With rumor, speculation, and fancy Target advertisements floating around it seems as though Microsoft will soon make an announcement about a prince cut of the Xbox 360.Conventional wisdom is suggesting that the cut will yield a $50 drop on both the Xbox 360 Pro and Elite versions of the console bringing the new total to $249.99 and $299.99 respectively.
This comes just one week after Sony announced the new $299.99 price tag for the 80 GB Playstation 3 and $399.99 for the 160 GB bundle with a copy of "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune."
If the immanent cut price does in fact occur, it would bring the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite and 80 GB Playstation 3 in direct competition at a $299.99 price match.
Which is the better deal?The obvious comparison is missing 40 GB of storage on the Playstation 3. However, the same point-counter-point arguments will likely arise in comparing the functionality of the two consoles.
Most notably, the Xbox 360 Elite bundle comes compete with a headset, HDMI cable, Halo 3, Fable 2, and a free trial to Netfilx. However, Elite owners will still need to purchase a $100 attachment for wireless internet access whereas all versions of the Playstation 3 have built-in wireless.
Regardless, the Playstation 3 price cut will be the bigger announcement since this will be the closest the expensive console has ever come to matching Microsoft's console.
Some may ask: what about the Nintendo Wii? The simple and obvious answer is that you will not see a price cut on the Wii any time soon. Why should they?
The Wii is just the front runner in the current console war and consumers are perfectly happy paying $250 for one. The Xbox 360 Pro will soon match that figure, but gamers buying the Nintendo Wii are interested in the hardcore gaming that the Xbox 360 promises.
Those hopeful for a $199 or $149 Wii will have to wait.
2 comments:
Do you think we'll see a $199 Wii before the end of the year, in time for the holiday season?
I highly doubt we will see a Wii price drop anytime in the near future. The Nintendo Wii is having no trouble in selling units and a price drop would only slightly increase demand since it is already high enough. If Nintendo is selling units at a $250 price point, why drop it? As long as the Xbox 360 and PS3 stay above $250, there is no need for Nintendo to adjust its price on the Wii.
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