Xbox 360 Price Cut: Nintendo and Sony Respond

Following today's Xbox 360 price cuts on Amazon, and with Microsoft's official announcement expected any moment now, TechRadar spoke with Nintendo and Sony spokespersons in the UK this morning to find out whether there are any plans to cut the costs of the Wii or PS3 in the near future.

A Wii currently costs £179.98 on Amazon. Nintendo UK informed us today that there are no plans to cut the cost of the Wii in response to the latest price cuts on the Xbox 360. The spokesperson said that "they are going for a different market with the price cuts… and once you start slashing the price of something, there is really only one way to go".

[decapitator]

For Nintendo, I dont think they will be dropping the price anytime soon. I remember reading that, they were in fact kicking themselves for pricing the wii at $250 after it's success. And they are yet to announce new colors so no price drop soon.

For Sony, why should they anytime soon when all their big games start coming out next month and the months ahead ? GT5P will be big regardless of the price of the PS3 right now. Technically it would sell more if the price was lower but it will be decent for a 'prologue' of a game. I am picking that up

[mighty_douche]

i agree on both accounts.

Nintendo certainly don't have anything to worry about, people buy the WII because they want a WII, not purely because it's (was) the cheapest console.

As for Sony, the success of Blu-Ray was bigger for them than any price cut.

[Glad to be a gamer]

The wii and Ps3 have no need to cut their price. Both of them offer more then enough for the asking price. I intend to use my ps3 as a replacement for my laptop and my wii offers me an experience i can't get on any other console. Both also have blockbuster games coming out in the near future that will drive sales.

Blue ray, open source, motion controls, brawl, gt prologue, mgs 4 and mario kart are for me bigger draws than a price cut but i welcome more people to join the 360 experience. the more the merrier. I for one am enjoying the live experience.

[MikeGdaGod]

Wii will sell regardless. it won't drop in price until next year.

PS3 will sell regardless. it doesn't need another price drop until MGS4 with the bundle.

the 360 really needs this to stay in the lime-light. with all the positive sony news, they had to do something.

[Sevir04]

at this point Sony is riding high with the success of blu-ray and the media putting them back in the spot light. after the earth shattering announcements of MGS4 AND MGO beta trail and such. and the bundles. UK getting the GT5 bundle and yakuza bundles in japan. they are perfectly suited for a healthy sell through of software. In light of this i think MS realized that at this price the PS3 was selling well and better than the 360 and that at a stone throw away from the 360's price they would have struggled to get passed sony with the gta4 release. So i think this was what they did to make sure they sell more consoles during the time of it's release because Sony has alotr of momentum especially for GTA4.

I say Good move MS way to claim a 3rd party game like it's yours, they say if you want claim it. They must really want it... it's gonna be interesting to see if MS will benifit exponentially from this drop coupled with GTA right around the corner. should be interesting seeing GTA4 and GT5 go head to head, as Sony has 2 heavy hitter at in the same month while MS only has 1.... pretty interesing,

As for ol' Ninty, They will sell with or without a price cut, Should ninty drop the price anymore you can basically call the Wii a freebie give away. lol!!! Ninty is on a rabid runaway train and they cant stop yet!!!

[LJWooly]

I don't think Sony have anything to prove this gen, so price cuts won't be nearly as big a deal for them as they are to Microsoft.

I don't really think Microsoft came into this generation thinking they would come out the winner, they seem to just be trying to make the most out of their run. Why does GTA4 seem to be such a big deal to them, and not to Sony?

Thnk about it... the original Xbox's problem was lack of games compared to the PS2, and the Xbox 360's biggest problem was hardware reliability, among other things. Next console? I think they should have learned from their mistakes...

[marinelife9]

Sounds like Sony and Nintendo responded with a yawn.

Microsoft needs to convince consumers of its product's reliability. Consumer's won't see the lower price as value they'll see it as cheap.

[thunder]

now its a less expensive piece of junk

[HarryEtTubMan]

PS3 and Wii dont need to cut prices they are winning everywhere. Blu Ray is very valuable now and the PS3 is dropping ALOT of good games this year ESPECIALLY including exclusives and Multiplatforms.

PSN is goin to have everything and more XBL does in the next 2-3 months. Blu Ray is worth 400$ and comes in ur PS3. You get built in Wifi and it costs 100 extra on the CrustyBUTTbox. PS3 by far has the biggest games coming in 2008 and 2009 and Sony is getting ready to announce and show off more Exclusives by April. I know this for fact.

Xbox 360 doesn't stand a chance. With this price cut it's literally half the price of the cheapest PS3. THEY ARE BEGGING PEOPLE TO BY THE RRODbox and the consumer is saying no even though its ALREADY ALOT CHEAPER.

Xbox just isn't Playstation.

Just wait until about October when the PS3 is/has dropped HUGE AAA games. ALL BOTS WILL BE OWNED. GUARANTEED BOTS HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHA HAHA You just can't win anymore. We will see in sales!

[BLUR111]

what are you talking about?? i have both and they are the sh-t!, fanboys are retarded! Xbox live blows psn out the water and ps3 has much better picture than 360. there both good but xbox is not even close to loosing .. do u know how many xbox owners there are... most ppl that has 360 and ps3's buy the xbox multiplatform game over ps3 reasons like achivements and XBOX live. I havent heard one person on a mic online on psn.

[GodsHand]

I use a mic in Warhawk, and las Vegas Poker.

[PopEmUp]

um 10 millions 360 owners, why the 8 millions was not added because there were many 360 owners has problems with rrod and they decide to brought another 360 in case of the other 360 of their break or return from repairmen but some 360 owner even brought up to 7 360 so I don't know the right amount of users at this rate

[zag]

there's 18 million 360 owners.

with 17.8 million in the USA.
the rest are outside the usa it's, really a wonder why MS even bothers with selling the 360 in other countries.

[resistance100]

I suspect sony will hold off a price cut until the busy season after the summer, for now Metal Gear Solid, GT5:P and Blu-ray will ensure they have respectable sales.

As for the 'GTA' Effect, while it will sell alot of units, i don't think it will be a major system mover on launch, but more at christmas

[Genuine]

Nintendo could probably keep the price of the Wii where it's at until their next console. Because it's the only console of it's kind. Anyone looking for that type of gaming experience, can't find it on 360 and ps3.

Sony on the other hand, are about to see a huge migration of ps2 owners go the direction that they didn't want to see. The 360 is hitting a mainstream price. Even the most hardcore fanboy will find the high quality game experience of the 360 hard to miss out on at that price. Even though I'm a 360 fan, I know that when the ps3 hits those prices, I'll probably buy another one. Why? Because there is a point where you put your fanboyism aside, and the gamer takes over. Price, more times than not, is that barrier.

[MikeGdaGod]

i really wouldn't mind getting another 360 since i don't have my original anymore. the price is very tempting and there are a few games coming for it that i'm really interested in.

but there's one HUGE problem.....hardware issues.

as someone that has dealt with this before with the 360, i refuse to put myself through that again. i want to buy one but forunately i don't have that battered women syndrome. i will wait for them to get their act together. maybe Dec08 or Jan09.

the price isn't whats holding most people back.....at least not now.

[Genuine]

I make good points all the time, but sony fanboys usually don't like them. lol When your outnumbered by teens and college kids that think they know it all, it's easier for them to deny or avoid a subject, rather than look at the reality of a subject and admit the truth.

[HighDefinition]

To not say "fanboys" on Mondays? I had a long weekend and that word is starting to drive me nuts.

[Ashta]

Console fanisms aside the only thing I really ever disagreed with you on was when you sent me that nice PM claiming that I was the son of a whore.

Still, personal insults aside you actually do make a good point this time around. The arcade unit gets its price drop to like 149 euros and thats a pretty sweet price point. I haven't heard of any price drop in the US (unless the rumored 199$ was true) and the japanese market have already received their price cut. Still, 200 bucks (if its coming to America) is a pretty nice deal and it finally hits that mainstream pricing. Still, its only the core unit, so the higher end models will still be around the PS3 price range.

I guess if it gets any cheaper I might (-might-) pick one up so I can finally play Dead Rising.

[MikeGdaGod]

i said you actually made a good point, because you rarely do.

i was trying to give you a little props because for the first time you said something that wasn't completely bias.

i thought being sent to the Open Zone would make you realize that your silly comments weren't appreciated, but instead you sound like the same fanboys you try to diss.

whatever dude, you can sit here and look mad at your computer all day if you like. if just bought a new hdtv and i'm off to pick it up.

have fun being angry at everyone with a different opinion.

[goretooth]

europe are getting the long awayited pricecut, but why are we still the most exspensive continent to buy game consoles in, the xbox rumoured to go down as far as $200 in america, at current exchange rate, thats about £100 :(

[Genuine]

I've got an quick temper. I am a USAF veteran, a good father, a hard worker, and a lifelong gamer. I've spit more blood, pounded more tail, and stomped more guts than most people my age. And it will be a cold day in hell before someone (especially someone who's sh*t is still green) will insult me without getting a fight. You must have insulted me somehow.

[cartman313]

I'm still too chicken to buy one. I would love to play games like Bioshock, ME and such. I'm just not hardcore enough to take the hardware risk.

[LJWooly]

You started off really well in your first comment, Genuine, then receeded back to your usual fanboy ignorance with the second comment. I think it's more than possible for someone who doesn't happen to be a Sony fanboy to disagree with you, and to say you "make good points all the time" is extremely presumptive of you, and you sound EXACTLY like theMART (thinks he's smarter than he is).

The 'Gamer zone' is for gamers, not fanboys.

Try and keep cool, the 'console war' isn't something you should take seriously. If you do take it seriously, then it'll be very hard for others to take you seriously.

Of course, being as ignorant as you are, you just see what you want to see. Shame, for someone who is (allegedly) a grown man.

[TheExecutive]

Time and time again consumers choose to spend more money on quality products rather than spend less on a lesser quality product.

Now before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, I am not calling the 360 a lesser quality product: let me explain.

The price of a product is only as good as its perceived value. Sometimes cutting the price of a peice of hardware can even be a bad thing in the consumers eyes. Its a tricky proposition. Consumers can say a lot of things when a price is cut. Such as "wow a good deal just got better" or even "other products out there are better so they had to lower their price". Consumer reaction to a price drop has everything to do with perceived value.

One way we can tell what the perceived value of a console is is how well it sells after a price drop. Or as is the case in the PS3 how well it sells after it gains perceived value (ala bluray). So just because a console becomes cheaper doesnt mean its going to sell any better than it was. It must make it to its perceived value. Even then its not guaranteed to sell well.

My advise to MS (for what its worth): work on your perceived value, instead of just lowering prices. They have a huge uphill battle ahead of them and just slashing prices wont help. Look at 2007. They introduced their first new price point and it sold 3 million less than it did in 2006. They are lowering their prices in Europe because its now becoming 3rd place on a weekly basis. This is their attempt to become competitive again. Mark my words though, they will see a sales spike for a couple of weeks but then it will fall right back to where it was. Why? Because the perceived value isnt there. MS really needs to work on their image and now.

Oh yeah and please please drop the price in the US :)

[DragonKnight]

First, this price cut is only for Europe, and traditionally Europe has been a more pro-Sony market.

Second, if PS2 users haven't made the migration yet, it's not because there is a lack of games or because the PS3 is too expensive, it's because they want the franchises they loved for the PS2.

The PS3 is littered with new IP's, and with the exception of Ratchet and Clank and DMC4, there are NO established franchises out for the PS3.

Price is a big issue, but it isn't the ONLY issue. Microsoft has consistently stunted the Xbox brand by limiting the variety of genres available. Sure, that changed with the 360 a little, but not enough. The type of genre having the most games developed for it is still shooters, and shooters are still the best selling games. That's another thing PS2 users are waiting for. A large variety of games from all genres, just like what was available for the PS2.

Seriously, I don't think a European price cut will have as big an impact as people think.

[Spydr07]

Lol, the little song and dance about being a USAF vet made me laugh a little inside. I'm a military brat as well and I can tell you this--talking crap to people and bragging about your life's escapades on the internet doesn't make you look cool. It makes you look a lot like those teens and college kids you seem to detest.

[Genuine]

Did I in any way imply that I'm looking for approval from you or anyone else on this site? Because if I did, it was an accident.

[Spydr07]

Find a button, did I? Lol. It amuses me how easy you are to get a rise out of. Did you ever stop to think that maybe people deliberately make remarks to see if you'll try to berate them? Ya' think you've told them, but in the end, the joke's on you. Almost like banging on the gorilla's cage at the zoo? Oh, since you're commenting on the Sony fanboys, ever tried defending Sony, MS, or Nintendo, depending on who is right? If not, I sense a bit of hypocrisy in your posts... Just relax a little, your temper's not a blessing, it's a curse.

[Genuine]

No one on this site beats on my "cage" for long. Because I make use of the ignore button. If someone wants to waste their time typing comments to someone who isn't listening, then by all means they can enjoy theirselves.

[kingOVsticks]

Im not surprise that MS drop the price of the 360 not that GTA4 is luring closer but I don't see a PS3 price drop until the fall and I doubt to see a wii price drop until the end of the year or maybe even next year.

[SPARTAAN]

i dont think well see a wii price cut ever .... even the ps3 might not have a price cut as it is in a pretty good position right now

[Sir Ken Kutaragi 3]

...A SINKING SHIP xBox360!!! ;-D
SONY DON'T NEED 2 WORRY & DON'T GIVE A DAM!!! ;-D

[Sez]

isn't that the reason why they cut the price twice.and even a free giveaway with the purchase of a HDTV. yeah sony has nothing to worry about.

[GETPWNZORED]

LMAO, "SINKING SHIP"??? Aren't you the genius who left Sony.....FOR ATARI?? LMMFFAAOOOO

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Welcome to slug fest 08

[Sir Ken Kutaragi 3]

No need for SONY to worry. 99% of PS2 owners will buy a PS3 one day.
xBox360 is fading away. GTA4 + Gears Of War 2 might keep it going for this year, but after that its GAME OVER ;-D
+the Wii will be ok to;)

[decapitator]

Phil, may I need to remind you that you stepped down as CEO of Sony and now you the President of Atari ? ;)

EDIT: Also. care to tell us your future plans at atari and can we look forward to that DBZ rpg coming on consoles ? Thanks.. ;)

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

LOL decapitator

[decapitator]

Yeah seems he missed the news.

[Glad to be a gamer]

after all you were fired erhum i mean resigned.

[rjgbyrne]

Microsoft are a hellovalot more strategic than both Sony and Nintendo and the PS3 has absorbed alot of loss for Sony. They simply cannot reply to this price cut without losing out yet again with funds. Microsoft have jumped the game early and hopefully the RROD issue is fixed on these new machines but come on, fanboys aside, this is great news for the consumer, cheaper machines and more competition is what drives these industries. All sony, Nintendo and Xbox fanboys should give it a break. We all love gaming but its competition that makes these games better for all. All three companies deserve a pat on the back for providing unique experience and fact of the matter is if all three machines were merged together and development talent too, not one of the current generation machines could ever match that. That is progress, competition and above all the way the wold is, so please drop the 'Act' that MS have lost, they have all won. I for a fact will help MS by buying a new Xbox when the price cut hits Australia.

[decapitator]

You missing the point. The price cut for Microsoft is excellent news. It will help them sell even more consoles. The point of this post is the response from the two other companies and they have both said no price drops now.

We are just simply stating why we agree with them thats all. Of course, not everyone will agree so you are right with the second part of your post.

[Nathaniel_Drake]

You know I would rather have the RROD fixed permanently than have a price drop any day of the week

[Raptors]

Thank you for being one of the reasonable people on this site. People see this and think MS is desperate. I think its fantastic as it forces Nintendo's and Sony's hand. You think if the PS3 was selling out at $599 that we would've ever got the $399 version? I mean we would've seen one eventually but not as quick as it happened. With the companies duking it out it benefits all of us. MS has to lower the price because of all the positive Sony news as of late plus in preparation for GTA 4. The wii doesn't haven't to do anything as the thign will sell regardless. Sony has two sides to its story. 1) It is now selling well worldwide and can afford to not cut the price 2) I don't think they can afford to lower the price just yet as the system is close to being profitable and they're trying to recoup their losses from the launch. Either way you look at it, we the consumer win in the end.

[DragonKnight]

Competition and Microsoft don't belong in the same sentence.

Maybe Monopoly and Microsoft, but definitely not Competition.

And again, Sony and Nintendo shouldn't care. And it's for a very simple reason. Microsoft only has excellent success in North America, the numbers when all 3 territories are considered show a LARGE margin for North America, whereas both the other consoles have a more global balance. This means that more people want the Wii and the PS3 across the world, and the only people who want the 360 are Americans (maybe Canadians, but I doubt it).

Knowing this, why would Sony or Nintendo care about the 360 making a futile attempt at making its console more appealing outside the U.S.?

I'm sorry, but it's not going to work very well. There may be a surge of sales, but not for long.

[TheMART]

Anyone thinking Sony has nothing to worry about... They do.

Last year, the PS3 didn't sell well at 600 Euro, because the 360 was 200 Euro cheaper, which made the choice easy.

After that the 360 and the PS3 were in the same price range, of being 350 to 400 Euro each. Which makes the choice harder, based on games one likes, online premium quality or free etc.

Now that the 360 Premium hits 279 to 299 Euro, it makes the choice easier agian, being a full 100 Euro cheaper then the PS3, which is almost 2 games to buy.

Wii is another story. It is just selling to a different target audience. But heck, the Arcade being 199 Euro and the Wii 249, MS could steal some customers there.

[PirateThom]

You do realise the PS3 outsold the 360 every single month in Europe since LAUNCH, even with the higher price and then outsold it for the year even when it only launched in March?

[Sez]

i think you have your info all wrong. the ps3 wasn't outselling the 360 in EU since launch. get it straight. sony drop the price for the ps3 and offered the ps3 for free with a HDTV. and ps3 only started outselling 360 in EU since late oct. check your facts first. or check VGchart

[PirateThom]

I was going along with you.... then you mentioned VGChartz and I lost interest.

Check the real reports from Europe, not made up VGChartz guessing.

[teto83]

I`m sorry MR RROD you are wrong.

[goretooth]

infact, if you go check amazon. theyve raised the prices again
gg

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Prices don't go into effect untill Microsoft anounces it.

[goretooth]

this is infact true, but with amazon lowering there prices then raising them again, is leading me to a fair amount of suspicion that this price cut isnt infact being implemented for a while, and a mistake was made

[decapitator]

Is going to be implemented this week or early next week. There is some sort of gaming event coming up soon. Microsoft will be present so we can expect the official announce.

[goretooth]

play live in london? im at that this weekend.
looking forward to a new killzone 2 trailer.
and if they anounce the new price there i mite veen purchase myself a box, im a ps3 guy at heart but gow2 and too human look promising

[MiniMii]

Yes, its now 100 euros cheaper.
From 349 to 299 while PS3 cost 399.

There is a reason why its that much cheaper in Europe, xbots.
HD DVD add on is not 50 bucks cos they are being mass produced.

Do you see some similiarity?

Bubbles folks, bubbles.

[Doctor Strange]

I agree with what everyone is saying that Nintendo and Sony don't know to cut prices right since at the moment they are doing good.

I suspect Sony and Nintendo to cut prices later this year for the holiday season but the Wii sells good anyway and with some of Sony's big hitters coming a price cut isn't needed right now.

[Ashta]

That Sony has used the famous "no plans" mantra that they used for the July 60GB price cut, the 40GB introduction, and the 80GB discontinuation to make way for the MGS4 and GT5:prologue bundles.

I wouldn't count out Sony issuing another price cut around the time of MGS4 or GTA5 just to counter this type of pricing war which Microsoft has initiated this time around. With the final success of the format war I can pretty much assure you that the introductions of 45nm Cell processors and the now to be cheaper Blu-ray diode and BD drives I can pretty much bank on them announcing one before the end of summer.

As for my assumption that BD drives and diodes will now drop in costs I'm basing this on the principles that now that an entire industry has stated that it will back a certain format the investments needed to manufacture such a product will drop because the cost of risk will now be much lower since there isn't a real contender in the format anymore. Large scale support and investment = cheaper manufacturing costs quicker thus = cheaper parts for the PS3 which in turn = lower price for the PS3.

Disclaimer: because I do not work as an economist or actually know what Sony's pricing plans are I could be 100% wrong on everything I've just said. I'm just using what information I have and what observations I have made to forumlate an opinionated possible plan that Sony may or may not take. As with all things....grain of salt people.

[LJWooly]

Good point.

[scrillakiller]

why do we care about price drops?personally i dont own an xbox because i dont want one.i do however have a wii and ps3 because i wanted them.could care less about the price.buy what u like to play leave price talk to the companies

[supremacy]

while i do agreed with most of you guys here, i think what this price drop does is, that its going to give MS the lead again for the month of march and on bringing sony to 3rd place again. if HAZe doesn't help the ps3 regain or keep their momentum in may than they wont regain it until MGS4 arrives because lets face it ninja gaiden 2 wont stand a chance against such a game. the hype and anxiety isn't there for this repetitive game, that it is for a new improve game in every aspect.

i mean the ps3 right now has outsold the 360 worldwide for over 3 straight months so i see this price cut as a bleed stopper for them.

now i know blu ray cant be deny but,if your solely looking for that 400 still is a lot, although ill say that the over all package is rather cheap and an excellent bargain at best.

now if sony were to say put a 100 price drop on the 40gb, therefore making it 300 instead of 400 than yeah this will catapole the ps3 closer to the wii due to its momentum and blu ray, i mean a blu ray player at 300 and one that can be upgraded as well is hard to come by so at 300 the ps3 would sit prettier.

just my opinion thats all, i am sony fan always have been but even i see things clear.

i mean yeah sure the 360 is having its hardware issues and what not, but even than people are still buying them now at a higher price so if the drop the price even further what's going to make me change my mind about this?

bottom line here is that it could be sony doesn't want to drop the price cuz they figure they are starting to make a profit on its machine. why screw that now? when they can simply accept 3rd place until MGS4 hits in june and the newer more efficient 45nm cell chips arrive by the end of this year? coupled with all its big hitters hitting stores around that same time? just my thought on that.

as for nintendo well they know they are selling well until they see the day they aren't doing so anymore and are getting beat on a monthly basis, i don't see them price dropping their machines any of them. i mean nintendo has just started making money again the cube and the N64 were both failures and the only thing that ever kept them in the market was the GBA( game boy advance) so yeah even they got to eat as much as they can now, giving how the market is rapidly and costly changing.

and again those are just my 2 cents on the matter.

one last thing though if i were sony id make sure i launch Socom with a headset and with the arrival of the 2.4 firmware just to make sure more ps2 owners migrate over to the ps3.

[Richdad]

But this price could get a lot system moving but there are chances that it might no fall deep into piracy market so if MS is loosing money on consoles they might not be able to regain it by software sales if such thing happens.
Although I like the way MS conducted time to to time Raid and kicked the SOB's grey market wrecked there shop and local police even beat some of those misbehaving greymarketers hope they do it this time to I will love to see them cry and this time I will have my camera. Also the 360 RRod wa pain they used to void gurantee and they dont have the foundtion to give a 3 year replacement.
They are in real pain they made console famous so PC games (pirated) dont sell now they are not getting enough 360 games and PS3 there are no hack in existence, PS2 games are so less in price that they dont even get any money on them. PS2 is already getting old in the market.
Wii doesnt sells here. But lets hope they dont smile again.

[Aaron_V667]

Wii and Ps3 don't need to cut there prices in europe. The ps3 has sold nearly as many units in europe as 360 and has been out only a year compared to 2 and a half for the 360.

[Citizen Cook]

They WISH they could lower the price, but they can't afford it! lol
They're in the red already. Every PS3rd they sell loses them money. Only the Wii and Xbroke 360 are profitable.

M$ are going to reap the rewareds of GTAIV next month...

HA HA HA HA!

[akaFullMetal]

what are you talking about, they said back in december that they were actually making ps3's at close to 400 dollars, probably cheaper now even, since bluray won the war, so they are making money off the ps3 now, what are you talking about citzen???

[RioZen]

Its allright. im just going to sit back and wait for all the massive RROD's every1 and there cousin is goin to have with the 360's when GTAIV comes out and NO1 is going to want to turn the thing off.

[Glad to be a gamer]

I finished dmc4 on my new hdmi 360 over the weekend and it took me 17.5 hours. when it came to the end of my marathon sessions (8.5 hr stints) i checked the 360 and it was slightly warm. Think they've managed to get the overheating issue under control.

Dmc4 is amazing well worth playing gonna definately replay.

[Meus Renaissance]

Nintendo and especially Sony will eventually cut the price of their machine, no doubt about it. When they have their internal sales predictions they take into account the competition naturally. Although this is a good move by Microsoft, a necessary move in all honesty that was asked for since before Christmas, it does give them less manoeuvrability for future price cuts when avoiding the impression that a cheap console is one that isn't popular, to the consumer e.g. GameCube. If Sony cut the price by a significant amount again in the Summer - they will eventually eat up Europe.

This will just delay that in my opinion.

It's North America which is of more interest to me and others I feel.

[LJWooly]

I think the best way to dominate the US is conquer everyhting around it first. Therefore, I think the PS3 is going to do well everywhere, especially after a price drop and the barrage of games due out later in the year.

Pick up a PS3 if you haven't already, you're missing out. 360's worth looking up too :)

[Meus Renaissance]

My complaint about the 360, and why I'm not hyped about is, the upcoming games do not interest me. Ninja Gaiden 2 is not a system seller, if you consider that Microsoft already have their hardcore userbase in place. And GTA4 is not an exclusive, but this price cut will make it more appealing to people to Jump In rather than spend more to get the same game on another platform. However, that "other" platform has a list of games and franchises like MGS4, like GT5 and Final Fantasy plus that Blu-Ray, Wifi and removable HDD, which make it still in my opinion a better value platform.

We all know to be a 360 gamer, you really need Live, so the price gap already drops a significant amount (Live Subscription is £35). But the games are what sold the 360 in 2007, I just dont see anything that could give it a similar push, especially when you compare it to what the competition have.

I just can't get excited for this price cut in all honesty. It's a good move but not an Ace and can easily be countered. But we shall see the hardware sales for it.

[sleepyk]

with a plethora of 2008 exclusives, Sony doesn't need to worry about their system selling.

[otherZinc]

drop its price $200? So whats the big deal?

[DrWan]

Sony is fine, consumers aren't dumb.

[eddierivera]

It was never worth the 400 bones it was selling for. It shows us that microsoft was ripping everyone off, the system was never worth 400 bones. It was worth premium price cause there wasnt any next gen systems yet, but it should have gotten this price cut since the ps3 launched with its included blueray, harddrive, wifi and free internet.

Microsoft was and still is ripping everyone off. I bought one back in 2006 and I got the red ring twice within a month. I still got my old ps3 with some issues, but none that require me to have to send in to fix. And Ive left it on for days at a time. I dont think I would want one even if given one for free. Its the bad hardware that gets to me and it sucks cause I love fable, and I wanted to play halo. Im just not one to get suckered into something like buying a new xbox, knowing whats coming to me eventually.

[whoelse]

Sony don't cut prices. They just add extra games. Which is funny because if they didn't do that, there it would be more affordable.

[Revvin]

I think its always interesting for existing owners to see price cuts as it will likely bring in more gamers who perhaps have sat on the sidelines until now. Nintendo will still sell bucketloads of Wii's at the current price and the PS3 has some really big titles coming soon. The price cut to £150 for the arcade pack is a good headline grabber for Microsoft though it hides the costs of making the system comparable to the PS3 such as the HDD which some games now require allow online play and wireless LAN adaptor which bumps the price up again along with a LIVE subscription. If you just want the 360 for offline play (why would you want to ignore its very good online system?) then the arcade pack may be a bargain but I think most people will want to go online with it. Rumours have been rife for a while that Sony will introduce a new SKU, possibly an 80GB bundle so they might drop the 40GB model's price further to compete. The good thing for MS is that it will likely increase sales by at least 33% when people figure why wait for MS to repair their console when they can buy a cheap Arcade bundle ;)

[PimpHandStrong]

the didnt drop the price by 200 bucks they inturduced a 40GB version and cut the price by 100 on the other models

I guess if you think the 40GB was the launch sku then yea they dropped the price 200bucks

on topic:
Sony wont be cutting any prices untill maybe Sept08. When you see a 40GB for 300bucks you will see what a real system and a real price cut sells. The arcade is a total failure and like the HD-DVD add-on its just putting them on firesale...shame about hardware issues and shame yahoo called the 360 the worst consele in history.

[PimpHandStrong]

if they make the Elite 300bucks today they would hold 1st place till the next-gen comes around.

If this doesnt help sell Pros then the war is over and MS needs to go back to the drawing board and make a system that doesnt have a 16%-33% fail rate

[caffman]

I know because both my girlfriend and I have picked up one each as a second media hub.

[Bleucrunch]

even if sony and nintendo were gonna cut their prices...they wont say that right now because then everyone wouldnt buy their product until they do so I am not surprised by their responses.

[The Killer]

many people here dont have or pretend they dont have!! specially the bots!!

[BardockS30Z]

Who cares if they drop the price, they always drop the prices of things. Take the HD DVD drive, it shows desperation and it makes me sick. Go ahead and drop the price MSFT see if i buy ur broken console.

[InYourMom]

I think the consumer cares. If they want a "next-gen" console at a reasonable price with a huge software library I think a lower price entices them.

I would not call this desperate at all, if so then you would have to acknowledge the price cut's Sony made in it's first year. The 360 has held it's launch price longer than any previous console has. Considering it is a year ahead of both the Wii/PS3 a price cut is appropriate and not desperate. If anything, I don't think this is enough.

[stennexxx]

M$ probably trying to sell off their arcade RROD boxes to usher in a new 45n chip with a bigger hdd. What is sad is that M$ has screwed over its already 10 million customers with a potentially failing box and lack of hard drive support. My xbox friends are buying PS3s when MGS4 comes out for both gaming and blu-ray movies.

[MiniMii]

The pricedrop is only for europe for a reason. They are emptying their crapstock in euroland.

I pity the euros dumb enough to get that shiat.

[InYourMom]

Actually, it's got more and better games than the PS3. That is truth! So don't feel sorry for those people buying an Xbox 360, they have plenty to play and now they can get into the console at a more affordable price.

You are just a couple of haters. Even if they gave them away you would still find something to whine and complain about.

I know a lot of people that will jump on the Xbox 360 now at this price.

[robbo918]

Since when did you live in Europe? I am not being a jerk, just seriously asking since this is the only place its being cut currently.

It will help their sales but I don't think it will make a huge dent. If they lower it in NA and Sony doesn't match it will do more damage. In Europe PS3 has almost caught up to X360 and X360 had more than a year head start.

[wiizy]

as a nintendo fan. i think the wii need a price cut just to keep the momentum. the strategy of waiting to see how well the competition do with a price cut is not a good one

[Blasphemy]

Sony needs to drop the price of PS3 to stay competitive. Nintendo on the other hand can't even keep Wiis in stock so they don't even need a price drop. I am just wandering how much money Nintendo is banking from Wii sales now. Gamecube dropped in price only one year after it hit the markt but Wii won't follow this model for some time. I wouldn't be suprised if they were making close to $100 off each console sold.

[jinn]

another smart move by microsoft

[BigBaehr]

cheap piece of junk or do i pay for the PS3's quality. I'll choose the PS3 anyday.

[t-0_ot-]

PS3 Owns.

[heyheyhey]

thought you didn't like it?

or was that sarcastic (if it was then it's pretty subtle)

[Official General]

While I agree with some of the very valid and good points and you have made, I feel you have slightly misjudged and in some cases, exaggerated the whole 360 vs PS3 scenario. I do generally believe that both consoles both have very good games. The PS3 and 360 each have their pros and cons but with the backing of some facts and justifiable, credible speculation - the PS3 seemingly has more prospective-looking times that lie ahead, more so than the 360.

You say "We are yet to see what the PS3 has". Well I own one and I can tell you from what I and many others have seen so far, it's looking pretty damn impressive for the relatively short time it's been on the market. Whether they are exclusives or multi-platform, these titles really show off some if not all of the PS3's power and talents - Unchartered, Ratchet, Heavenly Sword, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, COD4, DMC4, Motorsport, Resistance and Burnout Paradise. Some of these games (eg. Unchartered, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet, COD4, Motorsport, Resistance) simply look so graphically stunning and all the games mentioned range from good, very good to excellent gameplay. There is still more to come, but you cannot deny that right now the PS3 is loading up to fire and shoot out more solid titles.

Most of the good current games are multi-plat titles that are out for BOTH the 360 and PS3, at least 85 %. You talk about rehashes? So what? MGS4, KZ2, GT5, FFVIII are all rehashes but who cares? These titles are still very HIGHLY anticipated it's still what many gaming fans want. As long as they are still really good games, enjoyable to play and look stunnigly next-gen (which they do) then it aint bad at all. Unchartered is stunning AAA stuff and it's new and I'm sure there's more new stuff coming out too. What da f**k do you think GTA 4 is? GTA 4 IS a multi-platform rehash of a hugely popular franchise, and yet you have adopted MS attitude and act like the 360 owns the game and then speak of it and that "holy" episodic DLC in godly terms like it's MS's main weapon for sales in this year's console wars. MS seems to be relying on JUST ONE rehashed game to work wonders for the 360! You in a way have just contradicted yourself and this just throws your silly PS3 rehashed games theory out da door!

The 360 maybe very cheap now and thats a very good factor but how long is this RROD gonna kep up for, before it brings the 360 crashing to it's knees? The 360's line up this year is not very impressive and you can carry on clutching at straws but you and many know it's true. The best you came up with was Ninja Gaiden 2 and Frontlines? And if you mention Gears of War 2 then you lose again - contradiction! Gears 2 is a rehash! I suggest you think more carefully before you speak.

I dont know exactly who's gonna win what or get the most sales. All I know is that from where I'm sitting the PS3's prospects looks good right now in terms of current games and exciting up-coming BOTH EXCLUSIVE AND MULTI-PLAT titles, the blu-ray format victory, more advanced hardware features, hardware reliability, online service improvements (home), ever-increasing hardware/software sales, popularity and a rapidly growing installed user-base.

[t-0_ot-]

Hehe.. I never said I didn't like it.. I own a PS3.. It's just that the way the Sony fanboys, people like DarkSniper, Kaz Hiria, Sony Soldiers, and so on.., make it seem like it's the best console ever made.. which if you like in terms of hardware.. of course it is.. but in terms of games and such that it has then no.. not at all. The 360 has the better games right now..but, it probably wont be that way at the end of the year..

But, with that post I was just trying to see if I would get and Agrees. =]

[GETPWNZORED]

Better luck next gen, Sony. Your parting gifts are at the door.

[PMR_21]

banana boy

you need 2 stop being a nuisance

and don't 4get to enjoy my left nut yet again

[ShutButton]

Who cares which one's better or which one's worse. They're all good and selling very well and all have good games coming out this year. So shut up and stop saying "the 360 is better" or "the PS3 has blu ray and 360 doesn't!" Shut up they're just video games!

[Ri0tSquad]

Didn't they shrink the cell so they could?

[sumfood4u]

Wii doesnt need a price cut, there sucess jumped alot with SSBB, an Mario Karts around the Corner! PS3 Blu~Ray answered that question about price cut also its longevity is awesome!