European Xbox 360 price cuts and 120GB Elite -- starting Friday

Yes sir, Europe too is getting an Xbox price reduction announcement this morning. Starting Friday, our cultured brethren with better hair cuts will see the 20GB Premium model drops €50 to €349.99 while the disk-less Core version falls €20 to €279.99. The 24th also marks the European introduction of 120GB Elite model for €449.99. Welcome to the brave new world kids.

[Thanks, Richard and Barry T.]

[GuyJ86 @ Aug 20th 2007 7:01AM]

So its probably going to be £199 for the Core, £229 for the Premium and im guessing £329 for the Elite.

[Shadowise @ Aug 20th 2007 7:08AM]

The Elite is up for £299 on www.play.com free with free delivery as usual.

[asnozz @ Aug 20th 2007 7:13AM]

since the biggest gamig market in europe in the UK, can you please list prices in both £ and Euro's

[Genuis Bartender @ Aug 20th 2007 7:39AM]

The UK MAY (I haven't seen any proof of this) be the biggest gaming market in the EU, but if you count the number of people that buy games and gaming hardware with Euros, they absolutely dwarf those who do so with Pounds. The Euro is the official currency of the EU and the currency that 317 million people have in their pockets So it's entirely sensible to list the price in Euros. Compared to 60 million people that use Pounds. The Euro is the most widely circulated currency in the world surpassing the Dollar, the Yen and the Pound (in that order).

[Robotochan @ Aug 20th 2007 7:13AM]

The problem is we've been seeing these prices for a while now :/ I wonder if these price drops will filter down to the consumer or used to regain profit from having the prices already low?

[bl0nde @ Aug 20th 2007 7:14AM]

Nice one Microsoft, if Sony doesn't want to totally lose the holiday season (and as a PS3 owner I hope they don't), they really need to fast track a price cut to Europe as well - having the PS3 cost £100 more than the top end Xbox is not going to help them one bit.

If they can a) price cut to £350ish b) Get Singstar and the next Pro Evolution Soccer out the door c) Give Europe better PSN Store updates before the end of 2007 then a lot of people will be happy. Oh, and try to not let Heavenly Sword suck. Pretty please.

Competition FTW!

[KultiVator @ Aug 20th 2007 7:24AM]

But Pro Evo Soccer is also for almost imminent release on the 360 (and PC) - how does this title help the PS3 establish a foot-hold?

I want the PS3 to do well - but they've got some work to do. You got to ask the question, why buy a PS3 today when Gran Turismo still isn't out - whereas you could be playing the very slick and rewarding Forza 2 on the 360 right now either in career or online mode?

It's probably different in Japan - but right now as a resident in Western Europe - there's too few good reasons for a PS3 to sit in my living room alongside my 360/PS2/Vista Media Centre.

[bl0nde @ Aug 20th 2007 7:35AM]

Maybe not Pro Evolution Soccer so much, I only mentioned that because it's long been associated with the PlayStation (I think only last year's version went to Xbox as well), so a lot of average PS2 owners who don't do much more than Pro Evo and a couple of other games will make the mental connection from New Pro Evo to New Playstation. Anyway, I do agree that right now a lot of PS3 ownership is anticipation at what is yet to come. And hopefully Sony can make good on some of that potential before Christmas. How does all this relate to an Xbox price cut? Hopefully a price cut to the competition will force Sony to up their game to stay competitive here.

[sam @ Aug 20th 2007 7:24AM]

well, the premium has gone down by 1/8th, so the uk price is prob gone from £279.99 to £245. the core will prob drop £15 by those figures too.

very poor price drop really!

was expecting alot more prices cut!

[Jan @ Aug 22nd 2007 8:03AM]

What about the 20GB version with HDMI?

[Highlander @ Aug 20th 2007 7:29AM]

Here in Hungary the core is 240EUR, the premium is 328EUR already. May be that will be even cheaper? :)

[DaveC @ Aug 20th 2007 7:30AM]

The new UK Prices are

£299.99 for the Elite
£249.99 for the Premium
£179.99 for the Core

The accessories will cost
£129.99 for the 120GB HDD
£32.99 for the Black Wireless controller
£14.99 for the Black Play and Charge kit
£9.99 for the Black battery pack.

[Ben @ Aug 20th 2007 12:20PM]

Well that's weird, because that means that in the UK the 360 is now competing with the Wii at the same price point - £180 for both.

[Mr.Kay @ Aug 20th 2007 7:38AM]

Sorry but PS3 just didn't come out well in this round. Win some, lose some.

[wora @ Aug 20th 2007 7:57AM]

the 20gig has been 350 for about 2 months here in belgium in our version of walmart (Carrefour)
450 for an elite? thats crazy! 100 euros for 100gigs?

[rossboss @ Aug 20th 2007 8:02AM]

I've been waiting for the elite in the UK. Anybody know whether this one is a 65nm model?

[Shadowise @ Aug 20th 2007 8:13AM]

I doubt it. All the elite's in the US are still running 90nm chips. Until MS make an official announcement about the "Falcon" version of the console, I wouldn't except some nice quiet 360's yet.

[rossboss @ Aug 20th 2007 8:42AM]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/01/xbox-360-65nm-chips-out-there-45nm-chips-in-the-future/

Will there be an official announcment? Articles like the one i linked to just above vaguely suggest that 65nm chips are "out there" and that you may well get one in your 360, but no guarantee... Annoying. If microsoft let me, i'd pay extra for it today - a quieter console would be worth the money.

[matt byrne @ Aug 20th 2007 8:39AM]

£299 for the Elite is a bargain.

May just get my core repaired for free, offload it (or keep it spare) and get an Elite.

[theCardinal @ Aug 20th 2007 8:56AM]

Just to put things in perspective those prices in dollars are approximately:

$606 for the Elite
$471 for the Premium
$378 for the Core

(Euro to USD conversion at current exchange rates of 1 EUR = 1.34871 USD.)

[Nik Steffen @ Aug 20th 2007 9:57PM]

We are all aware that Europe, especially the UK constantly gets ripped off with pricing. The companies are just taking full advantage of the Consumer Surplus. Welcome to capitalism.

[sam @ Aug 20th 2007 9:19AM]

only difference with premium and elite is 100gb and costs £50 for that as the premium is starting to ship with hdmi now.

play.com have lowered their price of the premium to £229.99 now:) http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/659411/XBox-360-Premium-Console/Product.html

they have added the elite @ 299.99 and core at 179.99 like their prices will be, the premium is at a nice price now tho.

[Markos @ Aug 20th 2007 9:39AM]

It's about time. Now how about HDMI in the premium and those smaller and cooler 65nm chips? And make that before Sep 26th.

[LJKelley @ Aug 20th 2007 11:10AM]

Always remember when doing price conversions that in the US we pay $349 + Sales Tax where as all EU Prices are inclusive of VAT (A Form of Sales Tax). So I couldn't walk into any US Store and pay $349 for a premium, I'd have to include tax too (which however is generally much lower than the average 15-20% VAT in the EU).

[alexhrose71 @ Aug 20th 2007 1:02PM]

Its true that the US price does not include sales tax which is lower than european VAT rates but you have to consider that we make up for that difference by having to pay large amounts for private health insurance and frequently also private schooling (public schools are a disgrace compared to European standards).

Way off topic, but cost of living comparisons between Europe and the US are too simplistic if you only compare sales tax vs VAT.

[LJKelley @ Aug 20th 2007 2:11PM]

I'm not doing a cost living comparison. I am however stating that the cost of the 360 is comparible in the EU to the US since we in the US pay an average of 5-7% sales tax where as in the EU its anywhere from 15-25% VAT I have lived in both the US and the EU. In fact in Norway the VAT is 25%. So for exameple $349.99 + 25% is equal to 419.98

[Nik @ Aug 20th 2007 9:59PM]

The Premium is on play.com for 229.99

[Nik @ Aug 20th 2007 9:59PM]

The Premium is on play.com for 229.99

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Aug 21st 2007 12:05AM]

Don't even bother asking if it will Play doom. Sheesh.

[hari @ Aug 30th 2007 4:03AM]

hi allof you