Euro Xbox 360 price cuts landing Monday says paper

Remember that Xbox 360 price cut we mentioned a few days ago? Well it appears that the Financial Times Germany is reporting that this Monday, Microsoft will trim the fat from the Arcade and Pro consoles, shaving €80 and €50 off the price tag, respectively. Of course, right now this is still unconfirmed by the boys in Redmond (or in any other official location), though the buzz in the community does seem to suggest that these cuts are coming. Hopefully if these become a reality, the company will break something off for folks on these shores as well -- we need all the help we can get right now.

Update: See that photo above? it looks like that price cut really is happening. Good news for you, Europe.

Update 2: Amazon UK has jumped on board too.

[Via I4U News; Image via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

[Japanesegorilla @ Mar 9th 2008 2:15PM]

Man, if they bring those cuts to the US I'm going to have to go get a 360.

[WhoMe @ Mar 9th 2008 4:45PM]

That's not gonna happen and I'll tell you why:

1] The 360 is doing poorly in the EU. With the PS3 outselling it, predictions are that soon there will be more PS3's in Europe than 360's, even with the year headstart.

2] The exchange rate's gotta be working in their favour, allowing them to do this.

[Raheem @ Mar 9th 2008 2:16PM]

Merci Microsoft. We fine you, you reward us!

[Jarhead2012 @ Mar 9th 2008 4:38PM]

I loled

[Deputy Doffoos @ Mar 9th 2008 4:51PM]

just curious, are we really paying less than Americans ???

remember we pay $310 dollars now for Xbox Arcade €200 = $310

Xbox Pro €300 = $460

Xbox Elite €400 = $615



d(>_

[Raheem @ Mar 10th 2008 12:09AM]

Uh sorry, pounds please? :$

[wout @ Mar 10th 2008 4:11AM]

prices in europe: vat included
prices in the us: sales tax excluded

[Phil Perman @ Mar 9th 2008 2:17PM]

€80 off the Arcade? Wow, that would put it at roughly £130 here in the UK, and it would be hard to resist that

[PeterF @ Mar 9th 2008 2:41PM]

Not hard to resist? What about a hard drive?

[dj-kenpo @ Mar 9th 2008 3:22PM]

I ahve the arcade and I ahven't been wishing for a hard drive at all.

I'm not l33t though.

[Sukhminder @ Mar 9th 2008 6:36PM]

@ DJ, I had to google 'l33t'

[Abuzar @ Mar 9th 2008 9:03PM]

l33t sounds so much like elite, so if you had to google that you are either VERY tired or a retard. Hopefully the former.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 9th 2008 11:03PM]

Or, you know, just not up to date on the latest of geek speak.

[Abuzar @ Mar 9th 2008 11:52PM]

I don't think elite is geek speak.

Hell what do I know. Maybe l33t doesn't look like leet so then it wont sound like elite.

[Sandy @ Mar 10th 2008 9:17AM]

@ Abuzar

You missed the joke...

[Japanesegorilla @ Mar 9th 2008 2:18PM]

Actually, it looks like the European prices are apparently a lot higher than they are in the US so it seems unlikely that the US will see price cuts.

[LJKelley @ Mar 9th 2008 2:43PM]

European Prices include VAT while US prices do not include sales tax. So yes when you add an average of 15-25% VAT the prices will seem more even though Microsoft is virtually selling them at the same amount.

[Blackster @ Mar 9th 2008 2:49PM]

seling it for the same amount? sorry, but that's bollocks ;)
the xbox pro costs in germany 350€, that's approx. 535$. now substract the 21%vat and you still have a price of 422$ ;)

[Superprime @ Mar 9th 2008 3:06PM]

Blackster is right. Europe is getting shafted

[LJKelley @ Mar 9th 2008 3:39PM]

You are wrong simply because you don't understand VAT. Unlike sales tax which is only charged once (at final sale), VAT can be charged multiple times. For exmaple, products that are imported are charged VAT, then charged VAT again when sold to the consumer. If you do the math again, you will find that the Prices are very similar. Having worked in a store where not only did I have to sell things, but also helped my boss import and enter thing appropriately into the computer in regards to VAT, I know that many stores pay for VAT Twice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT

[Homeboy @ Mar 9th 2008 4:47PM]

Superprime: The Dollar is what's shafted, not us Europeans.

[paul-engadget @ Mar 9th 2008 4:48PM]

@LJKElley
talking bollocks, yes, the importer pays VAT to their supplier, and the final price includes VAT, but the company effectively deducts the supplier VAT from the final sales VAT when they report to the Inland Robbery^WRevenue (er, HMRC). i.e. effectively only the final consumer pays VAT.
Unfortunately, for high value items this can lead to "carousel fraud" where goods are moved around between a loop of companies and each claims VAT back from HMRC but the final VAT is never paid!

[NovaLand @ Mar 9th 2008 4:51PM]

Perhaps VAT is not the correct explanation, but "TAX" is something everyone understand. When prices are presented in the store or in advertisement, it's common practice to not write the additional tax in the price in the US. Why it's so, I don't know. But in europe, we have laws that makes sure that what is mentioned as price in the advertisement is what come out from the customers wallet (minus all those extra cables needed and stuff that the salespeople forces u to have). So those 199.95 Euro is what you pay up. If it would be $199.95 in the US, you probably would need to cough up additional $20 for tax and pay $220 or something. Just so people are clear with that =)

[Steve Childs @ Mar 10th 2008 4:25AM]

Ah, well - doesn't MS still have to pay import tax on the XBoxes it sells in the US, after all they're still imported in from China, they're not made in the US, right?

As for the UK, yes the importers pay Import Tax to the customs, & VAT, but they get the VAT back when its sold to their customer (i.e. the store) or the consumer, so as far as the importer goes, they're VAT netural.

I think one thing is now for sure, we'll see a price cut on the PS3 before the holiday season this year.

[PatD. @ Mar 9th 2008 2:48PM]

Good stuff Joshua, you've edited the article to read the FT instead of tabloids. Also, you've removed the comments relating to your error.

[NG @ Mar 9th 2008 3:11PM]

didn't they say us LIVE user gets compensation for the down-time during the new year???

Where is my game?

[shiv @ Mar 9th 2008 3:16PM]

Where were you when they handed out the free arcade game? The promotion lasted for a week only for all LIVE users.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 9th 2008 4:02PM]

I'm stupid. I think I missed that too. When'd t happen? Might've been in St. Louis...

[NG @ Mar 9th 2008 4:21PM]

>< NOOO.. i was very busy with work, wasn't able to even touch my xbox for 2 months

[Cal @ Mar 9th 2008 6:25PM]

If it makes you feel better the game was Undertow, and it was shit.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 9th 2008 10:30PM]

Thanks, I almost made an appointment with my therapist. Also haven't seen here for a while you know :P

[Krono6 @ Mar 9th 2008 11:49PM]

I'm sorry.. I read that as The Rapist.
.. I shall go hang my head in shame.

[francisco @ Mar 10th 2008 6:42AM]

your game was the free download of that xbox arcade game calle Undertow.

[fred @ Mar 9th 2008 3:14PM]

about time....

[Grant @ Mar 9th 2008 3:17PM]

not surprised,
with the favorable condition of the euro vs the dollar, i'm actually surprised this didn't happen sooner.

[TheSpecialist @ Mar 9th 2008 3:28PM]

I think this is fake, the folder is from a Dutch toy company, Bart Smit. And those are idiots with mostly false information. It will surprise me when this happens.

[SuperDre @ Mar 9th 2008 3:45PM]

I can confirm the price, as not only the toychain 'Bart smit' has that price, also the toychain 'Intertoys' is advertising with the same price. And both chains are NOT from the same company.. @TheSpecialist: I don't know what your comment are relating too, because every price in their advertisements are the prices they have in stores, I have never seen prices in any of their advertisements which are wrong.. So I guess you must have some beef with them..

[rodney @ Mar 9th 2008 3:49PM]

of course they can. the dollar is weak as hell. so they gotta match to be fair

[Somebody @ Mar 9th 2008 4:37PM]

It's a Dutch ad and not a German ad.

[NG @ Mar 9th 2008 4:48PM]

correct, it's dutch

[hello @ Mar 9th 2008 5:27PM]

no one said it was german...

[Rowdehaj @ Mar 9th 2008 6:15PM]

We just REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE we're not mistaken for Germans :P

[tiuk @ Mar 9th 2008 6:34PM]

Nice to see MS at least making an attempt to compensate for exchange rates (this happened in Canada already).

[DAvid Relan @ Mar 9th 2008 7:27PM]

Sprint has $99 unlimited everything.

[badqat @ Mar 9th 2008 10:40PM]

And Sprint sucks dog bollocks.

[sebquattro @ Mar 9th 2008 7:27PM]

M$ is really taking their time over this. If they don't hurry up, the PS3 is gonna shaft them. I walked of out PC World (UK) 2 weeks before xmas with a new Arcade for £140. £150 was the price point before I would by one, but the price has since gone back up.

[Khattab @ Mar 9th 2008 9:36PM]

Picture of the german Toys'r'us ad:

http://www.computerbase.de/news/consumer_electronics/konsolen/microsoft/2008/maerz/xbox_360_montag_199_euro/

So the price is confirmed in the Netherlands and Germany.

[pfromg @ Mar 9th 2008 10:59PM]

it can be cheep as chips, but that wont save it from any of the following:

A: breaking.
B: being too loud.
C: not having wlan built in.
D: costing you money to play online.
E: not having a high definition reader (bluray drive)
D: looking ugly.

I can go on , but ill refrain.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 9th 2008 11:09PM]

Apparently you haven't come out from under the bridge in a while...

The breaking issue, unless you have something to do with it, doesn't really happen any more; the thing isn't loud at all unless you just like playing on mute; wireless LAN is useless for gaming, and best that you don't have it; Xbox LIVE is WELL worth the 3 dollars and 8 cents a month; this is a game console- you know, something you play games on, not a movie player; ugly? I guess you must own a PS3 and don't have anything to play, so you must spend quite a while looking at your media center rather than the TV?

You can't go on unless it's bullshit much like what you posted here.

[Seminole @ Mar 9th 2008 11:50PM]

Zeus,

1) Last time I saw, Microsoft still hasn't fixed the RRoD problem...

2) There are numerous reports of how loud the 360 is. So loud, in fact, that it can be heard over the game in most cases.

3) Wi-Fi is beneficial to a lot of people. My PS3 has it and I can play COD4 with no problem whatsoever, and it saves me having to run a 100 foot cable from my computer room to my living room (The only Ethernet jack in my apartment is in the computer room).

4) Xbox Live is good, no doubt its worth the money. But the PS3 online experience (Warhawk and COD4 for example) is just as good for free.

5) Having Blu-ray built in means one less thing I have to buy later on, thereby saving me space and money. Not to mention it lets developers put more stuff into a game.

So take YOUR bullshit and feck off.