Xbox360 Elite to drop to $299 on September 1st

The latest sales papers for the week of 1st September to 7th show the Xbox360 Elite priced at $299 and replacing the current Pro SKU which Microsoft is phasing out.

In a move obviously designed to offset Sony's recent PS3 redesign and price drop, the $299 price point is expected to take effect on the same day as the new PS3 launches - September 1st. The Arcade SKU will remain at $199.

[St0]

lol I thought MS wasn't worried about PS3 slim & price cut.

[bmw69]

Seems they were just saying that :-)

[-EvoAnubis-]

MS is scared as hell; they're not stupid. They're perfectly aware that this year they've only sold 150K or so more units than the PS3, and that was BEFORE the price drop.

Even with dropping the price of the Elite down to the PS3s price, MS still had cause for alarm. At the same price, it becomes even more clear how much more the PS3 is offering than the 360. Free online play, Blu-Ray, Wi-Fi built in, the ability to throw in your own HDD, PlayStation Home, and the best exclusives of the 2009 holiday season.

This is going to be interesting.

[Total_Retard]

ps3 was 400$ 360 was 300$

what was happening again....

[SIX]

It's not like the 360 was unaffordable to begin with.

[chaosatom]

it's the same!

No ads can come out of that.

[Jinxstar]

So you get a bigger harddrive is all right?

[Guido]

What a deal!

/sarcasm

[joydestroy]

haha i saw this coming but they would need to knock another 50-100 off for it to matter.

[plum30]

So when PS3 cuts the price its to benefit the consumer, but when M$ cuts the price its out of fear?? Hmmmm...very interesting.

[Lifendz]

299.99 for PS3 is a bargain compared to 299.99 for an elite. Blu-ray, freely changeable harddrive, free online, exclusive Sony games coming by the boat loads, etc etc.

Yeah, this console war is going to get interesting.

[FlipMode]

Of course its a price cut out of fear they are already the cheapest console.

[raztad]

@plum30

Bro, I think it's not by chance that just September 1, you know the very SAME date the Slim PS3 is coming out, the xbox360 gets a price cut as well :D.

While Sony is acting (showing leadership) Ms is just REACTING. Is MS scared? probably, they have more than enough reasons to be, at least, worried about.

[Kushan]

What makes you so sure that the reason they "aren't worried" isn't because they had a price cut planned the whole time?

[DixieNormS]

But besides us gamers, Not a lot of people know what the fack BLU-RAY is for. So a lot of people are going to look at the games library or the look of the console. And to tell you the truth the Slim is butt ugly. But to each his own. I have my MGS ps3 so I'm cool and have been cool for a year now.

[Pistolero]

When Microsoft said that they aren't concerned about the PS3 Slim maybe it was because they knew that they could stay competitive with a price cut of their own.

edit..."While Sony is acting (showing leadership) Ms is just REACTING."

raztad I'm sorry but that is a weak argument....we could just as easily say that Sony is just responding to Microsoft's earlier price cuts and is the one following. It's not like Microsoft hadn't heard all the rumors about a PS3 price cut just like us...heck they might have had solid inside information and knew it was coming....and they might have had a price cut ready to go to counter Sony.

[joydestroy]

i had to come back just to lmao at this news

[cmrbe]

In that same article MS said they march to their own tune. This is even more confirmation that MS reacts to any action taken by Sony. MS dropped the price of the x360 even below the wii last year and Sony did nothing. Now that Sony drops its price and MS follow suits immidiately?.

Lets see what happens but i doubt this price drop would help them at all.

[iamtehpwn]

You know Microsoft cut the Price of the Xbox360 when Ps3 also dropped to $400, right?

[RememberThe357]

If they didn't lower the price of the Elite they would have lost the affordability argument.

It makes sense that they would lower the price of the Elite to go toe-to-teo with Sony. A battle that I honestly don't see them winning.

But the great thing about business is that as long as you make money your good. And even if the PS3 started to out sell the 360, as long as they keep making money, their straight.

I think they do, however need to make sure they don't loose control of they're business plan because of what Sony or Nintendo does. Sony didn't lower the price of the PS3 when MS lowered their prices because it wasn't in their plan, and now Sony is riding a wave of love into the holiday.

Matched system-to-system the PS3 kicks the crap out of the Elite.

[raztad]

@Pistolero

No need to be sorry dude, you're not offending me.

BTW, that wasnt an argument, it was just my take on MS tactic. See, PS3 has been in $400 (minimum) for more than a year already, Sony is following its own path. MS tactics is just tied to Sony's. Its principle is to be the first (respect Sony) and to be cheapest (respect Sony). It's clear they are just reacting to the PS3 new price scheme.

[table]

yeah I called it. Sony always do their own thing and MS always respond. It's their way of doing business. Not necessarily a bad way but it reeks of desperation every time they act this way. They did the same when KZ2 was releasing and so they moved Halo Wars to be released at the same time. Good for us consumers though.

[lowcarb]

Well with ODST and a price drop around the corner it makes since for Sony to try and steal some thunder back before 360 news starts taking off again.Funny how Sony has to redo the ps3 to get the price down and you guys call MS desperate lol. Also I would prefer all of my 360 features minus rrod over blu ray wifi and free online(which would be nice but nothing to whine about).

[beavis4play]

but, WHAT features (unique to the 360) are you referring to?

[CrazzyMan]

I mean, if M$ at all want to sell elite models, they just HAD TO drop price.
What advantages 399$ costing elite is having against PS3 slim at 299$?
NONE.

[Saint Sony]

Just because my launch day precious went all RROD to me after sweet and lovely 4,5 years.. how rude.

[evrfighter]

"Not necessarily a bad way but it reeks of desperation every time they act this way"

What way is that?

It's no different than how ATI would react if Nvidia dropped the price on a top end GPU or Nvidia dropping the price of theirs if ATI had a better price/performance ratio.

The same goes for M$ vs. Apple in the OS department, AMD/ATI vs. Intel, ATI vs. Nvidia, Samsung vs. Sony...

The console market is big enough to be labeled in that group. We all know this. This was to be expected in the business and common sense world. It's just too hard for fanboys to comprehend I guess =\

[All-3]

LOL - they weren't... because Microsoft always knew it could reduce prices as well. What's hard to understand?

[whoelse]

The difference is that beforehand you could get a good Xbox 360 for $100 less than the PS3. Now, they are the same price, even the same colour.

But what do you NOT get with the 360?
Blu-ray
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Sixaxis technology
Free Online Gaming
Web Browser
Vidzone (Europe)
Best lineup this holiday season
PSOne classics including FFVII

[Game13a13y]

they really had to drop the price otherwise PS3 slim will eat the Elite alive. But even now that the Elite has been lowered to $299, its still not much of an offer compared to the PS3 slim. simply no match especially when games like GT5/Uncharted2/GOW3/FF14/FF13 Versus/Demon's Soul coming out of the horizon. M$ should lower it to like $150 for it to really make an effect IMHO. (no fanboy flame intended)

[aaronisbla]

who said sony had to redesign it to get the price down? last i checked, that price drop is in affect as of now for the older models as well. Plus i find it funny how you make it sounds as if its a bad thing to redesign it, especially since it uses 30 (estimated)% less energy, if you pay your own bills and electricity is one of those, that would be a good thing.

On topic: Microsoft dropped the price to stay affordable with their highest costing unit, plain and simple. Some would call it desperation, some would call it smart planning, whatever. It is what it is. MS knows that having a SKU out there that now costs more than the ps3 wouldn't be a good look.

To those who say MS reacted to this price drop from sony, i say you are right. Maybe not out of desperation, but because they aren't stupid. But honestly its not gonna be enough to curb the new wave sony is riding on as it was already affordable.

Perhaps if they would have just dropped the arcade unit ( quite a few MS fans tend to point out that quite a bit of MS newer sales are from pro and elite units ) and just stick with 2 units with the pro being $199 and the elite dropping to $299, it would have more of an impact. Hell, dropping it elite down to $250 would have been a big blow also

The price drop news was really big, sh!t was featured in newspapers in my city ( chicago ) that normally don't even talk about games in detail.

All that said, i wish some sony fans (read:fanboys) would stop acting as if this is the end of MS and its 360 as we know it, you guys only end up looking a bit foolish in the end

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Desperate? you mean like releasing a PS3 slim at $299?

[Doomsday]

When i read ff7 on your post an interesting question popped in my mind. Do you think anybody bought a ps3 just to replay or just play that game? If so that is really saying something about that game.

[Sarcasm]

MS had better be worried, especially since Sony listened to the consumers DIRECTLY with this ad.

http://www.thesixthaxis.com...

Blu-Ray
Internet Browser
Built-in Wifi
Free Online Gaming
Trophies
Built-in Hard Drive
Photo Slides
Video Chat

and "Now only $299"

As you can see, they finally wised up.

[Sarcasm]

"Desperate? you mean like releasing a PS3 slim at $299? "

PS3 Price cut to $399 was in November 2007. That's 1 year and 10 months ago.

The 360 price drop? Sept 5th. 1 Year ago.

Now they're dropping it AGAIN.

As you can see, Sony drops it when they want to drop it.

Microsoft drops it when Sony drops it.

Follow the leader!

[ps3d0]

Well just goes to show how stupid the TC is and the other fanboys. MS is far from stupid and they do realize what a ps3 price cut will increase the ps3 sells. Are they worried about it not likely. As for the price cut on the elite I doubt it has anything to do with sony and the ps3. MS is pushing more and more for DD on the 360. That means movies, games , DLC , music you name it. However people will only buy what their HDD allows for so a person with a 20gb isnt buying much a person with a 60 gb will buy a bit more but that will quickly fill up too. If people had a 120 gb HDD they buy much more and in turn MS profits will go up.

As for the date well they were doin this anyways so why not take a bit of steam out of sonys price cut.

[All-3]

So Sony was as desperate and scared because it just released a brand new PS3 version with a reduced price? You kids are truly funny.

[AAACE5]

They are competing, so we all knew this would happen.

I couldn't wait, so I went and got a 80 gig Ps3.

[coolirisGB]

LOL at the anger in here like something was stolen from you guys. There were 360 price drop rumors the whole time during the recent Slim rumor mill.

I thought people would work harder and or buy PS3 games even with no games, see what I did there?

Only Sony can reduce the price 5 or 6 times 3 or 4 ways in 3 years. If Microsoft matches the move in a business move it's desperation lol.

Oh Noes! Microsoft didn't react publicly resulting in fanboys not being able to say Microsoft was under pressure. Microsoft is in control not Sony.

[CRAIG667]

how old are ya lad?

[MazzingerZ]

You speak as if every consumer was new into VG, those you're talking about are getting rather a Wii, there are lots that know what BR is.

one could say the same about "XBL Party" or XBL in general, they don't know what the heck XBL is ...some X360 owners think XBL is there since the beginning of time in history books.

If you want to see it in that way, lots of MORE but MORE people know what Playstation as a brand is, that people you talk about, that don't know what BR is, in many cases calls the X360 actually just XBOX and they think is the old console..those are getting a Wii like I said. US is not the world, X360 is not as popular as you think all over the world among average consumers. in many places it's rather X360 "the console that is cheaper than the PS3"

Those deciding TODAY between X360 and PS3 will look at the GAMES LIBRARY, many of those, like you say, might don't know what BR is, but they know what MGS, GT, God of War, Singstar, Buzz, HotShots Golf, Ratchet&Clank, Team ICO is...many of those would had already gotten a X360 if they wanted to....MANY of those are real gamers and already own a X360 and have been looking forward to a more affordable PS3 to enjoy more awesome games

PS3 is reaching now several different consumer groups with this price drop and a NEW MODEL, people don't get it??? it is not the old console, a marketing department, a retailer has it easier to sell a NEW MODEL of a product rather than the same console that it only got cheaper.

you're joking yourself if you think those consumers you talk about were waiting for an Elite price drop...if they don't know about BR like you say then they don't know either anything about "Elites" which the only BIG difference is a HDMI cable included (before at least)...HDMI? BR? what's that?

So in their eyes that X360 console there for 299 is the same one than 2 months ago, the one really getting a price drop is the PS3 or better said, Playstation 3.

People should stoping trying to make consumers appear completely ignorant about features or franchises that PS3 has over X360 but experts in completely new franchises or "XBL Part chat"

Now sales figures will show what consumers really want or prefer or how ignorant they are, I hope people stop talking about sales figures for once and all, this gen has been special annoying reg. in that matter.

Just let both sales their consoles without trying to put down one or the other...I'm repicking up a X360 to play ODST, I love Halo but right now PS3 Slim is the real news and people should just stop trying to take away credit from SONY for coming out with a slimmer model at a cheaper price...those people then should make a fan club for the ATARI CEO in that case as it seems that's the kind of philosphy they rather like.

[commodore64]

I keep reading FUD from extreme Sony fanboys to the effect of '360 only outsold ps3 by 150k/190k units this year'

That is some really creative SPIN going on there.
I have yet to see any evidence, of course, and it speaks loudly about the delusions that are repeated and perpetuated on n4g.

Sounds like a blatant LIE to make 'third year/third place' more palatable, no doubt.

I wonder who started spreading such lies?
Surely not that 'ueber-ps3-fanboy' darkride66?

..figures.

[rockleex]

They'll be losing money for every Elite sold.

Considering how Microsoft has said they're in it to make profit this generation, it just doesn't make sense.

Microsoft has to cut production costs of the Elite. Or release a newer, cheaper-to-build model. Or the Elite really only costs about $299 to manufacture in the first place.

Hmmm, I think I might be on to something. Maybe it was that cheap to build to begin with... considering how much they overcharge for their accessories like the HDDs.

[commodore64]

I find it sad that people are reading my post above and pressing disagree, but STILL NOT providing credible evidence!.

Come on , guys, show me that you have some character!

[vhero]

Either MS is scared or this is one company lowering the price as right now we only know of one company dropping the price. Pick your poison people.

[sonic989]

why they are scared ?
cause the PS3 slim isn't even out yet and not a week old since the announcment
did sony cut the price when the 3fixme was 199.99 $ ( lol cheaper than wii and still fail ) no
but MS has no plan they react only
what a pathetic way huh they were happy when ffxiii was going to the 3fixme Lol ( not even exclusive ) lOl

[Anon1974]

It's funny, because I know full well that he's capable of reading Sony and Microsoft's financial reports - he's quoted them often enough to me. The idea that he has seen no proof that the 360 and PS3 are only 190,000 consoles apart this year is laughably easy to verify and just proves that he doesn't WANT to acknowledge the Truth.
PS3 sales for Quarter 4 and 1 (Jan - Jun) 1.61 and 1.1 million.
360 sales for Quarter 3 and 4 (Jan - Jun) 1.7 and 1.2 million.
I know you know how to verify this. Knock yourself out.

And while your at it, why don't you verify that the more expensive PS3 has outsold the 360 from the start of 2007 till now by over a million consoles? Another truth you might find a little hard to swallow. Here's your credible links.

http://www.sony.net/SonyInf...
http://www.microsoft.com/ms...

I think the 360 is a great console, but I'm skepitcal what impact a price drop on the Elite will have. It's 10 times the console the Wii is, and cheaper yet it's been unable to touch the Wii's numbers. When you can pick a more hardware reliable and Blu-Ray equipped PS3 for the same price as an Elite, who in their right mind is going to pass up that value?

[kunit22c]

Do they think that if someone has $300 if they have the option of getting a PS3 Slim or 360 Elite they will actually pick the 360! lmao no way! and if they do pick the 360 they are incredibly stupid, a PS3 Slim at the price of $300 is a way better deal than a 360 elite at the price of $300.

[commodore64]

Well, i have checked out the reported sku sales of both ps3 and 360 and it seems darkride66 is right!

Of course, I will show some backbone and admit this to be the case immediately. Not sure I can say the same for all the times he's been proven wrong though...

Anyway.

in the last two quarters the 360 did indeed outsell the ps3 by 190000 units!
So i guess i stand corrected on that one.

Just makes me wonder how it can be said that being outsold by 190k units is a good thing at ANY time, let alone when one is languishing in third place!

It is important to note, additionally, that over the last twelve months, the ps3, even with its included bluray movies, its free psn, its KZ2, MGS4 and purported ground breaking exclsuives, was STILL outsold VERY convincingly, worldwide by well over a million units!

It is also sadly a poor reflection on the ps3, which during the ENTIRE time it was outsold during the last twelve months, was also available at the lowest price Sony dared to sell it at, which incurred continued losses for Sony, as is seen in the Sony company reports, repeatedly.

Indeed, it comes as no surprise that with the advent of the PS3 $299 price drop, in a last, desperate attempt to close the sales gap, those losses will be expected to continue.
http://www.examiner.com/x-6...

THAT will be difficult to sell to the shareholders!

[Anon1974]

First off, I'll happily admit I'm wrong, when I'm wrong. I look forward to the day when you actually teach me something, but that day hasn't come yet.

Now, languishing in third place? You've seen the data. You know full well that since the PS3 launched worldwide in 2007 till now it's outsold the 360 by over a million consoles. How is outselling the 360 during that time "languishing"? Only in your mind is outselling the competition a bad thing.

Now, as for the last 12 months we know that's just cherry picking. Just say it, the 360 had a great holiday season due to it's pricecut. The quarter before that it was outsold by the PS3 and in the 2 quarters since then it's been neck and neck. That's simply misleading. I could just as easily point out the PS3 outsold the 360 by over a million consoles in the first 6 months of 2008, and it would be just as meaningless. That's why I look at overall sales, because comparing one quarter to the next doesn't tell the entire picture. And the whole picture proves that since the PS3 launched worldwide, it's outsold the 360. Period.

[MaximusPrime]

seems MS are getting very worried

[plum30]

I thk people are confusing fear with common sense. I'll try and make it as simple as I can. "IF COM-PE-TIT-ER DROPS PRICE, THE OT-HER COM-PE-TIT-ER DOES THE SAME" Look Sony's doing JUST FINE. Why people feel the need that M$ has to fall for Sony to succeed is beyond me.

RememberThe57 makes the perfect argument IMO. M$ is simply doing their job. Don't know where this fear crap is coming from. Heck, if I were M$ Id do the same. The Slim is easily the better deal compared to the Elite, but what remains to be seen is if the majority of consumers will understand that. Personally, I don't see the PS3 moving up from 3rd place, but that won't stop me from enjoying my PS3. Now, if M$ all of a sudden made XBL free, then that would be a clear indication that their scared.

[beavis4play]

why did you split up your words with hyphens? i'm not sure what the point of that was?

[StanLee]

It's funny how PS3 fantards are calling this news desperate when it was all but confirmed before the official announcement of the PS3 Slim and a PS3 price cut. It's funny how the memories of fanboys are very selective. SMH at idiots.

[aaronisbla]

you dont think Microsoft caught wind of all the price drop/ slim rumors and acted accordingly? we all know sony news can't be held secret till its announced, im sure MS planned this knowing the ps3 price drop was coming.

Not that its a bad thing, what other real reason did they have to drop the price? Like RememberThe357 already said up above, its them doing business

Also, when did MS officially announce this? i didnt catch everything at gamescom, did i miss out on something?

[-EvoAnubis-]

Ahem.

Last year when Mi-cro-soft dropped their price, So-ny did no-thing. That's the dif-fer-ence be-tween a foll-ow-er and a lead-er.

I'd have done your all CAPS thing, but quite frankly that's annoying as hell.

[zok310]

When the 360 have been available for $299 since last year? unless there are information missing. $250 Elite would have done wonders for MS and nightmares for Sony. MS seems desperate now, they responded too soon. A $299 Elite pales in comparison to a $299 PS3. Will wait for more info and official announcement, but if true then that was a dumb move by MS.

[locos85]

Exactly what I was going to say. People can go out now and get a new 360 for 299. They couldn't get a new Ps3 for 299 before the price cut. This is basically a new Pro Sku with more memory and different colors. Not earth shattering news.

[3sq]

It's still 299+50 to play online.

[CrashFallen]

its still...

299+$50 online+ $200 for an HD DVD player+ $100 for Wifi+ $20 for a Charge and Play kit....

need we say more...? o_O

[aaronisbla]

oh come on, you cant keep using the add on for hd dvd in these kinda price arguments as gamers wouldn't buy one if they just play games. i do get ur point though, Blu ray is a nice extra

[StillGray]

There's some reports that this might not be official, but I've heard the same news from more private sources. We'll see if it's true.

[bmw69]

I believe it is pretty much confirmed now...

[Masamori Sumimura]

I think that was part of their Plan before the Slim was even in the range.

The new Natal bundle will obviously cost around 299-350 so they need to get rid of all those Elites before moving in the Natal units. That's why they are lowering the price of the elite and With Christmans around the corner this was the best way they could do this.

[Sarcasm]

Yeah sure it was in their plan ALLLLLLLLLLL along.

Let's just completely forget that it's the EXACT SAME DATE as the PS3 slim release date. Especially since noone supposedly knew when the PS3 was going to drop in price. So Microsoft and their moles knew when it was going to drop, and they decided to drop it the same date. Fishy much?

[zok310]

I still think Sony will introduce a $250 model PS3 and use that as a bundle for the motion controller, For Sony $299 will be their set price.

[Total_Retard]

would do it.... still many ps2 users that havnt gotten a next gen system, and i dont mean the 360....

[San Frandisco]

^^Wut a total_retartd

[The-Warranty]

.

[chaosatom]

Otherwise, they be screwed.

[Ninver]

Yeah it won't do sh1t. everyone that wanted a 3fixMe would have bought it along time ago when the Pro was this price.

M$ are f$cking scared and it's showing. They are desperate for a quick sale. This is not the first time they have tried to sh1t on Sony's party brigade. Firts Killzone2 now this lol. F$cking loosers.

[topdawg122]

The slim is still a much, much better deal. any customer who does their research can see this

[50CALheadshot]

included in every box:

loaded with hw problems e74,rrod,disk scratching
no exclusive games
no hddvd
no bluray
xboxlive p2p LAGGGG fees, content fees, fees, fees, fees, fees
no wifi
no hdd
sounds like a effin gokart

aww man, what a GREAAAAAT deal!!!!!!!

[ShadowCK]

All you Playstation Morons aren't explaining in your comments why Microsoft is 'scared' nor why this isn't won't accomplish anything. I can easily counter your statements by suggesting Sony Playstation Slim was an act of fear and desperation by Sony.

Anyway, It doesn't take a genius to understand that Microsoft is doing this to offset Sony's PS3 Slim and for more people lean more towards the Xbox 360 due to being cheaper. Therefore your all wrong, this price cut will accomplish something even if your small brains can't handle it and if you can't admit it then you deserve to be curb stomped.

Good Day.

[50CALheadshot]

a internet gangster....

im really scared now.

but not as scared as the microbot mothership and its butthurt slaves

[Hallucinate]

above...read the comments in the open zone then youll find your definition for MS be scared

[SonyOwnsNextYear]

i predicted this outcome
all the antisony campaigns, early launch, BOUGHT exclusivity...

nothing worked for ms.

i said this would happen.

btw, where did all the xbots go?

[kagon01]

Are there any better news besides this?

[The Killer]

this is why sony is respected, it is because they always lead and have their own plans and strategies while MS is just following the foot steps of sony and try to react to any move sony does!!

lets be honest, MS is sacred the sh!t out of them selfs with ps3 slim at $299!!

the only way MS can really compete is by having xbox 360 elite at $199, other than that there is no real competition!

EDIT

ow and MS didnt have any price cut, they just replaced 360 pro by elite which basically the hard drive difference, so there was no real price drop.

[Atomic]

lol , even at $200 the "not so elite" is less attractive than a PS3 slim

[Double Toasted]

who will make more money?

[FlipMode]

Lol ahahahahaha Now he has to brag about another company making money!

Thats one defeated xbox fanboy.

[Ldubbz]

We've all been hearing for a while now they are phasing out the Pro models. And while I have my preferences, i do own all 3 systems, and I would have to admit MS may have to do better.

Either make LIVE free or include something else. All things being equal, you do get more with the PS3 at the same price point; WiFi and Blu-Ray playback specifically.

I think the Elite will sell well regardless, but it would just be stupid to ignore the PS3's value at the same price point.

I think it should be priced at $249...or maybe even $279.

EDIT

Though MS may be betting on the fact, at least temporarily, that many do not need nor care for Wifi or BluRay, noth of which are not necessary for gaming. But its a factor nevertheless.

[Sarcasm]

They'd have to make Live Free, drop the price of the Wi-fi add-on to Free, and make a Blu-Ray add-on and give it out Free to equal the same value as the PS3.

But just like Paris Hilton becoming a real lady, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

[LordMarius]

Make Live free and give me two games

[Alcohog]

Well if they come down to the same price I guess it just comes down to this:

Do you want a TV dinner or a grilled steak? I'll let you kids fight over which analogy goes to which system. ;)

[Harry_Manback]

Is the tv dinner on fire too?

[Alcohog]

I lol'd

[cmrbe]

needs to bring the cost down to 159 for the arcade and 259 for the elite and free online play for silver accounts to be competitive with Sony.

The hardest part for MS right now is that the PS3 is now affordable and much better value on top of it.

The price difference becomes less important when both consoles approch mass market price and both become affordable.

[Fiona]

both are 300 dollars, but there is no denying it. the ps3 offer more bang for the buck. Blu-ray, wi-fi, free online play. the elites will sell, there is no doubt about that. But sony has a better value at 300 than the elite.

[mrv321]

I have looked around but didn't Microsoft recently discontinue the 'pro' which included no HDMi and at the same removes HDMi from their elites(and component cables which the pro system did have).

Pro=$299
Elite=$399

So we could say this is just a black pro with a upgraded hard drive.

Anyway this is good news especially now those 'Omega4' and 'fanboys' can argue about pure sales... let's just see what happend this Christmas.

[GameHero]

Cut throat strategy!

SLIM FTW!

[KRUSSIDULL]

Think MS should sell Xbox 360 at nearly production cost so they get most of their income from Xbox Live imagine if there was 100 Million Xbox Live gold members...

[mrv321]

What about store mark up? And besides 100 million people... firstly I doubt any current gen consoles will sell that much in the next 5 years(except maybe the wii) and secondly not everyone will go online, most will stay silver I have so will many casual people.

[saimcheeda]

Xbox 360 is definitely over in 2 years!

[-MD-]

"anyway i dont really like insulting or anything..i used to troll in xbox pages but i dont now, im only rude to people who troll in ps pages"

Do you remember writing that? Why aren't you following the rules you set for yourself?

[da720izcumin]

hypocrites...all of them.

[saimcheeda]

.

[rohail88]

I suggest u dont go to ur room to check ur xbox coz it'll have the RROD and u'll have a nervous breakdown!

[Drealmcc0y]

This place is a fvcking joke!

360 has more AAA and AA games *FACT* and a superior online service, why in the FVCK are people saying the PS3 is better than the 360? dumbfvcks thinking PS3 is better lolololololol

Edit: @ Dirty Beaver, O shiiiiiiiiiiit, did i hit a nerve, lmfao!

It must be hard knowing the undeniable facts that 360 has more AAA and AA and the superior online service... you're gonna knock me out AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[FlipMode]

awww

[Ninver]

take that d1ck outta your mouth f@ggot. deal with the heat or go join your delusional bot friends at gametrailers lol. i'd knock you out if you where next to me right now dude.

[Mo0eY]

<<<<<< Nuff said.

[Drealmcc0y]

Yeah 360s hardware isnt very good but we have the best games and online service FFFFFFFAAAAAAACCCCCCTTTTT. Hurts doesnt it?

Besides ive had my 360 just over a year without a hitch

[wxer]

best games and online ??

are you talking about the 100 halo's and the full priced DLC's ??

better online ??

laggy 5 on 5 gears of war says it all

[Darrius Cole]

Can you give us exact numbers on that.

[Saaking]

The 360 is a huge failure.

1. It RRODs, E74s, 54.2% failure rate.
2. Most "exclusives" are also on PC.
3. You have to pay to play online, which is free on PS3 and a million times better on PC.
4.Very little exclusives this year.
5. Overpriced accessories such as HDD and Wifi
6. DVD and hardware limitations.
etc, etc, etc.

Is that good enough for you bot? That's why we say PS3 is better.

[wxer]

@Darrius Cole

Can you give us exact numbers on what you've sayed ??

if its a fact you should support it

and i know cus i got a 360
and i use it equally along with my ps3

i don't see that XBL is better than PSN
the only thing that XBL got is cross game chat
and thats it
every thing that the XBL offers is on the PS3 in some way or another

[Gue1]

Yeah and the X360 has a superior failure rate too. Lol

[nightelfmohawk]

Sorry, M$.

:(

[Double Toasted]

primates on my ignore list...

[TheBand1t]

This is certainly making it enticing for me to buy a 360 to complement my PS3 gaming.

...After I get a new slim, of course. Giving my old model to my cousin. :)

[Playstation4lyf]

lol ms r scared a ps3 4 299 is worth way more then a 299 elite sony are slowly but surely wining keep it up !

[DarthTigra]

Let's go back to before the 360 got it's previous price-cut. The PS3 was outselling the 360 without as many games and at a more expensive price. Now the PS3 and 360 are the same price but the PS3 offers free online and Blu-Ray.

All signs are pointing that Sony's biggest franchise and the biggest franchise between Microsoft And Sony is going to have a release in at least the next 6 months. That along with the price-cut and slim is going to do wonders for Sony and anyone that says otherwise is just In denial. An it's not like the 360 is really getting a price cut anyways all people are getting is the extra 60gbs of memory the HD cables aren't even included anymore.

IMO the PS3 will start outselling the Wii the way things are now but I guess we have to wait till the NPD/Famitsu numbers come out in September,but really I don't think Sony has anything to worry about.

[Jeromejones]

xbox360 Arcade..

Now free with Coco Pops

[Troublesome626]

who cares if they cut the price why would anyone want to buy a console with a 54% failure rate?

[Flawza Motorputt 3]

HA! M$ probably shat enough bricks to build Bill Gates a new mansion.

[TheTruth89]

SCARYYYYYY

[DelbertGrady]

I think most consumers who are looking to buy a 360/PS3 choose the console by the games they prefer and not the price. I know I did. And I know most PS3 owners did as well.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Saaking]

Yea sure. What you're saying is true, but price is also a huge factor. Anyways, Sony would still win on games. What system seller does the 360 have? Everyone who wanted Halo already has a 360. Gears 2 sold the same as Gears 1 which means the same people who bought the first, bought the second and thus a hypothetical Gears 3 wouldn't sell systems. PS3 has got perhaps the biggest game in the world coming and it's name is GT5. In Japan, FF XIII is also a huge system seller.

[Stryfeno2]

Nope PS3 fanboys choose Sony because of brand loyalty...If the PS3 was turd in a box, these droids would still have brought it.

[Guitardr85]

Wasn't it already $299? Hmm...this kinda goes under the radar!

[moscardini7]

I smell fearrrr

[swiftshot93]

I respect MS, but the same day as the Slim? Come on.

[hakis86]

Well for 299$ one actually gets more buying a PS3 + free online gaming (you can spend that extra money on a game!).. So it's gonna be interesting to see what happens.
Obviously Microsoft is nervous though. They cut the price before which helped sales a great deal, but it has faded off by now. And now with both consoles with the same price... hm hm hm exciting =)

[Sibs]

Competition is finally starting to heat up :)

Too bad they took out the HDMI and other cords.. Eh, at least consumers get a bigger harddrive. (If there wasn't a cut it would be a 60 gig 360 vs a 120 gig ps3, consumers always go for the biggest number for the smallest amount of money)

[cmrbe]

and yet some people think the console war is over and MS has won.

[deshon09]

that nice but you can still only play games like uncharted 2 ratchet & clank gt 5 batman with playable joker 09 eye pet daemon soulwhite night killzone 2 infamous Chronicles/10 god of war heavy rain mag on the ps3
so now the bs about price will not be a factor if sony dose its part with advertising and people are well informed we will see how it gose

it should be a great year to get a 360 or ps3 the plan is equal now lets see what happen this holiday season

[supremacy]

dont forget that bias media we need those guys to keep quiet and let things just unfold.

honestly not for nothing but seriously consider this.. some one here mentioned no one knows what bluray is? when as of right now everyone is becoming aware of the format?

but seriously though lets take a look at some things here, this is the battle between the black xbox360 pro and the ps3 slim.

now the black 360pro has games like left for dead 2, forza3 among others coming for it, but that's it.

on the other hand the ps3slim has a few games like superior port ninja gaiden sigma 2, demon souls, ratchet and clank: a crack in time, uncharted 2 and possibly Grandturismo 5.

but...because the slim is also a bluray player at that, you also got movies like transformers 2 revenge of the fallen, GI joe, terminator salvation and wolverine coming out this fall.

a brief look a what you get in the box for your dollar?

xbox360 elite(black pro)

360 unit
1 360 controller
HDMI port
composite cables
120gb HDD (swappable)
DvD playback
network:live/tag 50 annually for gold/ free for silver
Netflix for movies also cross voice chat/ 8 way party chat system and voice messaging as stand out features.
power unit/ 1 power brick
failure rate; 54%
tag:299

ps3(slim)

ps3 unit
1 dualshock 3
HDMI port
composite cables
120gb HDD (swappable for bigger iterations)
wifi
DVD playback
bluray playback
network:psn/tag free
video store for movies via the ps store/ web browser, home and life with playstation as stand out features.
power unit; built in unit sports a smaller power cable.
failure rate: 10%
tag:299

both these units don't include HD cables of any kind so to be fair i put that out.

[ultimolu]

Hmmm, cutting the price the same day of when the slim makes an appearance...smells like desperation.

[TheMART]

So funny, I've heard all the PS3 tards ^^^^^^ say before that Microsoft would loose. I've heard them say that when the PS3 launched, it would kill the 360 within its first year on the market. That didn't happen.

The PS3 dropped to 400 bucks after 6 months on the market in Europe, but it didn't happen.

PS3 drops another 100 bucks to 300, and the 360 will match it. Microsoft has this all planned. They already had in their plans that if Sony would drop, they would steal thunder with their cut and who knows what they have more in store...

You can cry and do all you want, there is only one thing for sure:

its getting more and more interesting for all consumers.

[IcyJoker187]

MS drops the price when ps3 drops in price.

THEY ARE SCARED get over it

[Saaking]

Mart, MS has been making all the wrong decisions. Think about it.

1st: They rushed out to try and beat Sony which worked in the short-term, however they ended up loosing over a billion due to RROD and other issues. They also went with DVD instead of Bluray. Heck the first 360s didn't have HDMI port. MS didn't intend it to be HD console.

2nd: The lowered their price too fast to stay competitive and now at $199 they can't or rather will have a hard time dropping it any lower.

3rd: They closed down first party studios and built none. They relied on third party and that's going to affect them greatly once everything is multiplat and only first party is exclusive.

See Mart, to everyone it seems MS is doing all the right moves, but if you look closely they've done nothing but dug their own grave.

[lh_swe]

There are lots of factors a company has to take into consideration when pricing a console, and one of those is the competition and what they charge, example; all the big electonic outlets have competitors that drop the price on a certain product because they have bought a bigger amount, now the other outlets are forced to do the same to not loose customers, they are not scared, they know that this is what they have to do to stay in the game.

On topic Sony is in a similar possition, the current economic state does not favour a $400 price tag, plain and simple.

[bujasem_89]

to u MART, it basically explains what sony is doing to MS but in charecters, and will show what will happen in the end lol . bubble me guyz XD

1.ok so basically this is how it starts ... me being sony and MS well its abvious.

http://img15.imageshack.us/...

2.this is the current state which is just pure yummy!! XD

http://img39.imageshack.us/...

3.and this is where MS just gives up looool . my trip to dubai

http://img151.imageshack.us...

[user858621]

no1 gona care

y? because every1s been waiting months and months for the ps3 to drop in price, no1 really was waiting for the 360 2 go down any lower

ps3 has all the buzz ryt now! :D

[romaink]

Am I the only one who thinks MS is phasing out the wrong item? Personally, I thought the Arcade model would be phased out and they'd offer the Pro for $199. Otherwise, there's no real deal here when compared to the new PS3 price. This is coming from a 360 owner.

[hakis86]

Agreed. 299$ for a PS3 gives you more than 299$ for a 360 (I own both).

[aaronisbla]

Phase out the arcade units, make the pro the default at $199, profit.

So with the pro gone, what skus are left? the elite and the arcade? then again, i guess that would force some to see the value in a elite over an arcade unit. But its still a dumb decision, just my 2 cents though.

I know one thing, if they were to do what i said, id be all over buying a 360 at $199 if it came with a harddrive to compliment my ps3

[CherryLu-Chan]

The Pro seemed like the most accessible of the 360 packages, especially given the HD prices to upgrade the Arcade.

Maybe this means MS will see sense and make the HD more affordable from here?

[zok310]

The info on the Elite cant be correct, it just does not make sense. Why drop the Pro and Lower the Elite to $299, all that would do is make consumers who would have bought the Pro buy the Elite instead, its not an effective price cut, people are not on the fence waiting to buy an Elite.
Sony may also have room to drop a new Slim SKU at $250 before 2010, all they would have to do is drop a USB port and lower the HDD space. So MS needs to drop below $250 before Sony makes a move on that price point. $250 is the Elite sweet spot and $150 should be for the Pro, drop the Arcade, WTF is MS thinking?

[OnlyOnN4G]

I think MS are keeping the arcade SKU around in order to create a cheap natal + 360 bundle, later down the line.

[ItsIncognito]

Blu-ray will be decisive again now the price point is equal. Well MS is f#$%^& in a direct price comparison. Would love to see an ad with price comparison. It would lecture mainstream and MS would...

[JD_Shadow]

Wait...common gamers bought the Elite more than the Pro?

This seems like an awful and confusing way to do a price cut. Phase out one of the two systems that actually has value, keep the one that forces you to buy EVERYTHING for it once you get the system, and lower the one to the price of the Pro (that many gamers were buying anyway at $299), and then say that they have a price cut coming. This is a replacement, not a cut.

[KILLERAPP]

Wow this is going to be a great holiday season for Sony they just drop the price and if MS thinks it can compete with all the PS3 was to offered at the same price with no games coming expect for the same thing Halo, then there are going to lose a lot of ground this holiday season it seems people seem to forget that GT 5 and FF 13 are coming this year enlist in Japan and where does FF sell more in Japan and now that the PS3 is more affordable then MS will lose a lot of ground not only in Japan but in Europe since there crazy about GT or don’t you see the demo that sold almost 4 million copies imagine what GT 5 will sell, this holiday season is for Sony to win and the thing to remember is that Sony is making a profit on every PS3 sold since the price of the slim is 270.

[hakis86]

I love the title of your reply; "Sony is coming for blood this holiday season!" lol

on-topic: It's gonna be interesting to watch the sales! I have both consoles but because of all the PS3 bashing I'm kinda rooting for the PS3 now. Like discussed in other threads here, so much of the bashing has been totally unfair.

[wxer]

im sure at the end of this gen
the 360 well cost only 10.99$

[saimcheeda]

2 years!

[klashawnd]

To us, the PS3 and XBOX are the same price - $299. To mothers and grandmothers who are looking to get their kid a next generation gaming system, the XBOX is 199 and the PS3 is 299. These are the uninformed buyers who know nothing about a hard drive, nothing about wifi, nothing about exclusives, etc., etc. Next thing you know, momma and grandmama got a 360 Arcade under the Christmas tree for little Jimmy. Jimmy wakes up upset that he didn't at least get an Elite, since Jimmy knows all of the limitations that come with the 360 Arcade. But with that said, having a gimped 360 at $199 is one of the smartest moves MS has done this generation as it ensures that the PS3 will never be priced below their lowest-priced model. And price is all a lot of moms take into account when buying a video game system for their kids.

[KILLERAPP]

Yeah like the ones who bought the 120 millions PS2 where just mothers and grandmothers, what you fail to see is that are still people out there waiting for the price of the PS3 to go down so can go out and buy one.

[aaronisbla]

i think that moms and grandmothers look more at a Wii when it comes to buying a game system for the families since they can get involved and its still somewhat of a media darling ( at least on news stations ), i really dislike the wii but that much is true. And even though i dislike it, even i have to admit that wii sport resort has crazy, massive selling potential, and its fun as hell to boot

[TheMART]

@ Icyjoker aka Nasim

So what would we call Sony because they dropped the price in Europe just after being on the market here for 6 months to 400 Euro?

Desperate?

And now they cut another 100? The PS3 is in HALF its initial 600 bucks price, not even 3 years ago.

The 360 Premium costed 400 Euro when it started, its on 239 Euro now overhere. Not even half the original price from allmost 4 years ago. The Elite is 279 Euro now offcial retail price.

So if Sony cuts the price its great, if MS does so its desperate. Strange. If you read above, the PS3 had a faster pricecut in half in a shorter time than the 360 had.

Explain that to me. Seems to me its Sony who's scared here.

[wxer]

lol
why this guy calls everyone Nasim

its like each and everyone start talking with him he call him Nasim

are you really scared of this Nasim guy ??

dose he gives you nightmares or something that makes you just think that everyone is him
lol

[TheMART]

Why don't you answer to whats facts here Nasim?

PS3 dropped from 600 to 300 bucks in not even 3 years
360 dropped from 400 to 239 Euro in allmost 4 years

Now tell me whats more desperate. Dropping half in 3 years (PS3), or not even dropping half the price in 4 years?

EDIT

@ saaking

as far as I know:

360 Premium launched:

399 Euro

ATM

239 Euro

360 Arcade launched:

299 Euro

ATM

179 Euro

360 Elite launched:

479 Euro

ATM

279 Euro

Thats over a period of 4 year that the 360 is on the market.

Those are the official retail prices. Thats not a cut in half.

PS3 launched at 600 bucks in Europe just 2.5 years ago. On 1 September it'll be 300 bucks.

Sony is more desperate then MS confirmed. They have dropped their price sooner (after just 6 months) and have dropped more and faster over time.

[wxer]

lol
answer what ?
i wasnt talking to you at the first place
and i relly gota know this Nasim guy
and i really wana know what did he do to you that made you call evryone Nasim
lol

you really need to wake up
you are having a bad dream
lol

[Saaking]

The 360 is also HALF it's original price right now Mart. Both companies have had price cuts.

[Darrius Cole]

I wouldn't call it desperate I would just call it smart business....or at least kind of smart business. This is not a real price cut. The standard Xbox 360 is still going to be $299.

I don't think that a 360 will sell as many units as a PS3 if they are both the same price. So in that respect I think that not cutting the standard, with-hard-drive price is a mistake by Microsoft, if marketshare is their goal.

However, if profit is their goal, then this is the right move. They get to keep an extra "X" dollars of profit on every unit sold, even though they will sell less units than if they cut the price.

On the third hand, if Microsoft is in a position where they can not afford to cut the price significantly, then they are screwed.

[only on playstaychun]

You do know that the reason why the PS3 was more expensive was because the console was much more expensive to manufacture back in 2005-2006, reason why it hit the market at high price. With every Sony product, price generally reflects quality. The reason why the price is lower is because Sony LOWERED costs and is no longer losing as much money as it was when PS3 first hit market.

FACT is that Sony dictated when both consoles would get a price drop. It was only inevitable for Microsoft to follow to be able to compete. Also, I doubt that a company like Sony is "desperate" when they dominated with PSOne and PS2. The Playstation brand will sell more over time than Microsoft and all these pre-orders show that Sony can overtake Microsoft.

[Zeevious]

It's just called - B U S I N E S S - but anyone trying to say the matching date of Sept 1 is a coincidence is delusional.

Of course it was chosen just to offset the PS3's $299 'reintroduction' . . . If it had been pre-planned, it would have been officially announced after Sony's conference, since Microsoft's did follow it by a day.

I don't see what the controversy is for ANYONE. Both the premier next-gen game consoles are now $100 cheaper!

What's there to argue & complain about...that you just saved $100 to buy a couple games with?

Gamers don't complain about having to spend less money for consoles OR having more money for games.

[moparful99]

This is your problem mart.. Your are far too shortsighted.. You can only see whats in front of your face.. You dont look at the big picture. Sony, with their game consoles, have a buisness strategy which has always been successful and they've used since they entered this buisness. Microsoft put pressure on sony but they are in no way allowing ms to sway their hand. Sony has used this same model with the ps1, ps2, and now the ps3.. They have always reduced costs which in turn lowers the retail price spurring ongoing sales. Which is why both the ps1 and 2 have been the best selling consoles of all time.. They also introduced the "slim" versions within the 3-4 year time frame and guess what? The ps3 is going to hit its 3 year mark in nov. I know it pains you to give sony any credit but the truth is sony is the best at wat they do and at the end of this generation when we all look back, regardless of where the 360 is, the ps3 will be regarded in the pantheon of best game consoles of all time... mark my words....

[gameman]

dance for us bots dance for your masters !!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[ThaGeNeCySt]

PS3 doubling as a blu ray player alone makes it a better value than the Elite.

[Saaking]

It won't help at all. The 360 is already $199, people are NOT waiting for a price cut especially a price cut for an SKU that is more expensive than the arcade. If people haven't bought a 360 at $199 it means they just DON'T want a 360.

[DonCorneo]

i wonder how xbots will spin this.. i don't think they'll even try

[bjornbear]

=3

[PureGamer]

will this happen in the uk? as i need a new 360.

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

...99% of the xBox 360's that are sold now are the $199 Arcade 1s!!! ;-D

I hope SONY bring out the PS3:Slim in the next few days if they can;)

+Oh...I AM NASIM!!! ;-D

[JJFNIGHTS80]

I work at a Wal-Mart store in Electronics dept. I haven't seen the new add yet for the drop price elite and your right Troublesome626, totally agree with you.

[Quikchicken_Fly]

wow microsoft is still greedy its a no chance to slim already and same price as the ps3 slim but with no wifi,bluray,free online,reliability,most exclusive games and that xbox 360 is 299 make that 349 for the live.

plus theres no point in buying xbox 360/xbox live when you can just play on pc plus the online is free.

[360rocka]

f%@...

I got nothing..

[bobdog626]

MassEffect/Halo/Fable/L4D/Gear 's that's what's going to win this war.Hardware is 2nd and online 3rd.Sony's Big game is God of war and it will be next year when we see that .Next up Halo ODST .Let's see how the Slim stands against that.

[Veneno]

ODST will NOT sell as well as Halo 3, and it will not bring in any new console sales. All the Halo fans have bought their 360's. That was was blown 2 years ago.

[aaronisbla]

I think you shouldn't doubt the selling power of a Halo game, even if it is just an huge expansion pack to some, lots of Halo owners will get it. You are right though, its not a system seller nearly as much as halo was due tot he fact that most people who wanted their halo fix have a 360 now, but the sales for ODST will be fantastic unless bungie really dropped the ball with the game, and lets be honest, thats not gonna happen

If mappacks for Cod4 can sell well, if GTA4 the Lost and the Damned can sell decently, what makes you think this wont?

[tripewire]

BluRay VS DVD
Free Online VS Fee Online
Reliable hardware VS ??? Failure rate
Built in EVERYTHING VS Pay for everything

[360rocka]

SHOULD I GO BUY A PS3 NOW OR WAIT FOR SLIM?

[only on playstaychun]

If you want a nice bundle get it now. If not then I think it is safe to say that the Slim beats the Fatty in most aspects (Size, Weight, Power Consumption, Noise...)

[360rocka]

ALRITE.. IT SEEMS MORE REILIABLE I'LL GET A PS3 SLIM

THANKS.

[arsenal55]

pre order the slim.. its quieter and uses less power so it should stay a lot cooler then the normal ps3

[pshizle]

keep the PRO

ARCADE $179
PRO $249
ELITE $299

[Trevorthenerd]

what? in Ireland it is €299...

[bobdog626]

If they drop the arcade to 179 it will be game over for sony . The Slim do not stand a chance against that price point .

[PirateThom]

I don't think it's desperation, as many are claiming.

It's blind idiocy because it doesn't make the 360 a more attractive propisition, it's the same price it always was, it makes it look like it offers less value than the competition at the same price.

Microsoft had no choice but to drop the cost of the Elite, but they needed to undercut the PS3, not price match it.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

The thing is Microsoft is in a much better position for a price cut. Sony on the other hand isn't.

[Consoldtobots]

and what do you base this on?

Sony recently announced they reduced production cost by 70%.

has MS even come close to that while still offering a comparable model?
Not even close I would say. MS sacrificed profit for marketshare as is evidenced by their quaterly reports. Theres a term for what you just did and it has something to do with speech and your posterior.

[dmansodo]

what Microsoft doesn't understand is the fact that most of ps3 sales will come from former and current 360 owners so a price match doesn't really do anything to change the game. they should have cut it to $199 and that would have had a huge effect on Sony but their so damn greedy they think they can maintain their lead with the $299 price. to top it off a lot of current ps3 owners will buy another ps3 because they look at it as another bluray player for their household. i own all three consoles and i am willing to purchase another ps3 so i can have one in the living room for movies and the other in my gaming room. i think its a wrap now for ms especially if Sony advertises the 360's failure rate with the ps3 slim launch.

[Omega Zues]

MS can drop the price much as they want but it changes nothing. Already the 360 is cheaper then the Wii.

Theres millions and millions of Sony fans who just been waiting for the price drop and the slim is the answer. Not only that but MS dropped the ball on not annoucing the price drop at the game expo. MS has little to no press on this price drop.

Then look at all the media Sony has gotten from annoucing slim at the expo. Its exploded all over, every where you go theres nothing but slim coverage. Amazon is warning and limiting people because of the insane demand. Already stores are expecting midnight releases and expecting lines for the PS3.

September 1st is going to be insane. Its like the PS3 is about to release for the first time.

You have to remember, the $299.99 price tag is what made the PS2, and now its about to take Sony to a whole new level.

[Shendow]

They already made one bad move, PRO!!! The Pro came with a hard drive an they could have drop the Arcade an lower the price of the Pro an put Elite at the price of the Pro. It was kind of a bad move on their part an theirs no more HD cables.

Yes PS3 doesn't have HD cables to but they came out with HDMI support before 360 an why no HD cables? not alot of people got a HD Tv or one that supports 1080p. Microsoft could just drop all 2 of their models an had Elite at $199, that would scare Sony pretty bad, PS3 has came with a hard drive all the time an you get to choose to upgrade it for under 100 bucks (Samsung 2.5 500GB) 83 bucks an shipping 5.95.

389 bucks an you can have a bluray player/gaming system with ungodly memory (^-^ I did that to my) an 360 you can only get 120GB, an you pay alot just for 120GB. So all an all, PS3 brings more of a good deal then the 360 is right now.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

...why do you sony kids care? Why do you care if MS drops the price. You don't lose anything or gain anything.

[Shendow]

Because the last thing I want, is my 5th 360 to crap out on me and Elite is the only model I would say anyone should buy.

@Halo3 MLG Pro

Don't get to full of yourself again, did you get sniper to much in Halo or was it me that stick you to much? 360 has had more price cuts then both systems (Good or bad? both in someways) and if you use your head alittle, Sony has 3 systems out on the market that are doing good.

Microsoft..... Drop the Xbox -_- haven't stop playing it yet (Mostly only Halo 2 an why not Halo? Halo ok but to play with friends ^-^ Halo 2)

Microsoft is try to stay 2nd an not trying to put all their money in to fixing hardware and having two 360 models that both have a hard drive.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

A violin plays in the background singing a sad sad song for you.

[hates video games]

So much for MS not being worried.

[EVILDEAD360]

Price drop (Sep 1st) + Halo ODST (Sep 22) = Brilliant!

Anytime you got Microsoft haters completely beside themselves then that normally means the company made the right decision. I love my Elite and it's great that after all of this time it's become the standard go-to system for the company.

LOL @ the 'Microsoft is desperate' silliness. Microsoft is not stupid is more like it. Why on earth would anybody put themselves in Sonys place as have the most expensive system on the shelf? We've all watched how that turned out for Sony.

The Slim is definately an interesting product release for Sony. It WILL sell some systems. But, the truth is that it WILL NOT stop people from buying Xboxes.

The plot thickens.

[Sarcasm]

Wow aren't we missing the point?

The Slim isn't a "Xbox sales deflector! Yay!"

The point is, they're not trying to stop Xbox sales, but increase PS3 sales.

People who want a 360 will buy a 360, that's pretty simple. No problem with that.

But there are tons of people who want to buy a PS3 but never could afford it or bring themselve to spend $400+. But now it's $299, regardless of what the console looks like just as long as it does the same thing, these people are going to buy it like hot cakes.

It only does Everything. Yes, the PS3 slim will clean and organize your room as well as clean the toilet. :)

[EVILDEAD360]

What point am I supposedly missing? I'm just praising the Microsoft move to lower the price in leau of it's biggest franchise release at the end of the month.

Read all the Xbox hater comments first and THEN try to figure out who missed the point.

Of course Slim was made to increase PS3 sales. If the first model was selling through the roof then you would not have seen a complete model change this early in the consoles lifespan.

But, the same can be said for the Elite price cut. It's meant to increase sales. At the end of the day, we wil all see how it worked out for both companies.

[Enigma_2099]

Like all the other times before... did anyone NOT see this coming?

[STICKzophrenic]

This price drop has probably been planned for a while now. I know at my job, we get a box of ads several weeks before the sale starts. Walmart probably has had these ads before GamesCon.

I very seriously doubt that MS made a snap decision to drop the price once the PS3 Slim + price drop was announced. Obviously it was rumored for a while, and they probably had an idea when it would take place, so they've been planning this in accordance.

I don't really think the Xbox is a good value compared to the PS3 feature for feature at this price point. $249.99 or maybe even $279.99 would make it worth getting over a PS3 Slim, but at this price point.

[Fadetoblack69]

=)

[Fadetoblack69]

Lowering the price.... wow! So tell me...

Does it now come with a "Microsoft(tm.) Wet Towel" cooling system or are they also planning on lowering the current Failure Rate from 54.2%?

Has it finally been taught not to chew up expensive discs? Dvd's should be read with a laser, not a phonograph needle.

Can I now watch Hi-Definition movies on it? Oh wait....

Is it now Free to play Non-MMO games online?

Yeah, I thought so.....

[Legionaire2005]

this is where Xbox360 fails. Even though 360 Elite is going to be around $300 you still got to pay $50 dollars every year to play online, and pay for the $100 dollar gaming adapter!!! come on microsoft at least give it a price drop for accesories(that should be your main focus).

[ArcticWolfUK]

idiots lmao
Rippppp Offfffff

[Dellis]

Is the Arcade going to be 99.99 soon? LOL

[keysy420]

pric has never been a issue with the 360

[NewZealander]

Im a gamer and could not care about a price drop or a new console, I just like playing games, This year sucks for first party games for microsoft, Halo wars not my type of game, Ninja blade sucks, But I am looking forward to Halo ODST and Froza 3, but 2 games? or should I say 1 and a half games, thank god for 3rd party as im so picking up Assassins creed 2 loved the first one. But really sony has not as many games this year as first thought, I can only think of 4 maybe 5 depends if GT5 come out this year, but I look at next year and see

Microsoft exclusives

Halo Reach
Fable 3
Crackdown 2
Alan Wake
Splinter cell
Mass Effect 2
Natal Progect
Rares Game or Games

3rd Party

Bioshock

Sony exclusives

God of war 3
and ?????????

you see I think sony will have the same problem next year as microsoft had this year as far as games go. so ill just look forward to all the great games gomeing next year :) at least ths xmas I can save money as I wont have many gaes to buy lol.

[DonCorneo]

god of war3
mag
heavy rain
wkc
the agency
ff versus

those are games to be released in the first half of 2010. it's unlikely that sony will not release a title for 2010 holiday with all the 1st and 2nd party devs they have.

bioshock 2 is multiplat. same as bioshock 1.

wait, is this a list of games you like only? i have my list list for the crapbox, too:

Lost Planet 2
... that's it

[FF7numbaone]

New+ price drop > old+ price

[Tron_Rocks]

Sony went from first to DEAD LAST in a short amount of time. PS3 is losing more and more money in the money pit they like to call PS3. If the XBOX is so bad, why does it beat SONY in everything?
Hardware Sales?
Software Sales?
Online Experience?
Online experience?

PS3 is a FAIL....
PS3BOTs FAIL....

[Zeevious]

Sony's been selling more per-year than Microsoft, and you would know that if you knew even the basics of division & addition.

Now let's consider another innovation...Subtraction:
At 1.4 billion reserved for replacement units...even at full-retail of $200 each, that leaves 7-Million 360's not accounted for by Microsoft.

Counted as sold...then sold again with a replacement?
Counted as sold to the warranty division?
Counted in addition to the 31 million claimed sold to retailers?

Subtract 7 million from 31, and where exactly does that leave the actual number of functional units in use?

Microsoft won't release these numbers...even to stockholders...so when exactly do you want to discuss those hardware sales? - ACCURATELY

Software sales? Online experience? Please.
What exactly are you going to complain about when that minor issue & cross-game-chat is finally done?

The truth is, you'll find SOMETHING...ANYTHING because your Not a gamer...You're a Whiner...You're a FanBrat...You're a disgrace to the true 360 gamers you claim to speak for.

YOU fail. Not the PS3, Not the 360... Y O U

[Pootangpie]

oh wait a Minute I forgot N4G has been completly invaded by insecure Sony fanboys this isn't going to do anything first of all the moment The Pricecut begins to happen sony is going to back in the same position they were before and If I recall most Multiplatform games sell better on the 360 EA is only saying that Sony was a big factor because of there sports lineup

[monkeys]

the 360 does not compare with the ps3. you get so much more for it . Blu ray , wi fi , wiresles controll with power built in , no rrod , its does not make much sound . the 360 should be much cheaper then 299

[Saaking]

The PS3 still sold relatively well at 399. If the 360 was 399 and the PS3 was at 199 then the 360 wouldn't be here anymore. The PS brand is much more powerful than the xbox brand.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I think it's smart by MS actually, cause for what you get for $100 more... why not just go Elite over an arcade?

MS isn't scared of Sony and Sony isn't scared of MS, both are doing very successful this gen and both have great offerings in games to play on them!

If you gotta pick 1 console, pick what you like
If you can afford both, do yourself the favor and do so... Im really glad I did!!!

be a gamer before a fanboy!!!

[Xtremist]

... until then everything else is fanboy conjecture and wishful thinking :)

[guerojose]

Wrong. "September worldwide sales" is more like it. The focus on NPD gives you only about a third of the big picture.

[The_Zeitgeist]

360 vs PS3.....hmmmm

*cough*Blu-Ray*cough*

[ASSASSYN 36o]

*Sneeze* third place for years!

[TVippy]

For 300 bucks PS3 is a better deal for me.

[Sanhlami]

Why won't Microsoft Just drop the price by $50. Xbox live cost $50 already so it'll be officially more expensive to start off with an Xbox 360 with online now.

[Claudinho69]

no blu-ray, no wi-fi. no free online play, 54% failure rate, no GT5 U2 KZ2 GOW3....not cheap enough

[rubixCubos]

I wonder eactly how much money M$ lose because of the RROD and three year warranty. All those repair costs, shipping/postal costs.

Considering 33-54% of the 30 million 360s have RROD'ed at least once, you add up the cost to repair a great deal of those for the customer.

It must be an astronomical figure.

So M$ is desperate to sell more console and this 'price-cut' is a means to that. But in a way they are shooting themself in the foot as they'll have to pay for the repairs of up to half the new Elites they sell!

[free3sixty]

it would be cool to see if the PS3 slim wont sell that great.

Right now the 360 sells 150k more every month. First Sony has to catch up THESE sales.

[thehitman]

any knowledgeable consumer will never pick a 299 360 over a 299 ps3 even w/ the arcade which is just a pile of junk.

[dukegodtezza]

ill pick up new xbox day 1
put the old 1 in the family room
120g in the movie room
and download full games no changing disks
cant wait ,all most bought 120 g harddrive today

[CherryLu-Chan]

Now the consoles are more readily available and affordable, here's hoping it becomes about the games - and in particular that people who haven't upgraded, or else own one of the next gen consoles, get a chance to play a bunch of great games that they hadn't previously.

[Pwee]

Are M$ shltting brix?

[vader1231231]

We've known this for weeks now, this is old news.

[chisox100]

everything sony does we fail at trying to mimic- M$

[Midris7]

Everyone who already wanted a 360 got one it seems. I mean, the price is the same as the Pro model. Don't get me wrong, it will spike sales, but not nearly to the magnitude of the slim.

[kaz-hirai]

:O looks like M$ feel threatend with the PS3 slim + its price drop

;-D

But the with the price drop the Elite is still more expensive than the PS3 ;-D!!!!!111!!!!!!

Nice try M$ :-(

[pumpkinpunker]

time for me to stop visiting this site again.

it's unbearable with obnoxious Sony fanboys with multiple accounts.

guys, no one really cares. it's a piece of hardware.

[kewlkat007]

Everyday I come on here and some argue about the dumbest little things companies do to compete...

Once you leave n4g you realized the majority of consumers don't care much...or even know much about the differences.

All people see is affordability and game library.

[PHIL89]

Sweet!

[RevChris]

I got my ps3 at launch and still believe it to be superior for my needs, but with the way MS is pushing their price down I might just need to pick one up for the living room to complete my collection , wii , 360 and ps3.

[PHIL89]

Collection isn't complete if you don't have every console...

[RevChris]

it's my collection , its complete when I say its complete ;)

[GIJeff]

MS is trying to ride Sony's wave. Theyve been trying to ride the wave ever since the PS2. Except in the PS2's case, they got on the wave too late. This time they paddled out far enough ahead of the wave to ride it all the way to shore. MS is using pretty weak and "followy" tactics. I have nothing personally against the XBOX, but it looks lame in an industry of innovators to just do what the others are doing, thus not being an innovator yourself. It would have been way cooler to see the xbox's price drop when natal comes out and have it built with the system. but whatever.

[Kaze_No_Kidoban]

if true i will trade in my 60gig and a few games to buy it

[Relientk77]

this is honestly why I hate microsoft

"Xbox360 Elite to drop to $299 on September 1st"

Microsoft have no originality to anything they do ever

they are just copying Sony

and all Microsoft ever does is copy Sony and Nintendo

its soo stupid and ridiclous and shows their originality which equals zero

[GeoramA]

Shoddy as hell, doesn't have built-in Wifi, no blu-ray, no web browser, and charges a fee for P2P online gaming.

Why would I spend $299 for this?

[Ignignokt]

Dont make me laugh Microsoft lol...
JUST cause the PS3 slim and the PS3 price drop you plan on coming back like THIS?... are you serious?... lol... and for your press conference... all you had was Fable 2... (and drum roll please)... FABLE 3!!! lol... wow... amazing, simply amazing lol

[Raoh]

while you still get your component cables, they are also removing the hdmi cable from their boxes.. not sure about the ethernet cable.

[Raoh]

You will start to also see what the consumers want, the arcade model is misleading.. it has n on of the offerings xbox live promotes.. no bc, no headset, no game installation etc..

so a somewhat aware consumer now has to compare a 360 elite and a ps3 slim both at the same price..

Now the comparison wars can begin.. especially if sony doesnt take the lead, if they can close in on the gap in sales, it also puts pressure on developers..

tit for tat.. ps3 is looking good except in past multi console game delivery and a history of online experience (unless firmware 3.0 changes the game)

[Aft3rKill]

I call that a petty attempt at marketing. If someone has been thinking about buying a console they will do the research and know that the Ps3 has a better deal. Free PSN, Wireless built in, future proof blu-ray player, Fall line up demolishes the 360's so....really anyone in there right mind would get a Ps3 slim. Anyone who wants a Blu-ray is getting a ps3. so that market it covered too.If someone really wants to pay for Netflix and 60$ a month for gold whatever but seriously..

I must give 360 props for online though. Not that its better specs wise or anything. Community wise i have a lot more fun playing online weather it looks worse or better. Ps3 will never match that sorry to say. Service is there, the community is not. 1/10 people have a mic maybe and 7/10s are annoying little rich kids that just annoy you so....

Sorry for the wall of text, but thats my opinion.

[i3eyond the Circle]

Been gone for a while and it's the same BS lol.

360 will walk over this holiday with no problem as they did last.

HaloODST and MW2 is practically going to be the only thing in the eyes of the majority for gamers this holiday season.

Let me tell you guys what doesn't happen.

A console doesn't devastate the one with the most commercial appeal.

End story.

So a Ps3 slim will get your whistles wet congratulations.

But the same arrogance and bs I see now is the same I saw last year when the 360 was supposedly going to meet its devastation to the Ps3.

Unlikely...

[Shendow]

If this is something that will be the Slim, then here is something you need to think of, Why didn't they do what Sony did? Sony said all PS3 models are 300 an Microsoft aren't dropping the price until Sept 1st.

Bad move, they give Sony a chance to make a sell an people will preorder PS3 Slim, they don't want the models that are out now.