Xbox 360 price cut coming July 13

The Xbox 360 Pro (aka Premium) will now cost $50 less.

(Credit: Microsoft)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about rumors that Microsoft was planning to chop the Xbox 360's price in July. Well, that price cut was all but confirmed today by Kotaku.

After posting leaked photos of upcoming Best Buy, Kmart, and other circulars, the gaming blog now has a GameStop employee's cell-phone snapshots of shelf art and an internal memo announcing that the Xbox 360 Pro (aka the Premium) would drop to $299.99 on Sunday, July 13. Not coincidentally, E3 kicks off the next day with--you guessed it--Microsoft's press conference.

As Sony's PlayStation 3 has come on strong in recent months, sales of the Xbox 360 have been flat, so a price drop seemed likely. The success of Metal Gear Solid 4 continues to give the PS3 a boost, but chances are Sony, too, will have to trim the price of its console before the holiday buying season.

All that said, the big question remains whether Microsoft will announce any new configurations of the Xbox 360. Rumor has it, the company is just using the price drop to clear out inventory of the 20GB Premium before it brings out a new 60GB version. (Of course, if you're willing to take a chance on a refurbished Premium, you can do significantly better than $300). There's no word on whether the Xbox 360 Elite or the Arcade (no hard drive) will also get $50 snips or whether a flagship model with a built-in Blu-ray drive is really in the works.

Personally, I'd like to see Microsoft get rid of the useless Arcade and reduce the number of Xbox 360 choices down to two to avoid confusing consumers. Anybody else want to guess what Microsoft has up its sleeve next week and what Sony's next move will be?

[blabtech.blogspot.com]

I think the price cut will stabilize sales... if not increase them. It might effect PS3 sales though in a negative way.

visit my blog about my opinions on some of the latest technology... http://blabtech.blogspot.com

[Marco881]

I pray that Microsoft finally follows the PS3's lead and allows for people to directly load music on to the XBox 360's hard drive!

[BillJr106]

You want Microsoft to follow Sony's lead??? Microsoft has allowed music to be stored on the hard drive since the original XBOX, and has one upped the PS3 by allowing custon soundtracks in almost all games for the 360 since birth...

[lifelonglego]

Microsoft Xbox 360 has had that since it was launched. and you can start stop and pause music directly from the guide during a game. Playing music also gets rid of game music while keeping ambient affects and dialog. SO it really should be "why doesn't Sony follow microsofts lead?"

[FatBadger]

I wish 360 would get a Blue Ray drive for it because I would rather get a 360 then a PS3 mostly for the game library. But no Blue Ray then I guess a PS3 is in my future.
I personally think there is going to be a price drop by Sony anyway at E3 and a 360 price drop is not a shock, but with 360 sales starting to drop a Blue Ray drive is about all they could add to the current unit to keep what lead it has going.

[FatBadger]

I wish 360 would get a Blue Ray drive for it because I would rather get a 360 then a PS3 mostly for the game library. But no Blue Ray then I guess a PS3 is in my future.
I personally think there is going to be a price drop by Sony anyway at E3 and a 360 price drop is not a shock, but with 360 sales starting to drop a Blue Ray drive is about all they could add to the current unit to keep what lead it has going.

[ew1234321]

microsoft won't in any way buy into blue-ray, ever. because blue-ray was created by their 2nd biggest enemy, Sony. (the biggest being google [EVIL!!!!]) and therefore doing that would screw their creation, the hd-dvd. and to tell the truth, I think Microsoft would watch every xbox 360 in the universe be demolished before they gave up one of their creations that isn't gaming. so ya.... and also, since now i've started I really can't resist, it's my spiel about the good sides of the ps3. microsoft has just came out with a software that allows up to 8 people in a 360 chat room, ps3s have always been able to do over 120 people in a chatroom, but they start to glitch up if there are 50 people all on dial-up. the xbox 360 has 120 gb of memory for it's best model, yet the ps3 can hold more data due to procedural data. now, the ps3's super, we're making all this stuff but it isn't out yet list. home, in which people will be able to play somebody elses game without the disk, as long as they are playing directly with the person who has the disk (IE in the same match of bad company) as soon as the owner of the disk leaves though, anybody running on it will also be forced to leave, and this may only be used in unranked matches. in the alledged future exclusive "total warfare" for the ps3 it will be 500 on 500 on line at least, and quite possibly 1000 on 1000. this is done through multiple servers running one match, and sony's new software that allows transfer between servers in under a millisecond, so bullets, grenades and people will be able to cross these "server lines" with no extra lag (once again those on dial up my recieve lag, but it is not caused by any flaw in sony's software) the list goes on

[7ate9]

The "Arcade" version isn't useless! I purchased one because I have no interest DLC or online play and I'm a casual gamer. They designed that package for people like me. Now if it's not selling, then I'm a rare case, but so what. I'm not going to pay for components I'm not going to use. However, if the "regular" version drops only $20 above Arcade, then yeah, there is no reason to keep it. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed on a plug-in BluRay drive like they did with the HD-DVD. But we'll see...

[strongpimphand]

why not a 199 xbox arcade???? it's not like M$ can't afford to do it! make it so it's damn near impossible to pass up.....

that will create a dilemma for video game fans. 200 dollar xbox....or 250 wii? or 400 dollar ps3?

[the_iceman]

wake me when the pro version is 199. Still waiting for the "valhalla" 360 in 2010. The red rings issue still scares me away. I like its lineup of games and the controller is the best in my opinion.

I agree the arcade version is useless

[the_iceman]

As far as Blu-Ray is concerned, I dont think this will happen for the 360. I see it more possible for the 720 or whatever they call the next gen machine though.

[Islander89]

Even an up-converting DVD drive would suffice until the next generation Xbox is ready to roll off the assembly line. I like all the great features that the Xbox has, it just sucks that you have to pay for ALL of them. Where's the web browser?

[dhjellen]

The Xbox 360 does upconvers DVDs, you just have to do it through an HDMI. FYI, that is the way that most upconverters work, there are only a couple of upconverting DVD players out there that do upconverting through component. Personally, I have to say that I have owned many upconvertng DVD players for many brands and the Xbox 360s ability to upconvert DVDs is notably better than any dedicated upconverting DVD player I have ever owned.

Just get the HDMI out cable for the 360 and you'll be happy with the upconverting.

[hskr121]

I don't have a 360 but might get one, if there's a 60GB version later this July I think I'll hold off getting the 20GB with this sale, hoping a better motherboard or chip will come with the 60GB? One that has even less chance of getting the RROD than the Falcon?
Will the only difference in the 60GB model be the amount of GB's?

[hskr121]

I don't have a 360 but might get one, if there's a 60GB version later this July I think I'll hold off getting the 20GB with this sale, hoping a better motherboard or chip will come with the 60GB. One that has even less chance of getting the RROD than the Falcon.
Will the only difference in a 60GB model be the amount of GB's?

[hskr121]

I don't have a 360 but might get one, if there's a 60GB version later this July I think I'll hold off getting the 20GB with this sale, hoping a better motherboard or chip will come with the 60GB. One that has even less chance of getting the RROD than the Falcon.
Will the only difference in a 60GB model be the amount of GB's?

[hskr121]

Sorry for all the posts I wanted to edit the first one.

[kriswa]

98% of the die hard microsoft + sony fans will have long since purchased a current model console (or two or more if they had a meltdown). adding games and increasing the hard drive size will only appeal to that demographic.

the challenge for ms/sony/nintendo is to expand their market to completely new customers, this can only succeed if they add value (ie. cutting the price to say $50/unit would actually REDUCE their sales), they need to improve the hardware to furter differentiate their product, (eg. redesign the 360 box so it's not so damnably ugly and sits well next to a hifi system; include a free external drive or other non-game specific accessories; enhance the media player/web browsing so it doesn't depend on having a slave WMC PC to function; or make the OS open source/customisable). these would boost the growth of sales beyond the core teen gamers these consoles are pitched at, especially the swing voters consider a Wii.

further than that, they would have to add feaures that don't exist on their competitors' hardware, for example ms could add a Bluray 2.0 (ie. web enabled) drive which would easily outdo the PS3's drive in sales, with a minimal cost to buyers -- microsoft has no interests/investments in the home theatre market (thus far) so competiting with the 360+Bluray @ ~$500 vs. ~$1000 for the alternative would instantly capture a huge slice of the market, all the more if they made the 360 in a more slim / rectangular, piano gloss black finish!

once the PlayTV takes off in all the major markets (by Xmas?), Sony will have grabbed yet another chunk of the potential customers with the enhanced PVR features it offers. it's unlikely microsoft will make any significant sales after that, based on their current hardware package, unless they undercut the Wii price.

[revengeofmonkey]

http://kotaku.com/5022926/gamestops-leaked-xbox-360-price-drop-info

http://kotaku.com/5022121/best-buy-ad-shows-xbox-360-price-drop

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/06/rumor-xbox-360.html

[geo1290]

Hi, please don't take this offensively Xbox 360 users but I told you so. Sony was honest enough to put a true 3rd gen console ,unlike microsoft that released a souped up original xbox. I left posts when the two consoles first came out saying that xbox users will end up buying add ons that will cost more then what an all in one ps3 costs. Don't take me as a Sony fanboy since I don't actually own either console but did play them both. I would like to stop anybody that will leave post after me saying that they dont need those add ons because I am just stating what the better deal would be if you want a true 3rd generation experience. Thanks

[make_or_break]

Regarding Sony's true "3G" console...MGS4 has been great so far on my new 80GB PS3, but are the REST of the games that were supposed to blow every other machine away???? Sorry, but I've rented a couple of cross-platform titles that I already own on the 360, and yes they seem to look better on the PS3, but heck, the subtle differences are hardly worth buying a new console for.

As for the Blu-ray...it's not any big deal for me...so far. The PS3 is just too noisy without being put behind a closed cabinet and frankly, plain old upconverted DVDs are still good enough for me at the current price points of BD vs. the DVD version. Now if BD discs come DOWN in price, the industry might have something there.

[tech_junky48]

Lol, with MS's history, they'll probably announce the release of their next console for December. And Sony will skip this gen, and Nintendo will release another repackaged gamecube, but this time with a built in harddrive and the wiimote. It'll be called the Uus and be released next year.

[make_or_break]

The local Seattle papers have already reported that there will be 60GB version, and the price drop is only to clear out old inventory of the 20GB Premium version. I saw at a local Target store today that they've already got 20GB 360s "on sale" at $299 ahead of the official announcement.

[Salem_Wolf]

Heh, I hate to burst your bubbles on the Blu-Ray Player for the Xbox 360 but...in the immortal words of some guy who said it first: "It will never happen."

Why? Oh why would the magical Blu-Ray NEVER come to the 360? Simple. The founding members of the Blu-Ray Disc Association, the founding members of the Technology Blu-Ray discs run on is founded by nine members: Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung...and...who is this? SONY! Yep. Sony Corporation is spearheading the entire Association.

So, unless Sony is that stupid, Blu-Ray is PS3 exclusive. Sorry to burst your bubble, and as much as it sucks, that's the facts. Still don't believe me? Check out Wikipedia for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association

So, there ya have it. Solid Proof that Microsoft will never get a Blu-Ray Player in any of their systems, ever. Sorry guys, looks like you're shelling out $399 for an 80GB PS3 to play Blu-Ray, or over 100s of dollars MORE for Blu-Ray Players.

[Brewster222]

I too would pass onto you words of remorse for you xbox fans.

And I leave you this quote

" Nothing like waitiing for something that sucks"

[Hikaru5]

Sorry Salem_wolf but you are entirely wrong look at this

A Blu-ray drive in a 360 would make Microsoft more competitive with the PS3, but it would also mean extra revenues for Sony?s electronics division. It would also add further cost to the 360, meaning a premium edition of the console could be necessary. A Blu-ray drive could be incorporated in its top-of-the-range Elite Xbox, or Microsoft could again offer a drive as a plug-in peripheral.

It could certainly happen, and Microsoft probably wouldn't mind paying Sony some money if it meant they could, at least in consumers' minds, take a bit away from what is Sony's biggest competitive advantage with PlayStation 3.