Xbox 360 HD DVD player drops to $179
The Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD player sheds $20.
(Credit: Microsoft)
Ah, the prices for HD DVD players just keep falling. This time it's not one of Toshiba's standalone players, but the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360. Starting August 1, the player will shed $20, dropping to $179. If that isn't enough to entice you, the press release notes that "buyers can choose five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15 popular titles via a mail-in offer."
All that said, in terms of pure hardware costs for a game console/next-gen DVD player, the 60GB PS3 (with built-in Blu-ray player) remains the better deal at $500--it's obviously more convenient to have a drive actually built into your game console. In case you're wondering, Sony too is offering five free Blu-ray movies from a selection of 21 titles with the purchase of a PS3. I'm not sure which list is less impressive, but I only saw about three titles I want from either.
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
