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Turbine proposes, nixes $50 LotRO hobby horse
Would you pay $50 for an in-game toy hobby horse? That's the question that Turbine put to players in Lord of the Rings Online this past Sunday. The studio put the item on sale on the test server store for 5000 Turbine Points (roughly equivalent to $50) and asked players for feedback on the item and price. The hobby horse functioned as a standard mount with an increase in traveling speed, even though it was a toy horse head on a stick. Unsurprisingly, players were not overly thrilled about the hobby horse and filled the thread with concerns and discussion over the expensive item. Following a few days and several hundred posts, a representative for the game said that the price will be changed: "The hobby horse will now not be going live with that price point. [Turbine is] experimenting with items and pricing on the store. This test was, as is obvious from your feedback, unsuccessful. The feedback was somewhat expected."
Microsoft Surface Pro launching in January starting at $899
Microsoft has pinpointed the price points for both versions of its forthcoming Surface Pro tablet, which is set to release sometime in January. When the new year does roll around, the 64GB Surface Pro will cost $899, while its 128GB twin will go for $999.Both versions come with a stylus and otherwise identical internal specifications, although neither SKU includes a Touch/Type Cover, which costs an extra $120/$130 respectively. What your money does net you, however, is a higher-resolution screen than the Surface Pro's baby sister, a Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics thingy, 4 gigs of RAM and (most importantly) the full version of Windows 8 Pro.Due to its upgraded internal doohickies, the Pro's battery life is expected to be around half of that enjoyed by the Surface RT, which translates to a little over four and one-half hours of doin' stuff, according to our friends at Engadget. Which, should be plenty of time for the person you're sitting next to on that business flight to ask what kind of iPad you're using.
Nokia CEO: cheap Windows Phones can come 'very quickly'
We'd raised our own concerns in interviews with both Stephen Elop and Microsoft's Aaron Woodman in the past week that Nokia could have difficulty pushing the Windows Phone platform low enough to fill the holes left by Symbian's departure in the bottom rungs of the market, but the Nokia CEO is making it very clear that he thinks that won't be a problem. In a talk with Finnish journalists on Friday, Elop said that it has become "convinced" that it can hit "a very low price point" and do it "very quickly," a strategy that will be key to converting significant swaths of Symbian market share into Windows Phone market share without losing it to other manufacturers or platforms. Of course, something tells us the leaked design concept (pictured right) doesn't represent the types of hardware Nokia has in mind for those low price points -- but no single device or market segment is going to take Espoo to the promised land here.
NBC says no to iTunes rentals at 99 cents
With reports of credit cards being charged for Apple TV pre-orders, it's only a short time before Apple's hobby takes a rather serious step forward. But with only ABC and Fox having signed up to Apple's new $0.99 price point to rent television shows, it seems there's a lot hanging in the balance. Most notably, for Apple - and for those that purchase the Apple TV - whether other large television studios will follow suit and get on board with Apple's new strategy. Recently, we reported that Warner Bros. was not best pleased with Apple's new TV episode price point. And now NBC has chimed in, too. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Investor conference, Chief Executive of NBC Universal Jeff Zucker said, "We do not think 99 cents is the right price point for our content," and continued by saying, "We thought it would devalue our content." As reported by AppleInsider. But Apple's been at loggerheads with NBC before. Back in 2007, NBC decided not to renew its contract with Apple, resulting in NBC content being removed from the iTunes store, rather abruptly. NBC wanted the price point to be raised to $4.99 per TV episode, and that was three years ago. Eventually NBC came good with Apple, with NBC content being restored to the iTunes Store. Could history be repeating itself again? We're inclined to think so. Though Apple's new TV platform doesn't have everything going for it, it's certainly got a lot in its favor. And, as always, time will tell if Apple's going in the right direction, again. Be sure to let us know when your new Apple TV arrives at your door.
DS Daily: Right price point?
We've asked this question a long ways back before, but with the busy shopping season on us, and the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shenanigans coming to a close, we felt it was appropriate to ask again. What's the right price for you? Do you pick up games when they first release because you absolutely have to have them, or are you a patient consumer, waiting for that certain title to fall in price before snatching it up. What do you think is the proper entry price point for DS games? We know Square Enix likes to toss that $39.99 price tag on their new games (boo!), but usually it's $30 for non-Nintendo games. Is this the sweet spot?
How important is the $199 Xbox 360?
Microsoft has long acknowledged that it considers $200 the "sweet spot" of console price points. Now that the manufacturer has finally hit that sweet spot with the new $199 Xbox 360 Arcade, we've been wondering exactly what kind of impact Microsoft can expect, historically, in its bottom line. Luckily, Matt Matthews over at Edge Online did all the heavy lifting for us over a year ago, looking at the effect of system pricing on sales numbers in the last generation of the console wars.The results, as you can see above, are pretty clear. Only 13% of original Xbox systems sold at the $300 price point, and a plurality of sales came at an eventual floor of $150. Sony's PS2 similarly only sold a quarter of its eventual installed base at a price greater than $200 (Nintendo's Gamecube never sold for greater than $200).Of course, history is an imprecise guide here. The original Xbox dropped under $200 within six months of its initial release, while the Xbox 360 went nearly three years (exactly 1018 days) before hitting the sweet spot. And while the original Xbox also had competition from Sony and Nintendo, it didn't have to compete with "premium" configurations offered by Microsoft itself. Still, we can't imagine being the first current-gen system to be available for under two Benjamins will hurt sales of the system. For now, the unanswerable question remains: Exactly how much will it not hurt?
More Wii price speculation
This one really should have been a no-brainer. Nintendo announced that the Wii would weigh in at less than $250 come release date. They didn't waffle or hint, but instead stared us in the eyes like women men discerning individuals and declared their intentions. We like that.But a certain convenience store contest got everyone all lathered up over a little line in the rules declaring that the Wii prizes were worth $299. That fine print birthed a seed of doubt. Had the price changed? According to the prize rules for Nintendo's Camp Hyrule, the answer is a world of no. Camp Hyrule's fine print lists the value of their Wii prize as the familiar and comfortable $250. Our staff magic 8-ball is leaning towards the original $250 pricetag, but we'll keep you posted on all the sudden speculation.[Via Joystiq]
The business end of the console wars
The console wars are everywhere these days -- even in Businessweek magazine, and the Wii and PS3 aren't even out yet!Nintendo's high numbers in the market haven't been missed by stockwatchers; the Businessweek article points to the incredible success of the DS when projecting how the Wii will fare. But the article ventures behind the numbers and into surprisingly apt analysis, considering the type of publication. But perhaps that just goes to prove the widening of the gaming market, and its emergence as a true force in the global economy. While the piece kicks off as a look at projecting the business side of the console wars, it quickly becomes a Nintendo love-in. We understand that mentality around here and can't help but fawn over the Wii ourselves. However, there are some interesting tidbits therein. Why Wii will succeed (according to Businessweek): Unique and innovative system offers developers more latitude Price point -- no one can argue that Wii're cheaper! Wider market -- count on the business-minded to pick up on Nintendo marketing to everyone, not just gamers The glowing praise drops off near the end with the article's projected sales numbers for the PS3 and Wii. Despite the PS3's exorbitant pricetag, Businessweek expects the console to outsell Wii. Wii may just have to prove them wrong on that one.
XBLV Camera gets a price point, Uno fans screwed?
Joystiq has learned the "unofficial" price point for the Xbox Live Vision Camera: $39.99 bundled with Uno and one month of XBL Gold. It's not clear if those of us who already spent our hard-earned MS Points on Uno will get the opportunity to buy either a less expensive un-bundled version or another camera-enabled game. I'm guessing we're out of luck. The 'stiq also has info on various other "Holiday 2006" peripherals: New faceplates featuring Halo, Forza 2, & Viva Pinata for $19.99 each Wireless headest with a 30-foot range for $59.99 256MB Memory Unit for $59.99 Wireless gaming receiver for $19.99 (but it'll go on sale in Winter 2007, unlike the others, probably around the month of February) The upcoming wireless racing wheel previously reported at $130 isn't on the list, indicating MS is re-evaluating that price.Back to the camera. Is this price point and bundle pretty much what you expected? Furthermore, is $40 a small price to pay for the chance to see how ugly the strangers on your friend's list really are?
$40 XBL Vision camera & UNO bundle detailed by MS source along with prices & dates for other 360 accessories
Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.
Rumor: 360 wireless gaming receiver $20; wheel $130; headset $60; camera $40; Halo and Forza faceplates $20 [update 1]
Thanks to a reliable source from Microsoft, we've learned some important details about the new peripherals announced for the Xbox 360, including pricing and a few Halo faceplate (non)specifics. Check out the leaked info and prices below: 360 wireless gaming receiver (which enables wireless 360 controllers, headsets, and wheels on your PC): $20 Wireless racing wheel: $130 Wireless headset: $60 Xbox Live Vision Camera (with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one arcade -- presumably Xbox Live Arcade -- game): $40 New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on 'em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza (no word on connections to the sequel): $20 each 256 MB portable memory unit (MU): no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB MU Besides acknowledging that the PC is "the biggest gaming device of all," MS appears to be setting an agressive price for its most relevant new PC accessory, the wireless gaming receiver (at least in comparison to the outrageously priced 360 wireless networking adapter). Unfortunately, no price was revealed as of yet for the USB-based HD-DVD add-on.We've speculated in our recent podcasts as to what would happen to the various 360 SKUs when price drops inevitably occur. An interesting theory bandied about by prolific Joystiq Contributor epobirs (on our earlier bump-to-256MB-MU post) was that a $20 price drop for the Core system, coupled with a $20 price drop on the 64MB MU, would finally allow folks to pick up a capable non-Premium bundle for the original $300 Core price point. (Not a bad way to undercut PS2 memory card prices, too.) We hope to get official confirmation on this info in the not-too-distant future.[Update: Sorry, had the camera price wrong in the headline; it now matches the price of the bundle listed in the body of the text below.]See also: 360's Mem Unit getting a bump to 256MB? (Comment from epobirs) Use 360 wireless peripherals with a PC Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event Joystiq / Engadget podcasts from Day One and Day Two of E3 2006
