Did Microsoft delay its price drop announcement to avoid Sony's Slim Storm 2009?
By Tim Stevens 
posted August 20th 2009 9:43AM
posted August 20th 2009 9:43AM
[Via 1UP; thanks, jeremy23j]
posted August 20th 2009 9:43AM
Microsoft Xbox 360 Original
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HAHA! Good one Alan.
You could also make the same arguement for their controllers. With the Wii and 360 I can just pop in some rechargable AA batteries. No need to ever plug a controller into anything.
Because buying batteries > using the charge cable the PS3 comes with for free?
Why are people HELL BENT on wifi in a gaming system????? Don't see the reasoning behind it....
Ahh yes, the joys of competition.
umm... i thought they were upping the price in the uk?
would quite like one of the newer boards in my 360 but wont bother buying another... if it rrods again i'll just send it back... sometime they'll run out of the old ones and i'll get a decent board.
not that i'm complaining, the 360 is still the best value for me and has the games i actually want to play (apart from uncharted and uncharted 2!) so its not worth considering anything else...
Now that the Playstation 3 is at a competitive price, Microsoft will adjust their prices accordingly. I predict prices to lower to these values by the holiday season:
PS3 Slim = $299
Xbox 360 Arcade = $199 (price unchanged)
Xbox 360 Pro = $249 (until discontinued)
Xbox 360 Elite = $299 (down from $399, $100 drop)
Nintendo Wii = $199 (down from $249, $50 drop, finally!)
I am sick of the wifi argument. Blow it out your ass. I don't want to play with a bunch of idiots running high latency over wireless. Go grab a 100Ft ethernet and shove it up your ass. While you're at it, bitch some more about other useless crap the 360 doesn't have and doesn't need.
I'm sure that Sony has some special technology that allows their free online network to pass data faster so you dont have any issues with wireless latency. LOL
I just bought a xbox last month from Future shop. Do you think they would give me some money back?
The Xbox 360 isnt the most expensive, there is still the 160 GB PS3 thats 399. So its a tie.
MS may have been caught off guard not by the price drop (which I'm sure they knew about, as did everyone else), but by how much attention the old news seems to have gotten. I've been a little perplexed as well -- there were leaks aplenty that got the news out earlier, and yet for some reason it's all been 'ZOMG PS3 SLIM' 'NOW EVERYOEN HAS TO HAVE ONE.'
Even with the price drop, a 360 for me is still far more expensive. I play online and over a WiFi network. So that means that $150 is immediately added to the price of any 360 I buy.
You are the reason CoD4 multiplayer lags. WiFi players in FPS games featuring client hosting need to die in a fire.
Thank god the 360 doesn't have WiFi built-in. I wish they'd ban it from games that can be influenced by small amounts of lag.
Even playing Castle Crashers can be hell with these WiFi idiots.
Soul Calibur 4? Forget about it, it's like watching a fight in stop-motion.
if MS wants me to buy a 360 they will have to meet or beat the PS3 in features and price. at $50/year for online service, plus the cost of an external wifi adapter and proprietary hard drive, it is still more expensive. i guess most people look at the upfront cost instead of the total cost over 2-4 years. same reason car salesmen can rape the average buyer.
RPGs have the most potential on PS3. Say what you will about failure rate, accessories, etc. but the main deal imo is the fact that 360 still deals with dual layer DVDs...why the hell would I want to play a game and just when it's getting good I have to get up to change disc 2 of 5 whereas in PS3 its on 1 DL 50gb BD. Xbox is old technology that keeps being recycled. Scrap it or rather just dont send it in next time it breaks and pick up a system with real potential. PS3 ftw!
"RPGs have the most potential on PS3."
I've been thinking the same thing for the past 3 years.
God forbid you have to take a few seconds of your life to walk the long distance to the xbox and swap discs. (Damn, the PS3 fanboy arguments are really desperate.)
Everyone seems to be complaining about the $50 a year price for XBL vs. the free PS3 service. But no one seems to mention how much the PS3 service sucks. I own both systems and ALWAYS buy my multiplayer games for the Xbox when available. The party system alone is worth the $4 a month.
Once you have tried the experience on both systems you realize how worth it that $50 is, at least for someone who games a little more than casually.
Do you even know what you're talking about? Both systems use peer 2 peer service. The only thing MS has over Sony is a better voice chat system. THe gaming itself is exactly the same, don't kid yourself.
itGOESWOAR
i hear ya! online multiplayer just isnt matched, even the pc
i think this is the reasdon why gamers stuck with 360 even when they were getting 3 red rings left right and center lol... the service is really good
speaking of red rings... the failure rate of the new 360's is lower than the ps3... dunno about this slim however, all i know is that it is a gimped version of the fat one... ugly, square, less usb ports, no card reader, no touch sensitive buttons just cheap plastic click buttons, they have even taken out the ability to install linux etc on it
elite should be priced at $250
someone crying about batteries for the 360 controller (enelope batteries ftw by the way) guess what happens when your ps3 controller battery dies out fellas? yup, in the trash the controller goes and a new one u buy lol
the ps3 slim has a larger surface area than the 360 lol... its only slightly thinner. 360 size is ok
Both sizes are okay.
Note the slim has an internal power supply, while the 360 still has an enormous external power supply. So in my book, the slim is noticeably smaller.
Not that it matters to me, I have a phat PS3 already, and I don't expect to replace it soon.
somebodies misinformed. any person who throws away their ps3 controller cause its (seemingly) dead is a total dumbass.
MS apologists are funny in a sad kind of way. we don't need wifi! blu-ray is lame! 60/120gb is plenty! $50/year ain't so bad! yes the hardware fails constantly but MS is great about fixing it! we have halo! congratulations, you have been assimilated.
whatever the top xbox 360 product is, the elite i believe, should be at least $50 cheaper than the PS3. considering the $50/year for online play it only takes a year to match the price and another year to make it more expensive and the year after that you are getting raped.
No games for PS3? Really? Go back to 2007...
The cost of buying an Xbox 360 with the stuff you need is:
Xbox 360 with 60gb hard drive-$299
Wifi adapter-$100
Subscription TOTAL for xbox live in one year:$80
TOTAL: $480
Optional accessories that most people want:
HDMI cable: $49.99 (Though not even the PS3 includes it.)
120gb Hard drive: $149.99 (On the PS3 you can add almost any hard drive to it.)
HD player: $100 (PS3 has blu-ray)
Xbox 360 camera thing :$39.99
TOTAL with optional accessories: $820
PS3 costs:
PS3 slim or Phat unit-$299 (which ever design you like)
TOTAL:$300
PS3 with optional accessories:
HDMI cable:$59.99
Official PS3 headset-$49.99 (I think you can use any bluetooth headset)
PlayStation Eye-$39.99
TOTAL with accessories: $450
Wii cost:
Wii unit-$250
Wii with accessories:
...
TOTAL with accessories: $250
On the PS3 column you also forgot the $24 stand for vertical placement, a $100 Roku player for Netflix, a $100 Wi-fi adapter for the Roku, and a $1200 Sony TV for HDMI-CEC. Oh, and in case you didn't know, most customers also want a limo rental for the white gloved, tuxedo wearing tech who will install everything in their mansion house. Seriously, we all know that the $300 PS3 Slim is a good enough deal that MS had better drop the price of the Xbox fast. No need to rub it in.
That's som incredibly bad pricing. Too much to list, but theist glaring is the HD-DVD drive wich goes for $35 now and your $50 HDMI cable theory. They regularly go for sub $15 on amazon, and if you wait and shop wisely you can get them for a penny.
seriously dude where'd you get those numbers.... Oh wait - your ass!!!
since when did I NEED a camera, wifi adaptor, ANOTHER hard drive and the outdated HD-DVD player for my xbox?
For god sakes, didn't the use of bloated and inaccurate lists to make one console look more expensive then the other die yet.
Oh, come on! $250 for the Wii? Everybody knows that if you have a Wii, you're gonna wanna host a party with it!!!
Wii: $250
3x Wiimotes: $120
3x nunchucks: $60
4x classic controllers: $120
4x Wii Motion Plus: $80
Wii Fit: $100
At least 10 Wii games because you'll get bored of the others in about 10 mins: $500
Total: $1,230 ZOMG!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOO EXPENSIVE!!!
Not sure why he is down ranked. If you add up everything you need to equal what the PS3 has he is actually correct.
Maybe not everyone needs all that but I personally needed (1) WiFi (2) Pay to play games online (3) a hard drive (4) rechargeable batteries.
That puts the Xbox 360 at $450 easily after all the M$ nickle and dimming. I would be happy to buy a PS3 Slim, and I'm getting one. Add in the fact that I'd never have to send my console for 2 weeks to get repaired (twice), having a Bluray player, and I have no problems loving Sony again like PS2 days.
To those complaining about the wireless adapter, I use a netgear router attached as an adapter. Works perfectly and was under $20.
I say we bug microsoft to release a firmware update for the 360 that accepts any harddrive, (or maybe any size of specific ones, if it has something to do with the type of drive / speed /etc.
I purchased the 120GB and replaced my 20GB in my Halo 3 xbox's case.
It was a one day gamer deal on amazon for super cheap, and I already had the torx screw drivers needed.
It was a simple 5 minute process, and I have a halo xbox with a 120gb drive. No reason why I shouldn't be able to put a 500 in there.
MS couldn't delay their price drop, because they don't have a price drop. They have a re-spec. You guys are getting confused because MS is applying the Elite name (and plastics) to a Pro.
The camera goes at Target WITH a game for $19.99.
you must be dumb. i've never seen such bad pricing. $80 for xbl? who told you that horse shit? do you pay month by month? because that's probably why, since you can get 13months for $30 when it's on sale (several times a year)
we all know that $300 is good for a ps3, but i like options. if i don't want wireless adapter, i shouldn't have to pay for it. if i want removable batteries i should have the choice. if i don't want XBL i can use silver for free. if they made a ps3 without wireless and cut the price to 250, or even 275 it would sell VERY well.
stop nitpicking, they are very equal for the price. bluray is all preference anyway. i got a ps3 and rarely watch bluray on it.
SH!T, my comment went in the wrong place...
The camera goes at Target WITH a game for $19.99.
Woah! And I thought the OS fanboys were bad!!
I am an Xbox 360 fanboy, but I disagree with you statement, sir. I will most likey buy A PS3 for the Blu-Ray player.
This is getting old guys. Both systems are great (with all their pros and cons) I think it is a matter of preference and for some people, brand loyalty.
And they better slash the price on the 120gb HD to at least half it is right now or I'm tempted to trade in my 20gb(+cash) for a ps3 slim. In canada the 120gb HD costs more than half the price of a 120gb ps3 slim, there's just not much point in getting the hard drive at those prices.
you welcome engadget
wifi is 10 Mbs 802.11g is 52Mbs and 802.11n is around 100Mbs.
so there s no bandwidth lag but you can only get lag for a unstable or wick connection. as long you dont have a steam of microwave on 24/7 or its far away you should be fine. my house has been wire less for a lone time (over 6 years) never had a problem (only thing we ever encountered is are router breaking and now after 10 years are modem is kicking the bucket)
I never saw the big deal about paying $50 a year for Live. I spent more than that when I took my girlfriend and her brother to the movies last week. There's a lot of content on Xbox Live, and that membership pays for all of that. So I don't mind.
Also, a slim Xbox 360 would pretty much just be like a gaming laptop? Would it be so hard to condense the 360 down to laptop size?
I'd like to see Microsoft drop the price of the Arcade to $179.99 and since the Elite is replacing the discontinued pro, drop the Elite to $279.99 or even $249.99. With the PS3 and Xbox 360 Elite both at 300 the PS3 will appear to have the better value, to a lot of shoppers. But of course if somebody is more focused on games, and not if one plays Blu-ray movies, or has wireless, it could go either way depending on opinion and gaming preferences.
So I think if Microsoft wants to stay ahead they’re going to have to get a little more aggressive in their pricing… IMO.
The Xbox isnt really going to be $300.
$100 for wifi adapter
$200 for Blu ray player
$100 for more HD space
Total price = $700 Xbox to the $300 Ps3 Slim
Kill yourself M!!!!