Xbox 360 now cheapest console in the US -- game on Santa

It's Friday the 5th, that means that the $200 Xbox 360 just became the lowest-priced console in the US (as it is in Japan) compared to the perpetually "sold out" $250 Wii and 80GB PS3 selling for double the price of a diskless Arcade. With no new price cuts expected from either Sony or Nintendo, the holiday console wars are officially on. Picture proof of the $199.99 Xbox 360 Arcade in the wild after the break.

[Thanks, JerkyChew]

[RC @ Sep 5th 2008 7:44AM]

Least expensive, not cheapest.

[Ethan @ Sep 5th 2008 8:02AM]

superplusgood!

[matthewmrussell @ Sep 5th 2008 8:05AM]

I'm not sure I understand your difference. If you are trying to say that none of these are 'cheap' at 200+, then I guess I understand you. But if you are trying to say that 200 is not cheap for a 1080i/p gaming console I might peg you to be a bit batty.

On the other hand, functionally inexpensive is another question. How much extra money do you need to spend to enjoy the console. I'm guessing the 360 gets that hands down because of how long the system has been out. You can get more games for cheap as well as cheaper controllers, etc.

[bondsbw @ Sep 5th 2008 8:19AM]

I'm sure RC is using the term "inexpensive" relating to actual cost, and "not cheapest" relating to build and value.

I have a Wii, but I'm definitely considering this purchase.

By the way, as someone who hasn't kept up with the 360 console, is it possible to upgrade this one to have all the features of the more expensive 360 models? Or would I have to buy a new one when I'm ready for that?

[Cal @ Sep 5th 2008 8:28AM]

bond, the only difference would be the lack of hard drive (which can be bought later), some differing cables (available separately) and a plain white rather than chrome effect disc tray. But you'd be better off just going straight for a 60GB 360.

[Kamokazi @ Sep 5th 2008 8:35AM]

Since I believe this Arcade model has HDMI, yes, you could upgrade it by purchasing a hard drive. All other features are the same as far as I know. The Elite just has the biggest HDD and is black, and was the first to have HDMI of the 360's.

This price is going to move some units for sure, I think. While many of us here may be a bit more fortunate, there are many families that simply cannot afford a $300-$400 system, and with the Wii being perpetually MIA, this is going to be a very feasible choice for them.

I'm kind of anxious to see the total US console numbers sometime next Jan/Feb. Might be interesting.

[blizz419 @ Sep 5th 2008 8:49AM]

yes you can buy a Hard drive which is the only thing that differs from premium model. you can buy a 20GB which might dissapear since premium systems have moved up to 60GB but the 60GB HDD hasnt shown up in stores by itself yet, you can also buy a 120GB HDD though these HDD's are pretty expensive might be best to find one used.

[Jon Acheson @ Sep 5th 2008 10:06AM]

No, cheapest is about right.

If you don't think Microsoft cut corners on quality this generation, you haven't been paying attention.

[SimbaDogg @ Sep 5th 2008 11:03AM]

@bliz419...

yeah, so i didn't even know that you could add the hard drives to the arcade models. Thanks for the heads up. But honestly, 100 bucks for a 20 gig drive? you have to be kidding me. of course its still a better option than the wii (non existant), but for that price i could buy a 320 gb HD for a ps3 (2.5") or a second 750 GB for a desktop

proprietary hardware sucks

[Scott @ Sep 5th 2008 11:35AM]

$200: Xbox 360 Arcade
$100: 20 GB hard drive adapter so you can play ALL the 360 games, not SOME of them.
$100: WiFi adapter (Were going to put it right next to your router or run a long ugly network network cable to your TV?)
******Total: $400

$250: Wii
$20: 2 GB SD card
******Total: $270

$400: PS3
******Total: $400

So you have the Wii which is still much cheaper and will play ALL games and go online without running any wires, and the 360 and PS3 at the same price to play all their games, wireless, and yet the PS3 has the extra bonus of a blu-ray player.

If the Core system was this price AND included wifi, that would be a good deal. This Arcade model is still overpriced!

[Stefan @ Sep 5th 2008 1:04PM]

@Scott:

It's situational. I have a portable hard drive ready to use with this thing. I also have my router right next to my tv. I like the ability to plug 100Mb ethernet right next to all my peripherals that need it.

Plus: $100 for a 20 GB hard drive? Please. You can get 160GB hard drive for under $100. It doesn't need to be MS's drive.

- not to say you don't have a good point, but for me it's only a cost of $200.

Plus...for people who bought/were going to buy a Roku. Um. +$100 more for a gaming machine, media center. Also, who could forget that it has the least compatibility issues between current GH and RB guitar controllers.

bottom line for me (and probably many others). Awesome deal.

[xValentine @ Sep 5th 2008 1:26PM]

Don't be fooled by that $199.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 5th 2008 1:26PM]

@scott

You can get the 20 GB HDD off ebay for $40.00 and you can buy another router and use it as an access point for the wireless.

+30 for additional router
+40 for HDD

$270 To change the Xbox 360 over and it'll probably be cheaper than that to find a 20 GB online now that the Xbox360's have changed over to 60 GB..

[phinn @ Sep 5th 2008 5:10PM]

Definitely the cheapest, it doesn't even have a hard drive or freakin WiFi, nor can you play games online with it. Once you get all that it's actual cost is freakin $500!! ($200 system + $150 hard drive + $100 WiFi + $50 XBLA)

No thanks, I'll stick with my PS3, it's cheaper, plays tons of good games, and does Blu-ray too.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Sep 5th 2008 11:41PM]

XBOX really is not cheaper, in the end it will cost you more to have features that can be comparable to the PS3. Sure, games cost an extra $10 but you don't have to pay a monthly fee to keep playing them online. And that cost is quickly diminishing, a lot of PS3 games are now under $40.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ImJ3_7r1I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80yykzysiyM

[Jaden @ Sep 8th 2008 3:41AM]

@Ethan..

You just made my day. Best response I have ever seen :) I hope I wasn't the only person to pick up on that.

[Ricardo @ Sep 18th 2008 11:35PM]

Well mabe if you used the cheapest ps3 20gig wot look that bad?? (not ment to be ofensive)

[Aguiluz @ Sep 5th 2008 7:49AM]

PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR! PRICE WAR!

[majortom1981 @ Sep 5th 2008 7:51AM]

The bad part walmart in my area always has one. Now that i am looking for wii fit and not the console i can find the console but not wiifit.

Nintendo is doing much better this gen but now their games are sold out all the time.

[From My Cube @ Sep 5th 2008 7:53AM]

but its still hard to find a Wii....unless you want mine, havent played it in about 3 months due to lack of decent games...


*back to COD4

[Evan @ Sep 5th 2008 8:19AM]

"Bawwwww. Nintendo isn't catering to my taste in games."

[eddy @ Sep 5th 2008 10:45AM]

How odd. I play games on the Wii every single day. And that's not an exaggeration. Every. Single. Day.

Yesterday, I enjoyed some Williams Pinball before moving on to Boom Blox. The two days before that, it was marathon sessions of Mario Super Sluggers. And the couple of days before that? A wee bit more work in adventure mode of SSBB.

Every month it seems there's a new game that I want to buy. When I look at the selection of 360 games, versus the Wii games that I already have/want to buy, there's no contest - there are seriously maybe two games on the 360 that I would want: Blue Dragon and NHL 09 - and even that second one may not matter with the release of NHL 2K9 on Wii in a few days. I'd rather not spend $200 and risk an inevitable RRoD for two games.

Of course, it's really going to hurt when the new Kingdom Hearts is released for PS3 - if I refuse to buy a console for two games, much less a SINGLE game, the PS3's gonna need to get a huge price drop/better game selection before I can choke that one down. Looking at the PS3 game selection in stores, there's honestly more that appeals to me with that console's game lineup than 360, plus without the added risk of RRoD.

In the meantime, it's Wii for me...as well as my PSP and DS Lite (both of which will thankfully get me my Kingdom Hearts fix in the meantime with the upcoming games).

[whormongr @ Sep 7th 2008 11:32AM]

I use the wii a lot, though it is pretty much for wii fit- I do that once a day for a half hour and so does my GF- but I game on my ps3 and use it for media streaming over the network. The only things that I would want a 30 for are fable II and postal II, but they are both coming to PC, so i'll ply them on there. I think that is also one of the big arguments for the PS3 over 360- most of the good games that you can't get on ps3 are available on PC as well, or will be in the future, and the PS3 is a better box for doing non-gaming stuff, and wifi built in and free online PSN.

[mdsbrain @ Sep 5th 2008 7:53AM]

And to think I paid full price for all 3 consoles...Wii $249, PS3 (60GB) $599, Xbox $249.

[blizz419 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:14AM]

you call $250 full price for a 360, full price was $300 for a core/arcade which i paid for my 1st 360 since i couldn't find a premium anywhere at the time and just recently i paid $450 for my elite

[Adderz @ Sep 5th 2008 7:56AM]

"selling for double the price of diskless Arcade."

Did anyone else read that as dickless?...no?...just me...*crawls back into corner*

Although its the cheapest, it still wont overtake 360 sales. people have a firm idea when they walk into a store what console they have come to buy. This will only sway the parents who want to get the kiddies a game console for chrissy.

The xbox 360 has all the best games, but after awhile, its just the same button mashing in a different setting..hopefully with the Xbox 3 they introduce something exciting.

[Adderz @ Sep 5th 2008 7:57AM]

thats wii sales, damn Engadgets crappy comment system..

[DarrenFalconi @ Sep 5th 2008 8:44AM]

yeah, I read it twice as dickless... guess my head is just messed up like that...

[Kizorblade @ Sep 5th 2008 9:19AM]

@DarrenFalconi

Oooooh. I wonder how it got messed up?

...

I'm sorry. That was incredibly lame.

[Reece @ Sep 5th 2008 9:44AM]

"The xbox 360 has all the best games, but after awhile, its just the same button mashing in a different setting"

So, what? The PS3 and Wii aren't the same thing, over and over, in a different setting?

I don't see your point. If they are all exactly the same thing, why would you buy any of them?

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 5th 2008 7:58AM]

Hmmmm . . . maybe the XBox 720 is not as far off as we think.

[Rob @ Sep 5th 2008 10:05AM]

think again......2 years at least

[aardWolf @ Sep 5th 2008 10:06AM]

No no no... They're clearly going to skip a generation and go straight to the Xbox 1080... complete with bluetooth snowboard attachment (which is in no way like a Wii Fit Balance Board.) :-)

[John @ Sep 5th 2008 11:22AM]

I think that at that point, the people pointing out that 720 degrees is the same as 360 degrees is the same as 0 degrees would be deafening. I really hope they've got a better name than 'Xbox 720'.

[Allan @ Sep 5th 2008 7:58AM]

MS is so proud to be the first to reach the $200 price point... but shouldn't they be expected to be there first? How much longer has the 360 been out than the other two? A year or so? Ya, I'd say it's about time.

Now if they can just keep them on the shelves to compete with the Wii and take away people that can't find a Wii.

[Ruben @ Sep 5th 2008 8:44AM]

The thing is is that they are the only ones that can even reach that price point.

The Wii could easily, since its been turning a nice profit since day 1, but why would they? They are still selling like crazy. Even if they were 299, they would still sell. Nintendo isnt going to drop 50 dollars of profit just so they can say they are at the 199 price point.

And Sony cant afford to lose more money.

Microsoft can turn a profit at this price point, and they have a good reason to be at this price point. They seem like the only ones that could/would.

[Sublimewulf @ Sep 5th 2008 7:58AM]

ooooooh, a 200$ pacman and UNO player! I must buy!

[NHAnimator @ Sep 5th 2008 8:04AM]

*bends down to hug my PS3*

I still love you.

[Jason @ Sep 5th 2008 8:07AM]

I've been thinking of selling my Wii. I haven't played it in many months. While it has been summer, and I'll see if I pick it up again into the cooler weather, I just don't see ANY games that I want to buy.

[meist3r @ Sep 5th 2008 8:14AM]

I hate to say this but I agree with you, there are way too little games for "Mature" or even "older than 10" audiences for the Wii. I am a Wii owner myself and just recently bought MoH2:Heroes just to have SOMETHING to play. I am finishing Okami but inbetween there's not much to do. I really hope that around next year something happens to the Wii or it will go down in history as the most popular console with the shittiest line-up. At least there's still Disaster Day of Crisis, Cursed Mountain, The Conduit, Dead Rising: CtyD and De Blob on the Horizon. And for some people even Mushroom Men could be cool. But the wait is killing me.

[SteveJ @ Sep 5th 2008 8:55AM]

" there are way too little games for "Mature" or even "older than 10" audiences for the Wii."

After you get past your "mature" years, you probably won't be as excited by games where the main "highlight" is being able to graphically shoot people in the groin.

[blizz419 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:20AM]

meist3r, Don't forget house of the dead: Overkill it actually looks damn good believe it or not

[Evan @ Sep 5th 2008 4:40PM]

I sold my Wii a month ago for the same reasons. I got bored with it, it doesn't have any engaging games. My 360 trumps it, but I do miss Wii Sports fun with friends.

[Evan @ Sep 5th 2008 8:09AM]

Doesn't the 360 cost more to manufacture than the Wii? This may be good for consumers, but this can't be good for Microsoft's bottom line. How many console generations is Microsoft going to lose money before they'll start making profits like Nintendo? Are they even trying to make money anymore, or is everything just about taking over other markets (game consoles, iPod, etc) at any cost.

[Ryan W. @ Sep 5th 2008 8:26AM]

Trust me, Microsoft is not as stupid as you think. It's a long term investment. I'm pretty positive the 360 is pushing a profit anyways.

[SteveJ @ Sep 5th 2008 8:48AM]

Traditionally, console makers have sold consoles at a loss and made money from game sales. Haven't you noticed how much games cost for the current gen systems? It's a bit like the cell phone business: you pay relatively little for the phone up front, but they make it back (and more) via monthly fees. It's subsidized. That's even more the case for the Xbox 360 where you not only pay high prices for games, but they actually do have a monthly fee for the online service (and who's going to have an Xbox360 without online service?)

[eiki @ Sep 5th 2008 8:57AM]

Anyone remember street fighter II for SNES, that was like $125? When great games like gears war, bioshock, ace combat 6 and PGR4 can be picked up for $30 or less, I wouldn't say this generation is expensive, the market is so fast moving, games get discounted within weeks of being out, best gen in my opinion for price cuts

[3dpenguin @ Sep 5th 2008 1:35PM]

Evan - "Doesn't the 360 cost more to manufacture than the Wii?"

Yes it does, but when you look at the fact that the Wii only costs between $150 and $200 to make each unit there is a lot of wiggle room for Microsoft to actually sell their units at a slight loss because it doesn't cost that much more to make the 360 Arcade than the Wii. Remember the Arcade is missing the $100+ hard drive, which costs MS $50-75 to make.

[meist3r @ Sep 5th 2008 8:11AM]

All that this means now is that Microsoft is losing even MORE money with each console. Remember the first Xbox where they were said to lose a hundred bucks per console just to keep their market share? Now they have even more expensive hardware and high failure rates and they lower the price? Smells like desperation to me. Someone's eagerly trying to stay afloat. After all the 360 isn't a very family friendly console (with all that XBL swearing and such) and it doesn't have the features to attract older customers that usually wouldn't buy a console but need a good HD player.

Seems like someone's in deep trouble.

[Craig @ Sep 5th 2008 8:28AM]

Not losing money on each console at this point, but undercutting their opponents' prices is a pretty typical mode of competing when it comes to Microsoft's physical products that have direct competitors (e.g., Zune, webcams, etc.).