Retail expects huge demand for Xbox 360 following price cut

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz on the eve of the price cuts, GAME, HMV, Woolworths and independent stores have all agreed that the system now appeals to a much wider range of consumers.

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[HighDefinition]

If it sustains is another issue in it`s self.

[GameOn]

but for its price the 360 has a lot to offer. Great deal for any one willing to pick it up.

[Montrealien]

The only thing that will be sustained imho with this new 360 price, is a healthy competitive market. We all win. Unless off course, you want one consoles to rule them all, and if so, well, you`re in the wrong comments zone.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

@Montrealien

I know I am

[mikeslemonade]

Come this fall PS3, PSP, PS2, 360, Wii, and DS will all be in demand. This is why dropping price is useless because chances are PS3, 360, and Wii will all be sold out at one point in this fall. Microsoft could have sold just as many systems without the price drop and then wait until the spring to drop the price.

[beans]

Well Mike you do make a good point but this price drop might just be what MS needs to finally put a dent into Nintendos progress. Everybody and there mama put the word out on how good a deal the wii was at it's launch and if gamers would do the same for 360 this holiday things could take a turn in the hardcores favor.

[AllseeingEye]

sounds like a good deal but why would anyone want this gimped system? No hard drive is terrible. No xbox live game downloads. You cant play Burnout Paradise online. Good luck with those casuals but I think they have already made their choice.

[etownone]

1. not everyone can afford the added expense of broadband every month.
2. there are many parents out there that dont want their kid playing online
3. NOt everyone gets internet due to where the live or game.

Understand? just because it may seem gimped to you, the REALITY is that the arcade is a great deal and comes with everything you need to start playing any 360 game out there.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Having a 360 without Live is boring.Its a system completely dependent on online.

[beans]

It's only boring if you've played online and then don't have it. Thats the joy in this and why many arcade gamers will eventually upgrade. Also kids don't care about online and not every game is dependent on staying connected. I have three boys each with there own 360 and none of them complain about online or even care about it. Also I have a couple friends without it and they don't complain either.

[Ju]

Its a damn good deal. And it does not compete against the PS3, or even the 360Pro/Elite. That just is a different crowd.

People who would choose between a $129 PS2 ($149 with a bundle), a $249 Wii or a $199 360. Which one would you take ?

The 360 offers far more then the other two - given, you'd ignore the online component. But I can't remember my kids playing a lot online with the Wii, either. That was a well placed shot from MS.

BTW: I still think Sony should counter this with a PS2+ (said that before, and everybody will laugh at me). But a $149 PS2 which can play PS2 games, and new PS2 games with higher polycount/resolution would do. This is a minimal R&D effort, just pump the EE/GS to 500-750MHz, gives you about 3x the fillrate, 256MB (fits in one XDR chip) for bigger textures, and remove controller ports and memory card slot (less metal/plastic, saves manufacturing costs). Add a BlueTooth and Wifi (strip out the Ethernet), to combine these parts with the PS3 BoM, sell them with a DS3 and a standard USB 512MB Flash drive (keep the 2 USB ports). This thing would be very competitive on the <$149 market. And possible make a profit right from the start (well, and, sure dump the PS2). And if there still room on the cost side, just add a eSATA connector, to allow people to add an external HDD, in case it'll have full XMB/PSN support.

[CrazzyMan]

PC and PS3...
i mean, a LOT.

Why do you think, people would spend additional money for one more system, since there are over 10 games atleast(~600 euro), which they would like to get this fall.

[cheapndirty]

How can you say that? I have an arcade and a Pro model.

I can play ALL 360 games that do not require DLC(and that is 99.9% of all 360 games out),and this is with out a HDD. Burnout Paradise? I do not even own that title. I can download XBL arcade games to the memory card (full games) since most of them are 50mb. The memory card is 256mb.

SUre it only came with composite cables, but it is HDMI ready. Most people still have standard def tv's. And if this is for the kiddies they for sure have a standard def TV.

Have an opinion but at least qualify it with some actual facts.

[beans]

What are you talking about? There are alot of 360 games coming this year also as well as arcade and services not found on the PS3.
Heck the 360 actually has more games coming if you do a little research. Just because you think PS3 is a really good deal doesn't mean anyone else does I mean why spend that much money when you could pay way less for more and in many cases just as good looking and even better looking games.

[Immaculate]

You guys are in full on panic mode. The 360 is at a price now that most anyone could buy one,oh but no not you, you would rather limit yourself to the ps3's meager game library. It's silly. Go buy a 360 today, and see how nit picky, petty, and foolish you have been.

Ju, Montralien, and Kinetixx, you guys are excluded from this comment. I wouldn't classify you guys as fanboys. You guys might be ps3 fans, but you are obviously more gamer than anything.

[pwnsause]

when you mean panic mode, do you mean like how Microsoft made price cuts twice in 6 months in Europe and in Japan? I mean i know they wouldnt cut the price here in the US until the holidays since this is its home country, but if theres anyone who is in panic mode right now its Microsoft. if anything they should of packed a few games on the arcade to give it more value.

[clinker]

I bought an Xbox 360 Arcade for $279 and I love it! The reasons why I got the "gimped" version instead of a PS3 were price, availability of games I wanted (GTA IV, Fable II, Fallout 3), and a VGA connector cable for my computer monitor.

I am OK with buying a hard drive and Xbox live subscription later on, if I decide to get into multiplayer. But for a busy person with a desire to try out some newer console games, the 360 is just awesome. At $200, heck, I am telling my retired dad to go buy one!

[pp]

It's just the beginning of the end of ps3 Hahahhahahha

[OmarJA]

Enjoy ur cheap product pee pee

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

@OmarJA

He cant enjoy it.Its still in the repair shop

[cahill]

In europe and Japan x360 died ages ago.
price cut wont have any impact since no one wants one

PS3 has a 2m console lead in each of Japan and europe(in europe it is 2.5m i guess. would be 5m by the end of this year)

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

'Retail expects huge demand for Xbox 360 following price cut'
Well it is getting Cold in Europe!!! ;-D
Ooooops!!! xBox 360 News bit...Bye Bye my lovely Bubbles...

[Freezingduck]

Too easy.

[theKiller]

just look at his avatar!!

and this is the case with most bots

on topic

we will see what will the price cut do! price cut doesnt save the dieing consoles

[Stryfeno2]

If I didn't own one, I would buy one....I hope everyone get on this. The Xbox 360 is a beast.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

360 is a terrible console.

[KBDuB]

"360 is a terrible console." Yet, it rivals the PS3.
"360 is a terrible console." Yet, the games look remotely similar, or better on the 360.
"360 is a terrible console." Yet, it has the best online service.
"360 is a terrible console." Yet, it has some, and most, of the best rated games available.

You really should watch what you say, bro. =)

[Kinetix]

I only have the ps3 right now and i'm thinking about getting the arcade to get the rpg's and gears and i dont need xbl or any downloads, i can see myself getting it.

[Ju]

Same here. AC6 is the one I might want.

Edit: OK, got a disagree. So, hm, I need to rethink what I like, then. LOL.

[CrazzyMan]

AC is one of my favourite game series, but after playing, i didn`t find any HUGE improvements over previous iterations.
I recommend you to try find a way to play AC6, because you might get dissapointed too.

@Kinetix, i hope you will find money also for these games too:

1. Resistance 2
2. Little Big Planet
3. Socom Confrontation
4. WipeOut HD
5. Valkyria Chronicles
6. Motorstorm:Pacific Rift
7. Naruto: Ultimate Storm
8. Disgaea 3
9. Siren New Translation
10. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
11. Mirror`s Edge
12. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
13. Eternal Sonata
14. Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway
15. Pure
16. Lego Batman
17. Saints Row 2
18. BioShock
19. Far Cry 2
20. Fallout 3
21. Rock Band 2
22. Guitar Hero World Tour
23. Tom Clancy's EndWar
24. WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009
25. Call of Duty: World at War
26. Alone in the Dark
27. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
28. Tomb Raider Underworld
29. Prince of Persia
30. Need for Speed Undercover
31. Red Alert 3
32. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
33. Dead space

And these are games that MIGHT be WORTH to get for a PS3 ONLY owner this Fall. =)

[Ju]

I wouldn't spend that kind of money just to play one game, though. Given. And with HawX coming, its not that important. But if I would buy a 360, that's one I'd add. Well, obviously, I'd go for the games I don't have/can't play on the PS3. There are a couple out there I'd really like to play.

[THE TERMINATOR]

Its already cheap as Sh!t in the U.K, this price cut wont have much effect. I wouldnt pay 50 bugs for this gimped DVD piece of crap. Bargain bin prices for a bargain bin console.

[rebirthofcaos]

just some idiot could buy a heater with 16%+ of defectivy rate

[forcefullpower]

I have a PS3 and bought the Elite as all my mates where telling me how great the 360 is.

Seriously the 360 offers no more then the PS3 offers apart from a couple of games. I wouldn't waste you ur money. It really is a shoddy piece of electrical equipment that i wouldn't have paid more than 50 quid from woolworths.

[darkequitus]

darkequitus:xbl/psn/steam/wow/ xfire

[beans]

And thats exactly how I felt about my PS3 until I traded it in for an Elite. The difference here though is that I'm not going to talk down on the PS3 like my dislikes are fact. The 360's a really good deal right now and there are many more games to buy on it with superior software and services Sony just can't keep up with at the moment...now thats fact but you don't see me spreading hate mail either.

[VF34EJ25]

Well the only way to truely see if it took a huge effect, is sept's NPD.

But there's no reason why it shouldn't. Yeah people say the 360 Arcade is a gimped console, but nobody can deny that juicy price tag $199. Sales are sales even if the consumer isn't getting full value for their money.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

LMAO

Get yours today Bots

http://img407.imageshack.us...

[juuken]

Lmfao.

[titntin]

Don't understand why theres a bunch of americans in here talking about 200 bucks?

This has nothing at all to do with the US and is a story about another price drop in Europe just 6 months after the last price drop.

Its remarkably chaep for what it is, and surely if these price points don't turn around its sales compared to PS3 in this region, then nothing ever will.

[DJ]

It looks like the 360 is in a really undesirable situation in Europe, and Microsoft has completely abandoned any sales data regarding that territory for this past year. I doubt the new price cuts will do much of anything.

If price was the issue, sales would have increased last time around.

[Ju]

So? This just fits into a global picture. US got a price cut, so did Japan. Now Europe. Looks to me like a global strategy.

[titntin]

@ Ju

you are wrong mate. In europe we got the price cut the americans have only just got ages ago. The arcade version has already been priced lower han the Wii here for more than 6 months.

This is an ADDITIONAL price cut, over and beyond what america has seen..

[Ju]

Really ? So the Arcade is at Eur.199 now ? (Not just UK). Ah just saw, in my home town they have it for E199 - but that's a special offer from today on, and only valid as long as supply lasts.

[AllseeingEye]

three new ps3 exclusives coming out in the next few months and a peripheral. Thats why I wont spend 200 on a gimped 360. Not even for the few games it has that the ps3 dosnt. I get those on pc.

[DJ]

People who buy the Arcade/Core SKUs tend to be the most outspoken about how much the system is a ripoff since the cost of upgrades is ridiculous. I was actually pretty shocked when I found out you had to pay money to recharge your 360 controllers, though that applies to all of the SKUs. It's just one of the many things that a lot of PS3 owners understandably take for granted.

[briguy204]

@8.1,

Ever heard of rechargeable batteries? but your right, i think most people would rather pay double the cost to play HD games so they dont have that inconvenience....., besides the battery issue is really hurting the wii....

seriously dude, do you do anything but troll xbox 360 articles? some people are fine just playing the best games on the market, and find other things to fill the void in their lives left missing without the power of "TEH CELL" and blu-ray

[DJ]

You still spend extra money to get the batteries and a recharging cable. Both Nintendo and Microsoft should've just gone with Lithium-Ion. By the way, why are you bringing up PS3 architecture? And in such a condescending manner, I might add.

[edhe]

And if you buy a ps3 you're paying through the nose for fewer, lesser quality games on a system with no sense of purpose and a wattage at least twice the competitions.

Any time you turn it on it costs you twice as much as a 360, maybe 3x that of the wii

OMGZ!

jesus dude lay off the trolling or at least change the commenting side.

The fanboi wars are tired, old. Each console has it's + and - but the bottom line is that the 360 gives best value for base unit cost, game quantity, game variation and game quality.

Now, if only they'd fix the Live sub to be family friendly.

[Ju]

That was a cheap shot against DJ. And I agree with him on that. The PS3 does not have any hidden costs. That's just what it is. You get what you pay for. The price difference is competitive considering the features (WiFi, BD, even Buetooth (KB/Mouse), free online and integrated charger, HDD). Rechargeable batteries are crap. You'll have to replace them every 3rd or 4th time you charge them. I got this nice rechargeable kit for the Wii. But it cost me $40 more (actually, pushing the price to about $300), to bring it up to par, I'd need a HDD and then I still couldn't play DVDs/BD.

From a value proposition, there is no argument against the PS3. Form a marketing perspective, yeah, that's another story.

[azmanmanz]

Not intersted to buy.... Say sorry for cheaper and weaker console.. the bots journey will be end.

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

Its interesting.Nintendo lowered the Gamecube price to 100 and it never caught up to the PS2.I expect 360 sales to come to a nosedive like a plane crashing into a volcano

[Anon1974]

As long as you go into this with open eyes, it's a little late to be jumping on the 360 bandwagon now that it's almost reached it's destination but as long as buyers are aware of this fact I don't think they'll be disappointed. I think the 360 will have at least a couple of good years left in it before it's replaced.

[Perjoss]

the xbox3 is at least another 2 years away, and they have already said that the 360 will remain fully supported with backwards compatibility and even your achievements will carry over onto the next gen machine.

[peowpeow]

You guys should be happy!
I bet that here in Aus the price for just an arcade is double because..well..its AUS :(
Suxx to be a gamer here

[PS3n360]

I would rather pay more for games and get to surf every day in shorts instead of 5 mils of neoprene. I for one think your lucky to be there

Cheers

[kwicksandz]

Maybe with a wetsuit and weather prevailing but i still wouldn't wanna surf during winter here!

Summer yeah we have it pretty good though.

[XXXCouture]

I think you're the lucky guy. And games cost at least 120$ here

Cheers

[juuken]

Not interested.

[ps34ever]

MS CAN KISS MY ASS.

[azmanmanz]

Im wonder why ps3 still not officialy launch worlwide after 1 1/2 year, pls check the link below...

http://corp.sony.com.my/3/m...

[BUKKAKALYPSE]

"Not interested, don't care."

thanks for the input sh1t troll

[juuken]

Glad I get under your skin Bukky. ^__^
Trollz rule!

Lol, the bots have no sense of humor these days.

If I wanted to get a 360, I would buy the Elite and not a gimped Arcade system. But I don't trust the hardware so I will stay far away from it.

[KBDuB]

TwoChiiiin!!

No one cares if your interested or not. -.-

=)

[juuken]

KBDuB...obviously you cared, otherwise you wouldn't have commented. :]

Fail number 1.

[KBDuB]

Aha TwoChin....

"Ah, it's f*ckface!" Good comeback.. -.-

"KBDuB...obviously you cared, otherwise you wouldn't have commented. :]"
Okay? So, that obviously mean that every time you have said "I don't care" that actually means.. you cared, right? Sounds good.

"Fail number 1."

[peowpeow]

Ahh yupp good point! But i still think we are one of the most highest priced countries around :P and sadly price only keeps increasing, probably like this everywhere in the world though

Happy Gaming xD

[divideby0]

with the state of the present economy....the cheaper the better will sell for the holidays....

[DJ]

You can't make a product desirable simply by cutting the price. There needs to be a strong enough perceived value by the potential customer. Sure, Gamecube and Dreamcast were cheaper than the competition, but I ended up buying a PS2 and an Xbox instead last generation. Why? Sony and Microsoft's systems just had more value 'cause of the hardware and (most importantly) the software.

[beans]

Comparing a kia to a game console for 200 bucks this christmas is a silly analogy. As a matter a fact many of people have traded in there gas guzzlers for cheaper more fuel efficient cars over the months of high oil and energy costs. The 360 has a really strong lineup of known exclusives, services, and even a known developer delivering L4D. The momentum is building up as seen in Japan and with this price cut you would have to be an idiot to think that this is not going to sell like crazy during these hard times at it's price point. Sony is in a very bad situation this holiday and as far as the USA is concerned there no value in it at it's high cost. 360 is taking DJ so just get over it already.

[titntin]

Granted the ecconomy might change the situation, but the arcade model has been cheaper than a Wii here in europe for over 6 months and the Wii is mudering it in sales.

Price is obviously not the only factor, even if its significant.

[DJ]

Kias are some of the cheapest cars available within our market, but very few people buy it. The 360 Arcade is one of the cheapest consoles within our market, but not very many people buy it. It's not a hard analogy to wrap your head around.

Also, you seem to be going on a huge rant about how "PS3 has no games" and "Nobody wants a PS3." What's with all the hatred, dude? Considering the huge lineup of PS3 exclusives through 2009 and steady sales growth, making such statements seems a bit outdated. They were relevant last year, but not now.

[Pika-pie]

I went into HMV last weekend (Leeds) and I was surprised to see a really cool big PS3 set up with games being played on a huge 46inch LCD set in its own PS3 branded kiosk with a huge Playstation logo above. Kids were queuing to play Mercenaries 2 and crowds of people were watching.

The 360 standard set up was tucked away in a tiny corner on a little 21inch screen with a really small logo above it. Nobody around it at all...

No wonder the 360 needs this big price cut. MS can see the direction things are headed.

[titntin]

Yeah - thats a pretty big turn around.

Last year if you went to any of the big stores in the UK, the shelf space and premium displays were all 360 based and it was very difficult to see PS3 stuff.

[zhuk is god]

"You should change your name to Fanboylifestyle.net, how many whining MS jabs can be made in one article?

What a shame you will miss some great games simply because you have blind console loyalty to Sony.

I will be enjoying the monster line-up on the 360 and will also enjoy WKC on the PS3. I go where the games are and the 360 cannot be denied along with my PS3."

repeat with me "I go where the games are and the 360 cannot be denied"

again "I go where the games are and the 360 cannot be denied"

one more time zombies "I go where the games are and the 360 cannot be denied"

now make yourself happy and buy a new 360 for you.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

Nah,i bought a 360.Didn't make me happy.In fact i regret it very much.
I bought one on launch day.It died a few months later.

So i bought a PS3.Lovin it ever since.I bought another 360 again recently.Only for fable 2

You don't truly notice how much better PS3 is until you have them both.side by side.

And you say you have both..but..surprise,surprise.. you dont show either of you're gamertags.Strange no?..who hides their gaming Id's on a game site...

Beside's..how can i take someone with a name like "Zhuk is god" seriously?

[KBDuB]

A lot of people don't show their gamer tags, bro. I have both consoles, and I don't show my gamertags.. why? Cause I don't want idiots like you sending me sht. Sorry.

And, I prefer the 360 for games.. that's right, for games. Surprise, surprise.. eh? I buy all multi-plats on my 360. I only get exclusives for my PS3.

[JEDI WOLVERINE]

At $199 in North America compared to £129 in United Kingdom....

I think this price cut more or less equalizises these two places.

As regards plug and play kits,why dont people buy what i did in England.
Always have 1 set of AA charged up ready and swap round once per week - simple.Can also be used for more than just games controllers also if need be:

http://www.argos.co.uk/stat...

Sure Microsoft could have put something in with the box to start with but everyones missing out with bits and bobs.....HD leads Sony?

[trovon]

Look...I completely understand the whole RROD thing, and that Microsoft should have done the right thing, but they are fixing it aren't they? I can't understand how you guys can think that Sony would be pulling out all the stops for their console if Microsoft wasn't effecting them. The price cut is a good deal for someone who has young children, as they have no need to go online, or have a HDD. Or for someone who is low on money, but wants a console. This discussion of value is ridiculous. Value is what the customer is willing to pay for something. I want all three consoles to do well this holiday season because it's good for the gaming industry.

[Pika-pie]

Same reasons Microsoft fanboys want Sony to fail

[Lord Vader]

Anyone who doesnt think the 360 is a good deal for $200 in today's world is a FANBOY.

The largest, highest-rated, & most diverse library of games available on a Next Gen console, at the cheapest price. Period.

[u got owned]

My take on this is that is a great deal. Taking into consideration that the target costumer is the ones buying the Wii. Anyone denying this is a great deal is blind by fanboyism. Now will it sell? That remains to be seen, MS need to advertise the sh@t out of this price cut and point the advantages of the 360 over the Wii.

[cereal_killa]

I think it is a good price but I'm all most certain that most people who don't know anything about video game systems will be shocked to know what you don't have when you get one sure you dont have to have wifi that a giving but your child's friends most likely are on live and being a fact that your child will want to play online it your choice to get it for them or not some parents don't want to hear there kids constantly winning about I can t play online with my friends so they get them live them oh no you cant go online with out HDD there's more money. All I'm saying is this I would compare buying the arcade model to some of those car adds you see in the paper brand new Dodge Viper for $10,000 wow what a deal until you got to the dealership and they inform you that it's not the whole car if you want the whole viper you have to get this package which cost $80,000 more. If they kept the 20gb for $199 and got rid of the arcade all together it would be a much better deal for consumers.

[-Maverick-]

hahahahhahahahahhahahahhaa

Xbox 360 PWNSSSSSSSSSSS this generation ahahhahahahhaha

PS3 is an afterthought hahahahhaaa