Xbox 360 gets drastic price cut in Japan

How low can it go?

(Credit: Microsoft)

While U.S. gamers wait for rumors of Xbox 360 price cuts to bear out, their counterparts in Japan got very good news on that front Monday.

At a media event in Tokyo, Microsoft said it will slash retail prices of its video game console by about 30 percent in an effort to better compete with rivals as the crucial holiday shopping season nears.

Microsoft said it will lower the price of the entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade model, which comes sans hard drive, by 8,000 yen ($73.92) to 19,800 yen (around $183). That's less than a Nintendo Wii or PlayStation 3 go for in Japan.

The new price drops the Xbox 360 below $200, the magic price barrier in video game machines, according to many industry observers. Go below that, the theory goes, and you potentially open up your machine to the truly mass market.

The Japanese unit of the U.S. software giant said the recommended retail price for the higher-end Elite model equipped with a 120GB hard drive will drop from 47,800 ($442) to 39,800 yen ($368).

A new standard model with a 60GB drive, meanwhile, will sell for 29,800 yen, or about $275. That's 5,000 yen, or about $46, lower than the current 20GB model. The new prices are set to take hold September 11.

[jaypaneseninja]

Imagine how many units would sell in the US if they dropped the price to $73.92.

[DrtyDogg]

they dropped the price to $183 it came down $74 dollars

[JamesLankford]

they didn't drop the price to $73, they lowered the price by $73

[JamieLaing]

Perhaps the wording on that sentence is a little strange. I had to read it a couple of times myself, but yeah, the price in Japan will be $183 dude.

[Magicland]

That's an awfully expensive hard drive in those Xbox 360's. $185 for a 120 GB drive, and $92 for a 60 GB drive

[DrtyDogg]

They must be using Apple's suppliers.

[Penguinisto]

Wow... the whiff of desperation can be scented from all the way on this side of the Pacific...

[Kwasiowusu]

@ by Penguinisto:"Wow... the whiff of desperation can be scented from all the way on this side of the Pacific"

Yeah?
Ummm..the 360 has actually outsold the PS3 so far in Media Create August sales figures from the big bump in sales that the 360 got from Tales of Vesperia..
PS3 Japan sales have now fallen below the crucial 10,000 a week point, with the PS3 not having any hardware moving games lined up for the rest of the year.
eanwhile, the 360 has hardware selling Japanese RPG's Infinite Undiscovery and Last Remnant still on course for release this year.
The 360 is going to be at least very competitive with the PS3 in Japan for the rest of this year.

[Penguinisto]

I suspect you have no cites to back your statements up...

...because mine says you're full of it by orders of magnitude

last week: http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=Japan&cons2=PS3&reg2=Japan&cons3=X360&reg3=Japan&start=39677&end=39684&weekly=1

cumulative (YoY): http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=Japan&cons2=PS3&reg2=Japan&cons3=X360&reg3=Japan&start=39320&end=39684&weekly=1

[DrtyDogg]

They have to do something over there if they want to gain some market share/mind share. I wonder if this hints at maybe a November price cut in the U.S. Highly unlikely, though it would be nice.

[Kwasiowusu]

There is already price cut in the US coming this week.. There won't e another price cut in November.

[JamesLankford]

you need to read the comments above you because you don't know what you're talking about

[Kwasiowusu]

The price cuts in Japan, have already led to verty sharp increases in 360 sales on Amazon Japan (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/movers-and-shakers/videogames/ref=pd_ts_vg_mte), where the 60GB 360 now ranks # 1, the the Arcade 360 now ranks at # 14, and the Elite 360 now ranks at #15.
All 3 versions of the 360 are now selling higher rthan the Wii(which is currently ranking at #20), or PS3 on Amazon, Japan:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ref=pd_ts_pg_1?ie=UTF8&pg=1

The release of the Jaoanese RPG's Infinite Undiscovery, and Last Remnant in September and November, shoukd give 369 sales another solid boost.
The 360 is going to be very competitive with the PS3 for the rst of the year. Already the 360 has outsold the PS3 in Japan in Media Create sales figures so far.

[Rawnchie14]

Wow Kwasiowusu, that's actually spectacular news! It was only a matter of time before the 360 cracked the market in Japan, the price cut is a huge deal, and the 360 is getting easier to make now.

I think, in the long run, the 360 looks to pull down some pretty good profits despite all of their problems. By offering an HD console without the financial losses of Blu-ray, Microsoft chose a pretty good medium between the Wii and PS3 to pull down money - I mean, which console are the common people more likely to move from - Wii to PS3? Or Wii to 360?

We'll see.

[Penguinisto]

Too bad Kwasi's figures are wrong overall:

http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=Japan&cons2=PS3&reg2=Japan&cons3=X360&reg3=Japan&start=39677&end=39684&weekly=1

...and that was just last week. Cherry-picking Amazon.com as a "source" ignores the larger picture.

/P

[CrashPad63]

You do realize your link is cumulative all time sales. The short term trend bears out a sharp increase in Xbox360 market share.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Penguinisto , vgchartz's fake figures are the last refuge of an anti-Microsoft scoundrel. Everyone knows vgchartz makes figures up, and have been wrong time after time, after time. Vgchartz is worthless.
Amazon Japan gives a better indication of coming console sales than vgchartz' which doesn't actually sell any console, doesn't get figutes from retailers, and uses hocus pocus tio manufacture figures frim thin air.
using Media Create figures for august so fay, the 360 has outold the PS3 in Japan in August.
its virtually certain, that with the release of Infinite undicovery on Sep 11, and the 360 price cut and intriduction of the 60GB 360 on the same Sep 11, the 360 will easilly outsell the PS3 in Jaoan this month.

[cerdic55]

While vgchartz is unreliable, I wouldn't go by Amazon.com. Look at the ranking for the US page. The 80 gig PS3 is #12 while the highest 360 is like #75. I think that Amazon gets certain types of customers for consoles.