Comments on: Xbox 360 to be lowest-price next-gen video game console

Microsoft plans to drop the price of its entry-level console to $199, lower than Nintendo's Wii and the first next-gen machine to break $200.

[hawaiiinsomniac]

"To date, the 60 GB Xbox has done about 60 percent of total Xbox 360 sales, said Greenberg, with the Arcade and Elite models each accounting for about 20 percent."

Do you mean the current 20GB model?

[brh3]

Mama, are you sniffing glue? Although the Wii is great in its own right it is really targeting a different aspect of things. I believe that although it has innovative gameplay its longevity would be in question.

The Arcade version is really great and at this price point, you really start to see the differences between the two consoles. The Xbox is really the smarter choice as it just gives you so much more.

[MamaGlue]

xbox 360 arcade is terrible! I guess microsoft thinks people are stupid and will buy xbox 360 arcade because of its low price but they dont understand that the reason people buy the wii is because of its innovative gameplay and it differs from the other consoles

[Kwasiowusu]

@ MamaGlue, : "xbox 360 arcade is terrible"

Nonsense!
The 360 Arcade us by far a better console than the cheap, low tech Japanese trinket Wii.
Even the original XBOX us more powerful then the Wii.
The 360 Arcade is not only far more powerful than the Wii, the 360 Arcade can run every single 360 game exactly like the 360 Pro, including super games like Gears of War, Halo 3, GTA IV, COD 4 etc.

@ MamaGlue :" dont understand that the reason people buy the wii is because of its innovative gameplay and it differs from the other consoles "
The Wii is about as "innovative" as a 2000 PC, and far lewss powerful. The "waggle" has been around for years, before Nintendo went and licensed that technology from an outfit in Texas called Gyration..
Even the Microsoft Sidewender games control from over 10 years ago, had the same motion control in it that the "wiimote" has.

[CrashPad63]

Obviously you have never played Gears of War or maybe COD4 on the Xbox 360. Never heard anyone who has say that the 360 is terrible. Matter of fact never seen a serious gamer really in love with the Wii.... just doesnt do it for them.

[clsmithj]

What's funny is that $199 use to be a starting point for some consoles. Sega Genesis debuted at $189, Super Nintendo debuted at $199, Nintendo 64 was $199, Dreamcast debuted at $199, Gamecube debuted at $199.

This generation, companies decided to penny pench consumers who already suffering in this poor economy.

[volterwd]

I guess your ignoring inflation but hey whats a little common sense.

That said who would want to buy the arcade... the 200$ ps2 still gave you the EXACT same ps2 that people paid for before... if not better constructed.

The arcade is not the same as the more expensive xbox... now when the full xbox gets under 200 then you can say something.

[BCF1968]

Yes I remember mowing yards all summer so I could spend $199 on ColecoVison back in 1982. Of course $199 back then is like $450 today. Perhaps you need some perspective.

Let's see $450 for a 120 GB XBOX 360 Elite or $199 for a Super Nintendo. Who got a better deal?

[ChickoryLait]

It's called inflation.

[torturran]

The difference this generation is that the consoles themselves, excluding the Wii, are MUCH more expensive to build, given the components within them. The 360 and PS3 are both aimed at being a do all media center in your living room. And, visually, in order to come close to what was being done in the PC gaming scene, Sony and Microsoft built their systems to compete with PCs.

If you want a system just to play "console games," Sony has one for you. The PS2. Still going strong, with new games still being developed for it. And that comes for a penny pinchers price of $129 last I saw.

[NG Knight]

Your looking at this from the "Now" Standpoint. Back when the Snes came out that hardware was "Expensive". Even with the NES the hardware inside was "NEW" and "EXPENSIVE". the reason the PS2 is so cheap "Now" is because it's hardware is a lot older, hence the parts to make it are "Cheaper".
*Hippie Voice* It's all a state of mind man *Hippie Voice*.

[badasscat]

The system's three years old. When do we stop using the term "next-gen"?

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

He should have used the term 3rd gen. Next-gen per definition does not exist yet

[BCF1968]

The better question is why does the Wii get lumped into the whole "next gen" conversation anyways? From technical standpoint is much closer to the PS2 and XBOX than it is to the 360 and PS3.

[Renegade Knight]

When this gen stops being the last gen, then the next gen that came to dethrone this gen from being next gen will be the new next gen. Simple.

[Copper_Top]

You know.... I really don't think Microsoft will save there company after all these really bad choices. One they decided to go in to the console industry and are being, slowly showed up by the veterans (the price drop proves it) , and two they decided to spawn the horrors of vista that the intelligent computer user understands all the flaws that it has. (In other words the so called "Mojavi experiment" was just a bunch of idiots). I cant wait until the tyranny of Microsoft falls... and this is the start!

[DrtyDogg]

FYI: The XBOX 360 holds the record for the longest time before a price drop.

[Lerianis]

Copper_Top, the only idiot on here is you, period and done with. Vista is a VERY good operating system, and most of the driver problems and 'problems getting 10 year old hardware to work with Vista! WAAAH' should have had people getting SLAPPED for blaming Microsoft. That was not their problem, and most hardware and software did and STILL DOES work with Vista. In fact, I can only think of ONE program I have that doesn't or didn't work with Vista (haven't tried it again yet).
Microsoft is not 'going to fall' and they are NOT a tyranny. The only thing that is going to 'fall' are your expectations of Microsoft, unless you want to look like a COMPLETE idiot every single time you post.

[Aquasol]

"The system's three years old. When do we stop using the term "next-gen"?"

As soon as "next-gen" games stop using bloom and an overabundance of grey and brown.

Also, I feel sorry for anyone buying an Arcade edition while expecting a full gaming experience-- without a real hard drive, a great deal of games(never mind DLC) aren't going to work so well, period.

[Kwasiowusu]

You get exactly the same gaming expreince with the Arcade as you get with a Pro, if you don't use XBOX Live, which oiver 30% of 360 owners don't use.
If you are not on Live, exactly why should you not buy an Arcade, which plays Gears of War, Halo 3 etc in exactly the same way as a Pro does?

[BCF1968]

Aquasol
"Also, I feel sorry for anyone buying an Arcade edition while expecting a full gaming experience-- without a real hard drive, a great deal of games(never mind DLC) aren't going to work so well, period."

Hey Einstien the Arcade is supposed to compete with the Wii and last time I checked the Wii only has 512 MB of flash memory. So there isn't a disadvatage not having a hard drive. Considering the 360 is VASTLY technically superior, is upgradable if/when one wants to add a hard drive and is now $50( or 20%, however you want to look at it ) cheaper than the Wii, we'll see the Wii's popularity wane.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ MamaGlue, : "xbox 360 arcade is terrible"

Nonsense!
The 360 Arcade us by far a better console than the cheap, low tech Japanese trinket Wii.
Even the original XBOX us more powerful then the Wii.
The 360 Arcade is not only far more powerful than the Wii, the 360 Arcade can run every single 360 game exactly like the 360 Pro, including super games like Gears of War, Halo 3, GTA IV, COD 4 etc.

@ MamaGlue :" dont understand that the reason people buy the wii is because of its innovative gameplay and it differs from the other consoles "
The Wii is about as "innovative" as a 2000 PC, and far lewss powerful. The "waggle" has been around for years, before Nintendo went and licensed that technology from an outfit in Texas called Gyration..
Even the Microsoft Sidewender games control from over 10 years ago, had the same motion control in it that the "wiimote" has.

[riboflavenus]

You are a sad, strange little person

[adurand3]

Game systems, as the name suggests, are about gaming. Why do people play games? To have fun, to be amused, to relax, to compete with others. Though America, and other countries also, have nurtured the attitude of being above another person, therefore leading to all of this commentary on one system being "better" than the other.

The fact is, it doesn't matter how "powerful" a system is. The main people who even care about the system's "power" are developers and the so called "gamers" who seem to only enjoy bleeding edge graphics but mostly bragging rights to having the most "powerful" console. Which is all too often the reason of, I'm better than you because I have _____ and you have something that sucks, attitude.

Even though I have played all of the new consoles, I still find myself occasionally going back to play older games. Why? Not because they are more "powerful" consoles, that's for sure. The Super Nintendo has defiantly been surpassed by handhelds in power since then. The games are fun, they are "games", not a motion picture.

[CrashPad63]

I can see there are plenty of "other console" fans on here. What I dont quite understand is who are they trying to convince? People will by the 199.00 sticker of the Arcade period. For that price youre getting the most powerful console of "this" generation and a more economical price than the other console from the "last generation"
You see anyone in the know has seen the Wii for what it is, a game cube repackaged with a motion control And it does appear that the rush is slowing to a trickle for that one, you can find them anywhere now. Now what is going to happen with the low priced Xbox360, motion control enabled and new games for the holiday season. Literally Wii has shot itself in the foot, what backup do they have?
and of course MS will be bringing their next gen console to market in 2 years tops.
Man this is going to be beautiful. Blood on the TV screen, with all those ps3 and Wiis squealing like stuck pigs at a slaughter house.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Aquasol : " Also, I feel sorry for anyone buying an Arcade edition while expecting a full gaming experience-- without a real hard drive"

What the heck you talking about?
You get exactly the same gaming expreince with the Arcade as you get with a Pro, if you don't use XBOX Live, which over 30% of 360 owners don't use.
If you are not on Live, exactly why should you not buy an Arcade, which plays Gears of War, Halo 3, GTA IV etc in exactly the same way as a Pro does?
Take your disinformation campiagn elsewhere.

[Maccess]

Duh... Gameplay is not about chatting with your friends about how many polygons your console can do.

The Wii succeeds because its simply a different way of having fun, and that's part of its appeal--and why it sells well among seniors unlike the other game consoles.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Maccess, The wii sells to geriatric old women in retirement homes and little tots, when their soccer moms buy it for them. Real gamers buy the 360 and PS3.
Remember, there are over 140 million PS2 users out there and another 25 million original XBOX users out there, most of whom bought their consoles after the price hit under $200, who are just waiting to ugrade.
The huge 140 million PS2 installed base is simply not interested in a Wii that does not have the top PS2 games like GTA, DMC, FF, etc, and has crap graphics and gameplay, and is full of kiddie games with names ending in "dogz", "catz" etc.
They will upgarde to the 360 and PS3 when prices fall low enough to the same prices they bought their PS2s at.

[RRosal]

"The Wii succeeds because its simply a different way of having fun, and that's part of its appeal--and why it sells well among seniors unlike the other game consoles"

Nah, people just want a Wii because they want to see their girlfriends shake their booty around like the Wii Fit Girl hahahahaha

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Maccess, The wii sells to geriatric old women in retirement homes and little tots, when their soccer moms buy it for them. Real gamers buy the 360 and PS3.
Remember, there are over 140 million PS2 users out there and another 25 million original XBOX users out there, most of whom bought their consoles after the price hit under $200, who are just waiting to ugrade.
The huge 140 million PS2 installed base is simply not interested in a Wii that does not have the top PS2 games like GTA, DMC, FF, etc.

[Maclover1]

There is NO WAY MS is going to put out a new Xbox in 2 years. After finally starting to make money they are not going to dump another billion down the drain anytime soon.

The 360 has been out sold in 2008 almost every month of 2008, even with a price drop in July the PS3 still outsold the 360.

The 360 has peeked IMHO. Between the massive RROD problems, and the failure of HD-DVD the PS3 is just more attractive.

The PSN network has kept improving to the point that while Live is still better its note $50 a year better. Another thing is games. The 360 had the game lead big time. Now the big hitting 3rd party games (COD4, Battle Field BadCompany, Rock Band, Fallout...etc) are releasing at the same time on the PS3. The PS3 exclusives are kicking in now (MGS4, Socom) and for the media center geeks you can upgrade your HD in 10min using notebook hard drives. So for $99 you pickup a 320gig drive off of newegg, vs MS raping you for a proprietary 120gig drive on the 360. You can fit a lot of movies on a 320gig drive.

PS3 will pass the 360 in Mid 2009 at the latest, in the US, and from what I have seen its already surpassed them Europe.

[Maclover1]

There is NO WAY MS is going to put out a new Xbox in 2 years. After finally starting to make money they are not going to dump another billion down the drain anytime soon.

The 360 has been out sold in 2008 almost every month of 2008, even with a price drop in July the PS3 still outsold the 360.

The 360 has peeked IMHO. Between the massive RROD problems, and the failure of HD-DVD the PS3 is just more attractive.

The PSN network has kept improving to the point that while Live is still better its note $50 a year better. Another thing is games. The 360 had the game lead big time. Now the big hitting 3rd party games (COD4, Battle Field BadCompany, Rock Band, Fallout...etc) are releasing at the same time on the PS3. The PS3 exclusives are kicking in now (MGS4, Socom) and for the media center geeks you can upgrade your HD in 10min using notebook hard drives. So for $99 you pickup a 320gig drive off of newegg, vs MS raping you for a proprietary 120gig drive on the 360. You can fit a lot of movies on a 320gig drive.

PS3 will pass the 360 in Mid 2009 at the latest, in the US, and from what I have seen its already surpassed them Europe.

[CrashPad63]

@maclover1 well the name says it all. Go back to Steve and tell him you failed in your mission.

[Kwasiowusu]

Maclover : "PS3 will pass the 360 in Mid 2009 at the latest, in the US, and from what I have seen its already surpassed them Europe. "

Not gonna happen.
Not with PS3
sales in Japan falling like a rock to below 9,000 a week.
Already, the 360 has outsold the PS3 in Japan in August so far, according to Media Create sales figures.
With JRPG Infinite Undiscovery coming out next week on the 360, and Last Remant coming out in Novermber, and no major PS3 games lined up in Japan for the rest of the year, plus the solid 360 price cuts just announced, the 360 sales in Japan for the rest of the year, are going to be at least as compatetive as those of the PS3 in Japan.

[RRosal]

Kwasiowusu: You failed to mention how the 360 got a huge sales surge for Tales of Vesperia in Japan when it first came out and then went right back to last place in sales the following week. Speaks pretty much volumes for where Japan is at with their interest in the 360.

[MaLvaDo39]

Looks like Microsoft will be dumping more units into retail stores and claim them as actual sales.

[CrashPad63]

Not this old tired song and dance. All hardware man, Apple included does this. So go back and try again.

[Kwasiowusu]

Maclover1 : "The 360 has peeked IMHO."

Not even close.
Over 90% of the orginal XBOX(and PS2) sales were made when the price hit under $200. The 360 was on sale for $400 for 22 months, and then only had a price increase when the Elite was launched.
You never reach the mass market when you sell a console for $400 and above.
Most 360 sales are going to come after the price hits under $200, especially when the Pro hits under $200.
Most 360 sales are yet to come. If the 360 has already sold over 21 milion units selling for $400, just think how many more it can sell when the price hits under $150 like the current PS2.
In Japan, the 360 has already outsold the original XBOX long ago, and is on track to sell at least 3 times as many as the original XBOX by the end of this cycle.

[mouseclick]

The story reads a line "...over the next few years, the PS3 will eventually catch up to and surpass the Xbox."

Then, consider that after a launch just 1-2 years ago, the folks at Sony want the PS3 to last 10 years (that's at least 2017). See: http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/25/ps3-expected-to-live-10-years-in-the-market/.

Are you serious? Before PS3 catches up to the 360, if it even can after this price drop, Microsoft will already have announced a new console to come while Sony is still hanging on to a 10 year old technology. I don't care how advanced they say the PS3 is today, there is just no accounting for all the technological leaps that happen annually. There will be a new console war before the PS3 catches the 360, especially with this price drop. The question will be, will Sony admit they need to jump in with a new console of their own or hold onto a PS3 technology that by that time will be 5+ years old while a new 360 or Wii version will be coming out...

[RRosal]

Well, good luck to you if you like Microsoft's 3-5 year plan for each console and plan on getting a new console every 5 years. Ask the original XBox owners about how quickly they got screwed by Microsoft and whether the 10 year plan that Sony has is flawed. Just indicates to me that Microsoft isn't looking very far ahead and are only interested in the immediate gains for themselves and screw the gamers. With games costing millions to produce nowadays, and most console makers eating heavy losses for each new console that comes out it would make sense for Sony to drag out the life expectancy on their system especially since they don't have an operating system called Windows to back up the losses they'd have to eat.

[raytown]

You obviously have no idea about the tech behind the PS3.

The Cell processor is scalable, which means when they do decide to make the PS4 its going to have the same architecture; CELL. The Cell's architecture allows it to be scaled and you can simply add cores to the already existing design without the need for the Devs to learn a new way of programming. By then all the Devs will have mastered the Cell and while the Devs for the new Xbox are struggling to get good graphics out of the new tech, the PS3 will be coming out with games that EQUAL that of the new Xbox.

Also, the PS4 will be able to compete or surpass the 2nd Gen Xbox 720 games, because the Cells architecture would already widely be known in the Dev community.

Who knows maybe the new PS4 will just be an "upgrade" to your PS3 for a rock bottom price that MS wouldn't be able to compete with.

[Rawnchie14]

I'd rather buy a new console that actually has games I can play right when I get the console.

What kind of consumer buys a device so they can use it later? I'll buy a PS3 when the tech actually matters, it's not like they'll stop selling PS3's in the future. You guys are just thick for buying it now, and are making excuses.

I have the 360, and play games... NOW. Not later. So while you wait, blinded by brand loyalty and sheer ignorance, I'll play my console and it's great games. Then IF the PS3 rebounds and builds a good volume of games, I'll join in and we'll be in the same place... except the PS3 will be cheaper for me... and you would have missed out on a good 360 library. Until then, have fun waiting.

[mouseclick]

Rawnchie14: Perhaps you need to learn more about technology. Scalability of a platform does not mean the base platform is ideal. Would you take a Pentium chip and make it a 32 processor multicore - it's flawed at the foundation because Pentium is old. 10 years from now, the so called advanced CELL processor will be in an even worst position.

RRosal:Your point about getting revenue out of consoles is vaild. However, you make the point that Microsoft is just trying to screw everyone by getting a new console out each 5-6 years because it will cost everyone money. This thinking is flawed. If Apple had not made numerous generations of its iPod, do you think people would still be buying the first generation iPod over the Zune or other more advanced models? Think the same thing about the iPhone - innovation in technology is a must to stay alive. If you as a company (be it Microsoft or Sony or Nintendo) do not come out first to market and make your own existing product obsolete with a new and improved one, some other company will do it for you - it's a basic understanding of product development and marketing.

[PhaseDMA]

"The system's three years old. When do we stop using the term "next-gen"?"

Perhaps when they stop being next gen? The XBox360 and PS3 have yet to be fully utilized by developers.

Traditionally speaking it takes until just about the very end of a consoles life span before the true power of these systems is fully utilized.

I mean look at GTA IV. It got backtracked 6+ months because Rockstar/Take-Two (one of the best studios in the world) couldn't get it working the way they wanted on the PS3. And you question these consoles status as still being next gen?

[megustansalchichas]

godspeed you nerds. you really think which is the 'best' machine matters? the product just has to make a profit. after that it's all cake coming out of your salary (more like minimum wages) and going into nintendo, microsoft, and sony's pockets.