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Activision CEO sticks to console price drop message
With a gallon of milk costing less than a gallon of gas in many places, it's not surprising to hear Activision CEO Bobby Kotick keep on message about console price cuts in this economy. Speaking with the Times Online, he believes there is real demographic expansion within the industry's customer base, but feels the cost of purchasing hardware is "prohibitive."He points out that during economic slowdowns the game industry does well because people are looking for entertainment in their homes. Kotick may get his wish if the rumors of an incoming Xbox 360 price drop are true; at the same time, NPD figures show consumers warming up to the PS3's price. Meanwhile, we ponder making a car that runs on milk.[Via GameDaily]
Analysts discuss effect of 360 price drop on PS3
All signs are pointing to a major Xbox 360 price drop in the days leading up to E3. Leaked retailer scans show a new lower price for Microsoft's home console: a drop of $50 from $350 to $300. When this price drop happens, there will be a $100 price gap between the Xbox 360 and the cheapest PS3 model (40GB).A similar price cut for PS3 may be unlikely, consider Sony's recent focus on profitability. Already, the cheapest PS3 includes wi-fi, a Blu-ray drive, and free access to PSN. Sony must do a better job at emphasizing the value of the PS3, in spite of its higher cost of entry. "The gap of $100 may be a fair price to pay for [PS3's] built-in wireless Internet connectivity and Blu-ray, but [Sony's] done a terrible job of explaining that to consumers," popular analyst Michael Pachter noted to Next-Gen.PS3 won last month's NPD figures, and is likely to win again this month, thanks to the release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Undoubtedly, Sony will pay close attention in the following months. If their momentum begins to slow, Sony may follow Microsoft's footsteps. "In the event of decelerating PS3 unit sales trends, we believe Sony might rethink its strategy on PS3 pricing, but for now, the hope is that a stronger software lineup as opposed to price concessions will drive hardware adoption," Colin Sebastian said. For the full analysis, visit Next-Gen.
More Xbox price cut rumors swirl
The chatter surrounding a possible Xbox 360 price cut got a little louder today, as several news outlets have picked up on an anonymously-sourced Hollywood Reporter piece claiming that Redmond will drop the 360 Pro's price to $299 sometime before E3. That jives with all those leaked ads that hinted at a July 6th date, so we'll see soon enough -- and we'll bet you that extra $50 the $279 360 Arcade sees some price cut love as well.[Thanks, cbost]
MS announces Australian Xbox 360 price cuts
Today, the Australian arm of Microsoft's Xbox 360 division announced pretty competitive Xbox 360 price cuts across the board. The price cuts affect not only the Pro console, but also the Arcade and Elite dropping the Xbox 360 Arcade to AU$349 (from AU$399), the Pro to AU$499 (from AU$579) and the Elite to AU$649 (from AU$729). This price cut move makes all versions of the Xbox 360 cheaper than the PS3 in the region and the Arcade console actually undercuts the Wii which is priced at AU$399. Nice!These Australian price cuts obviously beg the question of whether or not we'll see a global Xbox 360 hardware price cut in time for E3. And even though Microsoft's Australian team refuses to acknowledge any other territory price cuts, we have even more faith in the leaked fliers. Global hardware price cuts incoming, keep your eyes peeled.
Rumorang: 60GB Xbox 360 model is in, 20GB is out
We're very relieved to know that the 20GB Xbox 360 model isn't advanced enough to experience the equivalent of a mid-life crisis. Not only are a string of alleged retailer ads knocking its asking price down to $299 in July, but an Opposable Thumbs source is suggesting that the model will soon be discontinued and replaced by younger, better model packing 60 gigglebytes. Still, it's a rumor we've heard before (remember this?), one the "usually trustworthy source" indicates will become reality during E3. Fluctuating hard drive capacities, multiple SKUs and retired models: Welcome to the current generation!
Report: 'major retailer' confirms Xbox 360 price cut
With two separate retail circulars (Kmart and Radio Shack) claiming a "new low price" of $299.99 for the Xbox 360, and a major press conference scheduled for two weeks from today, there's an awful lot of smoke billowing around this rumor. Now you can add an anonymous retail report from The Hollywood Reporter to that list. The venerable trade mag said "the price move will come before ... E3." Huh, would you look at that: Microsoft's E3 press conference is scheduled on Monday just a day before E3 officially kicks off. Just saying ...
Rumor: More Xbox 360 price cut, 60GB 360 talk
Ever since last week, we've known about a rumored $299 Xbox 360 Pro price cut thanks to a leaked Kmart adscan and have also heard grumblings of a new 60GB HDD equipped 360 being announced at E3. Well, the rumor mill keeps on a churning as two more sources are reporting that the price cut and 60GB 360 rumors are indeed true.Ars technica is claiming that, according to their super secret source, Microsoft will only be cutting the 20GB Xbox 360's price to $299 because it'll be discontinued and replaced with the newer 60GB HDD model. They also claim that the new 60GB 360 will roll out to retailers sometime in July, refuting the August release claims that were previously rumored. Finally, Hollywood Reporter is jumping into the Xbox 360 rumor pit, with claims that their sources tell them that the Xbox 360 Pro price cut will in fact happen prior to E3, but no information regarding the Elite or Arcade is available.This is how we see this playing out: The first week of July, Microsoft will announce that the Xbox 360 Pro and only the Pro will see a price cut to $299. Then, the second week of July during their E3 press conference, MS will announce a new 60GB HDD Xbox 360 console priced at $349 to replace the old 20GB model. Simple.Source - ars technicaSource - Hollywood Reporter
Xbox 360 price cut shows up in Radio Shack ad
The beans may already have been spilled by Kmart, but now another store has briefly emerged from retail obsolescence to spread the legend of the $50 Xbox 360 price cut. A Radio Shack employee recently mailed us the evidence, some scans of what they claim is an upcoming ad set to take effect on July 13 (same as the Kmart ad).As you can see, the ad purports that we're going to be seeing the 20GB system at $299.99 in the middle of next month. Though it's far from official, the price cut's presence in two flyers would appear to make a Kmart printing mix-up quite a bit less likely. Let us know if you see more evidence.
More price cut proof: full page Kmart ad for $299 Xbox 360
click to enlarge More fuel for the Xbox 360 price cut fire as Joystiq has gotten its greasy little hands on what appears to be a full-page version of the Kmart Xbox 360 price cut ad discovered yesterday. Again we see an Xbox 360 Pro console offered for the "new low price" of $299. One interesting new wrinkle, Joystiq's tipster says that the ad is for the week of July 13, not July 6. That actually makes pretty good sense, as July 13 is the week of E3, which would be a good time for Microsoft to make the announcement. So, if you still haven't taken the 360 plunge, we suggest you wait another couple of weeks because the price cut definitely looks like the real deal.
Rumor: 20GB 360 dropping to $299 July 6
A High-Def Digest forum member by the mysterious name of Master X has captured images that appear to reveal an upcoming price drop for the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro console. The images reportedly come from a Kmart flier for the week of July 6. According to the image, the price of the Pro will be reduced to $299, knocking the price down by a hefty $50. There is no word on how this will affect the prices of the Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite models, which currently sit at $280 and $450 respectively. The price cut makes the difference between the Pro and the Arcade (which contains no hard drive at all) a mere $20 though, so we imagine price cuts are forthcoming for all models. Expect updates when we have more information.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Xbox 360 dropping to $299.99
Joystiq has been in contact with the person who uploaded images (to HighDefDigest.com) showing a "new low price" of $299 advertised for the Xbox 360 in a Kmart flyer, beginning the week of July 6. He snapped the images quite quickly and they've slowly begun spreading across the internet. We're currently attempting to confirm this information with some of our other retail contact, while our source is attempting to get a full page scan of the Kmart flyer. There is still no word on how this $50 price reduction on the Premium model will affect the Arcade or Elite Xbox 360 consoles, currently priced $280 and $450, respectively. More images can be found after the break. We'll update as soon as we learn more.Update: Full-page ad pictured here.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; with special thanks to that "Anonymous" someone!]
Rumor: 60GB 360 coming alongside E3 price cut
Remember the rumor that a 360 price cut was imminent and that a new 360 SKU was headed our way? Trusted Reviews has taken it upon itself to speculate on exactly what the supposed new SKU will be (and this rumor didn't even come from a survey!). Specifically, Trusted Reviews believes it will be a new 360 model that includes a 60GB hard drive. Obviously, 60 gigabytes is less than the 120 gigabyte hard drive that comes with the Xbox 360 Elite, meaning that the supposed 60GB 360 would likely replace the current 20GB 360 Pro. Supposedly, the announcement is set for E3 with an actual release in early August (before August 10 according to Trusted Reviews). The question that remains is whether the Xbox 360 Arcade would then be bundled with the 20GB hard drive or if it will remain without a hard drive. Also still up in the air is how the 60GB model would affect the possibility of a price cut. Is it possible that Microsoft will release a new SKU and offer it for a lower price than the current model? Oh, we hope so. Let's throw in cuts for the Arcade and Elite while we're at it.[Via Joystiq]
Analyst foresees PS3 gaining momentum, Xbox 360 price cut at E3
Things have been relatively quiet on the Xbox 360 price-cut front as of late, but EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has now thankfully come through and stirred the pot a bit, saying that he thinks Microsoft is set to make an announcement about a price cut at E3 this July. That, he says, would be in response to the PlayStation 3's steady growth, which he expects to continue to out pace the 360, aided in no small part by exclusive titles like Metal Gear Solid 4. As if that wasn't enough speculation for you, Divnich further goes on to say that if Microsoft does in fact cut the price of the 360, Sony would likely follow suit with a price cut of its own within two months.[Via Joystiq, thanks Jerry]
Analyst: PS3 sales boost to cause 360 price drop
The news is out. The Playstation 3 managed to best the Xbox 360 in sales during the month of May. Grab your favorite pillow and get ready for a shock, because EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich expects last month's results to be the beginning of a new trend. On the sales victory, Divnich notes that the trend "will likely continue in June as we expect Metal Gear Solid 4 [to] act as a bigger catalyst in terms of driving PS3 hardware sales than did Grand Theft Auto IV." He adds further that exclusives on the Playstation 3 platform tend to drive console sales more than exclusives on the Xbox 360 (or the Wii).With his PS3 prediction in tow, Divnich believes that Microsoft will respond by announcing a price cut for the Xbox 360 during next month's E3. Furthermore, Divnich believes Microsoft may also announce a new Xbox 360 model with new features (Blu-Ray, perhaps?). Should the price cut take place, Divnich expects Sony to follow suit within two months of the announcement.[Via Joystiq]
Analyst: PS3 will keep outpacing Xbox 360, MS may announce price drop at E3
Although the information isn't as solid as if 30 Helens agreed, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes the PS3 is going to keep increasing its sales and that Microsoft will announce a price cut for the Xbox 360 at E3. He foresees the PS3 gaining momentum and claims Metal Gear Solid 4 will actually have a greater impact on the console's hardware sales than Grand Theft Auto IV did.Divnich also believes that Microsoft will announce a price cut at E3 next month, speculating the console could also get a new hardware SKU with added features. He claims if Microsoft does cut the price, Sony will respond with a drop of its own within two months. We're currently gathering up 30 Helens to see what they think.
Analyst: Don't expect a PS3 price cut this year
Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian believes a price cut for the PS3 is unlikely this year. He states that Sony management is focused on achieving profitability in the PlayStation division and that a PS3 price cut won't happen in the near term.Sony expects to sell 10 million PS3s this year, doubling the global number of systems stationed on our little big planet. With the HD movie war in the bag and an increase in HD television adoption, it's not unreasonable to assume the PS3 being people's go-to movie player. As this blogger's mother put it, "Why would I @$%&ing pay for a basic Blu-ray player when I can get a PS3 for the same price? I want to play my Final Fantasy. When is my Final Fantasy coming out?"
Iwata: No DS price cut this year
Well, we would think so, since the current price point of $129.99 seems to be far too small a hurdle to leap for those thinking of purchasing the handheld system. Nintendo is rolling in the dough, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?"Our earnings projection for the year is not based on hardware price cuts, and I don't think we are going to need them," said Iwata. And we can't blame them, as demand for the Wii and DS looks like it could only be curbed by the announcement of a new handheld and console. Until that happens, it looks like consumers will need to get used to the price tag on each system, as well as not seeing them on shelves while shopping.[Via Joystiq]
World: 'How about a Wii price cut, then?' Nintendo: 'Ahahahaha'
Looks like we'll be waiting a little while longer for any price cut on the Wii. As in, until 2009. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has revealed to analysts that no price cut is planned for either the Wii or DS this year, and while both consoles are selling out pretty much everywhere, we can't say we're bowled over by that decision.As yesterday's financial report demonstrated, Nintendo's practically bathing in money, and it expects to make plenty more over the coming twelve months -- $5.14 billion of it, to be precise. If you are still searching for a Wii, looks like you won't even have the consolation of paying a non-launch price![Via Joystiq]
No Nintendo Wii or DS price cuts this year
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told analysts today the company has no plans to cut the price of the Wii or DS this year. What, you're surprised? Reuters reports he stated the company's earnings projection didn't take a price cut into account and the continued demand for the company's products don't require one.With demand outstripping supply on the Wii -- particularly in the North American market -- it's really no shock that Nintendo doesn't need a price cut on its hardware to keep stockholders happy. Nintendo expects to make $5.14 billion in fiscal year '09, which analysts believe is the company being conservative.
O2 slashing 100 from 8GB iPhone in UK
The whispers are true, or so it seems. According to Stuff, O2 is getting set to one-up T-Mobile's price cutting affair in Germany by hacking a full £100 from the 8GB iPhone in the UK (bringing it down to £169). Better still, the discount will apply regardless of which contract selection you make, whereas T-Mobile forced users to sign the dotted line on a pricey Complete XL plan. Unfortunately, the lower sticker only applies to the 8GB version -- the 16GB model will remain £329 -- but anyone who sprung for one of the former iterations within the last month will receive an "Ultimate Price Promise" £100 refund voucher. Before you dash out to cash in, it should be noted that the deal is set to expire come June -- and we certainly don't have to remind you what that could mean.Update: O2 just made it official.[Via Mobile Today, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
