a matter of time. This is Sony's modern day VHS Beta or Mini-Disc. They want to push a format onto people that we dont want or need.

[MixMasta]

i have yet to purchase a next gen system, because i dont have the same amount of free time as i did

but with halo 3 on the horizon, i planned to get the 360 premium sometime between now and the holiday season, as i was expecting the price cut

i have the opportunity to get 28% off the 360 premium (new credit card deal at meijers) bringing it down around 250, i could also get the elite for around 335, but im trying to spend the least amount possible

my question is should i pull the trigger now? i hear people talking about the falcon chips in the new systems, but the 360s now have a three year warranty, so i don't know if that is even something to worry about anymore

my roommate this fall just bought a wii, and we are getting a 42" plasma for our room, so it would be nice to have another solid system to take advantage of it....would the elite be worth it? whats the deal with HDMI connectivity, if i go with the premium, what besides the 120gb hd do i lose out on?

[thatdude222]

well, ps3 is 500 bucks now, there was a price drop. good idea, though.

[l Maximus l]

Mixmasta...HDMI is a pure digital signal that is superior to Component Video (the blue, red, and green video inputs). It can also produce 1080p seamlessly, that is if the game disc supports 1080p and the new plasma supports the format, too, of course.

[MixMasta]

Mixmasta...HDMI is a pure digital signal that is superior to Component Video (the blue, red, and green video inputs). It can also produce 1080p seamlessly, that is if the game disc supports 1080p and the new plasma supports the format, too, of course.

So if the TV I will be using in my room is a 42" Hitachi Plasma 1080i the HDMI input won't make a difference. We would be getting a 1080p, but the price difference plus the fact that besides gaming and movies, 1080p won't make a difference with the current broadcasting (no stations have 1080p cameras in use yet I heard!)

At this point, I think I will be getting the 360 Premium for the excellent price of $251! I wish I would of jumped on that $150 HD-DVD add-on last week from Best Buy.

[SnoochyBoochy]

the canadian price drop will likely be enough to convince me to pick up another 360 for the house so we can system link with friends over or hop online whenever we want to get owned.

[l Maximus l]

So if the TV I will be using in my room is a 42" Hitachi Plasma 1080i the HDMI input won't make a difference. We would be getting a 1080p, but the price difference plus the fact that besides gaming and movies, 1080p won't make a difference with the current broadcasting (no stations have 1080p cameras in use yet I heard!)

At this point, I think I will be getting the 360 Premium for the excellent price of $251! I wish I would of jumped on that $150 HD-DVD add-on last week from Best Buy.

Even at 1080i, HDMI may look better than Component. Besides, it's nice to have one cable (HDMI does both video and audio) than have 5 total cables with Component (3 video - blue, green, red, and 2 audio - left and right stereo cables).

As for 1080p, you're right. TV doesn't broadcast in 1080p...atleast not yet. Right now, we barely have any channels relative to TV as a whole that run in high definition. But, with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, high definition gaming and movies are very much here...but, even then, not everything is in that level of resolution...we've barely scraped the surface.

I bought my 55" Hitachi Plasma 1080i HDTV less than a year ago. It doesn't produce 1080p...but, I figure I'll upgrade when 1080p becomes more and more popular. I figure, every 5 years, I'll buy a new TV...gotta stay current :)

Oh..by the way, that's a killer price on a 360 Premium!

[Variation-XBA]

Here's the pricing for my fellow Canadianites:

$299 Core
$399 Premium
$449 Halo 3 Edition (single run, so if you want it, get it at launch, no date yet though)
$499 Elite

There you have it, goodbye Sony this xmas~


well, ps3 is 500 bucks now, there was a price drop. good idea, though.

It wasn't a price drop, it's a bait-and-switch clearance price since that model won't be around anymore.


i hear people talking about the falcon chips in the new systems, but the 360s now have a three year warranty, so i don't know if that is even something to worry about anymore

would the elite be worth it? whats the deal with HDMI connectivity, if i go with the premium, what besides the 120gb hd do i lose out on?

You won't see the 65n's impemented for awhile still, and even so, it won't be advertised by MS and do you really care?

Does your TV have HDMI to make use of it from the Elite? Are you going to be ripping a LOT of cd's onto your system to listen to or just stream? Do you plan on using the Video Marketplace (digitially renting HD movies), if no to any of those, then the Elite isn't right for you.

[MixMasta]

Hey Maximus, doesn't look like I need to worry about the Elite vs. Premium!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/08/xbox-360-premium-confirmed-shipping-with-hdmi/

Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed that the 360s in stock are these new ones manufactured July 4th or later. If not, I guess I will just buy it, and hold on to it until they have them in stock.

Annd Variation, I think these also have the new chip in them as as well, haven't confirmed it yet but I will let you know if I find something on that too.

[Conchord]

What is the incentive here to all the people that put the 360 in the top spot in the first place - the people who purchased first run 360's? No HDMI, malfunctioning systems, expired warranties, and no option to buy an Elite system?

[MixMasta]

To be an early adopter, to be able to play all the new next gen titles before everyone else...its a risk to get new technology first, but there are always benefits.

[ChessPieceFace]

I am an early Xbox 360 owner it doesnt bother me that much. I was thinking about getting HDMI for my projector, Im glad that I can get a premium and get it instead of an Elite because I really dont use the hardrive space.

[Variation-XBA]

I'm waiting to see if these are the 65's, but I'm almost certain I remember being told they won't be on shelves till Spring-ish. Who knows, if so great, if not at least people are getting the HDMI option.

Remember that the HDMI premiums WON'T have the cable included like the Elite. If you are going to get one for the HDMI, I'd personally just suggest getting the Elite due to Cable + much larger HDD for less than you'll pay for the cable most likely (Haven't seen a sku on the cable itself yet, since it's propiatory)