Why is the Microsoft Wireless Adapter So Expensive?

Xboxist.com Writes:

"What's this? The Xbox 360 doesn't have a wireless connection? Well who came up with that stupid idea?

Probably the same person who in the next breath explained to a skeptical boardroom at Microsoft that the company could then charge extortionate amounts of money to people like me who just want to hook up their consoles but now live in a house with more than 2 rooms.

"Well," the smug Microsoft executive would say, "You're living in a house aren't you? Surely you have the $80 to pony up for a wi-fi adaptor."

[clinker]

$80 is pretty crazy, especially when my USB access point on my laptop only cost like $20. Along with their external Harddrives, Microsoft should really stop gouging customers on accessories.

[FarEastOrient]

I would suggest not to use the Xbox 360 wireless adapter because it blocks some of the breathing ports and we all know that the Xbox 360 needs to breath.

[s8anicslayer]

I know, the 360 has gotten atleast 2 price drops but this over priced adapter wich only comes in white by the way, being that I am an elite owner and refuse to buy a white eye sore like that is still the same price after almost 3 years! What's the deal MS?

[SaiyanFury]

Bah, whatta bunch of crooks. I can connect online with my 360 through my wireless ethernet bridge, and it only cost me 30 bucks. In no way, whatsoever would I EVER pay more than 50 dollars for a 20 dollar piece of technology.

[MaximusPrime]

simple. its Microsoft.

[Ischan]

Microsoft it is.

[Jockamo]

...nonconstructive comments like these. I hate even more that people agree. Ah well just a bunch of kids on this site I guess...

[wallace1000]

For the same reason the ipod touch doesn't have bluetooth capability. Companies like apple and microsoft make money off of accessories.

[Sarcasm]

@2.2 And your comments about non-constructive comments isn't helping either. Which leads to my comment on your comment about their non-constructive comments which completes the insane spiral of non-constructive comments.

:)

[KingKionic]

"Well," the smug Microsoft executive would say, "You're living in a house aren't you? Surely you have the $80 to pony up for a wi-fi adaptor." lol

[no-spin]

that is some douche
They think they have the right to charge whatever they want for crap products

[GWAVE]

LOL.

As good ol' Aaron said, "We don't make you pay for things you don't want".

In other words, "We strip your console of most equipment and then charge a primo price when you (and by "you" I mean any 360 owner who isn't a soccer mom playing Peggle on XBLA) find out it wasn't included in the original package".

We don't charge you for online....but if you want to use basic multiplayer functionality that the "other" guys are getting for free (even the Wii, DS, and PSP...lol), pay up. Oh, and sorry about that web browser. No can do.

We don't charge you for a hard drive....but if you want to use a basic save function (plus XBLA, Netflix, game installs, etc) that the "other" guys get by default, pay up, and pay WAY above the market price.

We don't charge you for wi-fi....but we'll keep bragging about how superior our pay-to-play online service is even though the "other" guys all have built-in Wi-fi (even the Wii, DS, and PSP...lol again).

Oh, and by the way...you'll never need more than 20 Gigs of space, HDMI is unnecessary, and HD-DVD is the future. Er, scratch that last part...Digital Downloads are the future. Er, scratch that last part...streaming 2-year-old movies through a paid video service is the future.

[KingKionic]

yeah that was kind of funny...alot truth to it.but i enjoy netflix .:)

[trancefreak]

Awesome summary gwave many lols

[Shane Kim]

What the? Where did you find my speech?!

[xbollox]

with a badass nail gun!

http://www.zuckervati.com/m...

bubble

[Xwow2008]

ROFL...lol :)))

[koehler83]

Why is there a cord coming out of the wireless adapter? Does that little POS need it's own plug?!

[PotNoodle]

It plugs into the xbox

[Cherchez La Ghost]

Hopefully MS learned their lesson with these hardware issues. It should have been intergrated in the first place. I have my PS3 & 360 wired straight to my router.

[bob saget remix]

WOW! That half the price of a wii! And the Wii has wifi built in it! As does the PS3 obviously. Whats with the 360 and its external crap? External power adapter,external wifi adapter,external hd dvd player,external harddrive, just about everything is external. External box 360.

[KingKionic]

its about a choice for consumers .micrsoft talked about this.

[talltony]

more like half the price of the 360.

[GiantEnemyFlop]

because they know how stupid 360 fanboys and they will pay anything for their master

[ceedubya9]

I've been looking for a used one. Sadly, no luck yet. Although there may be a time in which I won't need once I move.

[phantomshadow]

You probably won't find many that are used. Once you pay the money, you're not going to turn around and try to sell it back. I bought mine waaaaaaaay back when the thing launched at 100 bucks, and for the amount of time that I've used it, I've gotten my money out of the thing.

[darthv72]

Got mine from GS for $60 used. I have it hooked up to the 360 hddvd drive which was purchased for $40 new with 7 movies.

I like how it really is plug and play especially for a MS product (windows ...hmfh)

[Leio]

Cus thats the way we are making money simple as that..they dont give a fuk about what you think...the price goes down only if nobody buy it.

[Xwow2008]

quote(Cus thats the way WE are making money simple as that).

lol what u mean by WE........lol
typical xboxfanboy, MS must be proud by u.

[cyrus228]

besides that my built in ps3 wifi works better than my 100$ 360 wifi adapter shich is sad. only get it used if u can guys its not worth 100, not even worth 50.

tell me why still halo 3 8 players lag but killzone 32 or resistance 60 doesn't lag???? i haven't had a decent halo match in a while :(

[KingKionic]

how does it work better? there both pretty much the same.

[cyrus228]

while my xbox one is at 2-3 bars, my playstation is at 70-80% connection, and like i said i barley lag on my ps3, now unless the xbox service is just laggy, i wasnt saying that i was blaming the adapter lol.

now if ur right then i guess it cud just be live is less reliable, but i didnt say that, u did ;p

[Anon1974]

For whatever reason the signal strength is always stronger than my 360. I don't game online with my 360 though, so I don't know if it actually contributes to lag or not. And I can't really comment on demos or anything as I never download them, there's no Netflix in Canada and the videostore is underwhelming. I have more selection with Video On Demand from my cable company, and it's instant, HD and cheaper. Really, the only thing I even need my 360 to be hooked up to the net for is updates, and it seems to download those just as fast as my PS3 downloads things.
What ticked me off is when I moved into my new house and needed wi-fi, I assumed the price of the 360's wi-fi would have come down. It was still $100! That now puts my 360 over $900 with 2 years of XBL before I canceled it, the price of the launch console, extended warranty from Microsoft, extra controller, plug and play kit, more battery packs because if you leave it off for a few months the batteries won't hold a charge when you go to play again.
I'd sell the blasted thing if I could even get half that but given how 360's are going for $50 on Ebay, not much chance of that happening. I might as well just hold on till Alan Wake and the Halo Expansion.

[bob saget remix]

Clearly it is when you have to pay $100 for a 20gb harddrive. And $100 for a wifi adapter. A 20gb harddrive should probably be about $10. Wifi adapter maybe $15. Seriously. I got a 350gb harddrive for my PS3 on newegg for $69.

[caffman]

and then use a cable and you are done.However with a ps3 you have to buy a headset which is free with the 360

[XxSpiiKeZxX]

O WOW a headset, its pretty cheap if you ask me and besides i rather have everything else then get a headset
Really thats all u xbox owners have against whats in the box a headset while ps3 brings everything u need
I mean come on with 400$ u get EVERYTHING just get a 20$headset and thats it

[Why o why]

blame the consumer for its high price;)

[bob saget remix]

Yeah its good to have choices. But those choices are way too expensive for what you get.

[Vip3r]

A £55 wireless adaptor is a joke. There is no reason at all it should be this price. It should be £14.99 at the max and even this it would be pricey. Especially when people have to pay £40 for a live subscription.

[resistance100]

I got mine for £30 when i brought my 360 from Gamestation, however there was no way in hell was i going to pay £55 for one.

[cyrus228]

wtf is up with that 80$ 20 gig hard drive lol, for ps32 you spend 50 and get 300 gigs, whats so special about MS's except the fact it isn't versatile?

heck lets break down price of 360 pro

power brick=100$
contr= 50$
AV/HD cables= 40$
hard drive= 100$

omg!!!!! lol!!!! the core is worth 10$!!!!....not to mention that lego indiana and kung fu panda come with the consoles now, lol wow no wonder it gets red rings and laser burns games

[kingme71]

It's price gouging plain and simple. A DS Lite costs $130.00 and that has built in WiFi. The MS wireless alone costs just south of that. MS spins it by saying we give our consumers a choice as to what they want to add. Only problem is the choices you get cost 4x the market rate for similar products.

[syphenlimit]

AH, YES...This little gripe. I'm very happy to have an avenue to express opinion on this, from the perspective of a person who has, and does, own both the HD consoles.

The Xbox 360 is extensively advertised as a connected console. Currently, I've a choice of running 40M of cable through to the hub (after you have to fit all round the doors and spaces, keeping the cable away from throughfares - i have already measured the distance). Or, I can get one of these wireless adapters. If they were available for around 30-40 gbp even, that would be all right, but 60-70...For a piece of kit that is practically essential to having the console connected. What??

In comparison, the PS3 is up and running within five minutes, quickly configures itself, and you're off and playing Warhawk, or whatever, or browsing the store. Even the setup and configuration for getting my last 360 online, I remember being around 3x that.
I find this inconsistency between the ideal Microsoft paints, and the reality, to be disappointing - but, then again, they have been consistent.
They've always said, from day one, that they would offer people the chance to pay for only the bits they will use.

I guess that they don't believe that wireless networks are a common enough occurrence to pack the key part in the box.

[Anon1974]

Despite hours lost with MS tech support I could never get my 360 networked to my PC and 1080p has never worked over component cables. Microsoft helpfully suggest I consider "Buying a new 360 with HDMI!"
I almost wanted to say "I thought consumers didn't want HDMI."
At any rate, it's not like there's any content available over 720p anyway, so I just accepted that and moved on.

Blu-Ray's playing at 1080p through my PS3's HDMI are stunning, on the other hand. Still, not much else uses 1080p. If the price drops on Wipeout I'll probably pick it up just to see what a difference gaming in 1080p makes.

[KingKionic]

its all making since now...the high prices..no games at gdc.vIVE BEEN FOOLED!!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!

[Pixel_Addict]

This list was compiled from www.walmart.com as a source. I found these to be the average cost of Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 accessories. All items prices mentioned are official Microsoft products.

There is a possiblity, through Amazon or eBay to obtain marginally cheaper results, but the added cost of shipping/handling/insurance off-set any savings gained.

Xbox 360's list of need accessories to match PS3's standard SKU:

199.92 - Cheapest SKU w/o HDD or (full) online capability
149.73 - HDD 120 GB
87.63 - Wireless wifi adapter
29.82 - Charger for controller
15.96 - A three month subscription for XBL
No HD movie capabilites unless owner has highspeed broadband internet access and most movies are not available native 1080p

483.05 - Grand total

399.99 - PS3 SKU comes with:
........ Built in Wifi
........ 80 GB HDD (current standard)
........ Dualshock 3 - Rechargable via USB cable (included)
........ Free on-line PSN access (including Play)
........ Blu-ray Disc Player

[KingKionic]

wow

[syphenlimit]

You just reminded me I need to get a Play & Charge kit (charger, on your list), or else I'll be endlessly going through batteries! xD That's another thing they don't include, although that's stranger an omission, still, because it's arguably even more critical than the wireless adapter, for extended play.

[wallace1000]

You do know that if you selected a system with a hard drive included then you shave about $50 off your list.
You can produce price breakdowns but it doesn't really matter because people are going to buy what they want to buy. If i didn't have an xbox then i wouldn't have been able to play halo 3 so if the xbox ends up costing more then i am going to pay it. Plus i am not a fan of everything in one box, that is why i have a standalone blu-ray player so the blu-ray capability of the PS3 isn't a bonus for me.
Everyone is different, they should just buy the system that they like/want and not worry about price breakdowns or live vs. PSN debates.

[DARK WITNESS]

I hope you remember to list all that the next time there is an argument about the 360 outselling the ps3 because its cheaper.

when it suits the argument the 360 is cheaper and when it does not... the 360 is more expensive, funny that.

also you forgot to mention you need to buy a hd cable for the ps3, at least i did when i got mine. even if it is just £2-3 i still don't understand why sony could not just throw one in the box.

I do agree the prices are a rip-off just like most of the download content.

[iHEARTboobs]

Initially it's a low price console (if you get the arcade) that can end up costing you a lot if you buy a bunch of accessories and LIVE.

Anyhow, yeah it's not $80, it's $100. I think it was on sale on amazon for a bit for $80 but that's about it. I just bought one of these things and so far it's been working fine. Luckily I had a Target gift card to cut the price in half.

[Shepherd 214]

A cord that charges your batteries as you play is included in the Pro and ELite model consoles, along with one rechargable battery. And they also include energizer batteries in all controller packages and console models that include a wireless controller.

[Microsoft Xbox 360]

360 accessories are expensive because it's consumers don't know any better. Microsoft is taking advantage of this moment to sell low quality products with a high price tag and the 360 fanboys don't even realize they're being gypped.

[EliteHITMAN]

Surely if they mass produce that wifi adapter it should not cost that much. You can get a Pc one which is way better latency issues half that price. It is quite ridiculous they boast about there online but this isn't standard come on MS. People have to call it like it is or else MS might pull the same $hit with 720 let your voices be heard.

[Pixel_Addict]

I'm not out to save anyones soul. Let fools do what fools do. Let them spend their money wastefully and wanting more. The delusion that the Xbox 360 is a good value even after; RROD, E74, disc read errors, and failure of HD DVD is obviously just that... a delusion. Let them stew in their own self-denial.

[ironmonkey]

everything is a plug in for xbox lol nothing integrated

[rmedtx888]

Wait a sec... The Xbox 360 doesn't come with integrated Wi-fi?

[gumgum99]

all these questions and more...

from the Twilight Zone

[Jockamo]

the elite does

[tda-danny]

No it does not

[Revvin]

The Elite certainly does not have integrated wifi

[Karum]

There's really no excusing the price of the wireless adapter.

It isn't a fanboy thing or wven about which console you prefer. It's a wireless adapter, doesn't matter what it is for it is extortionate.

[donalbane]

At least not having a feature many people won't ever use cuts down on the 360's cost. Since the 360's cost to feature ratio is largely responsible for the Xbox 360's success, it seems that regardless of what loyal PS3 users here think, it was a sound descision from a purely business perspective.

And I don't hear PS3 users complaining about features that the 360 has that the PS3 lacks... like bundled in HD cables and headsets.

Finally, the 360's wifi adapter is but one of several choices available to consumers: you could always get one of the cheaper 3rd party models for considerably less and have it work just as well.

The world doesn't need this article... it's simply ad hominem attack to placate PS3 fanboys that live at this site.

[iHEARTboobs]

"it was a sound descision from a purely business perspective."

Exactly! But, most of us look at it from a gamers perspective, and from that perspective, it looks like a $hitty deal.

[Karum]

This isn't about Sony vs MS - it's about MS price gouging for an accessory that shouldn't cost anywhere close to what it does. It's a wireless network adapter for God's sake.

A NIC (Network Interface Card) that goes in your desktop can be bought for around $20-$30 and that is when you are buying retail. A wireless network adapter can be purchased for around the same price.

If these were bought in bulk to be built into the console it probably wouldn't cost very much at all, I doubt it would have raised the price of the console all that much.

As for the lack of an HDMI cable in the box with a PS3 - those can be bought very cheap and I think Sony should definitely bundle one as I don't think it would cost them much at all but at least you can buy a cheap one and not an overpriced proprietary accessory. It would also be cool if they bundled in a simple USB headset (at least) too but again, you can buy a cheap one and aren't forced to buy another overpriced proprietary accessory. I do however see your point when it comes to the headset and the HDMI cable and even agree that Sony should include them but you must also remember that not every 360 comes with an HDMI cable.

[RH06]

the Microsoft Xcessorybox 360

[farhsa2008]

microsoft will never change their policy of ripping customers off until you stop buying them.

[drsnobby]

Anyone knows that if you want optimal gaming hardwire is the way to go..if i wanted to get a 360 to play online,why would i waste my time getting a core? i would get a 60 gig pro for $299 or a elite for $350.can anyone tell me why the ps3 does not have HDMI cord and a headset standard for each unit? american consumers are not as dumb as we think. price and value seems to be the driving force behind the 360 sales.price drop sony we need it and we need it now.

[Sarcasm]

Or how about in most households, a WiFi network is set up so you're not the only one to use it all by yourself?

My router is set up in our computer room, so the whole household can use it.

Optimal gaming or not, There's no way I'm going to run two 60foot cables down a flight of stairs pass the garage into the computer room just to go online on my PS3/360.

Wifi folks... It's 2009.

And an elite is $399 last time I checked.

A 3foot HDMI cable is also $6 shipped from monoprice.com.

I don't know about idiots, but I'd rather spend $6 on an HDMI cable instead of $100 on a Wifi add-on.

[Revvin]

Microsoft screw every last penny out of their customers. The cost of a wifi adaptor is a joke. I remember when I first had my 360 a few months after launch and paid £60 for it. I recently bought another 360 (I went through 2 RROD's and traded my old premium model in 18 months ago but decided to buy a 360 again to go with my PS3 when they dropped in price)and its dropped to £45 now depending on where you buy but its still a rip off compared to regular PC wifi adaptors.

I remember when the Elite was announced, I had a premium an thought I'd trade that in and get an Elite if it was proven to cure the RROD and had built in Wifi..well we know what happened there! The Elite should have been just that, the top of the range with built in wifi and HD DVD drive.

The HDD's are a rip off too, fortunately I have the 120GB with my Elite but if I wanted to buy one the cheapest place I found was around £95, thats still around £10 more expensive than the 500GB 2.5" HDD I recently bought for my PS3. The wireless headset is also over priced and they don't even do a black model to match my Elite! The PS3 headset is a slick unit, high quality and good features for a decent price.

[anubis12]

1. wii
2. 360
3. ps3

someones doing something wrong

[Kyur4ThePain]

Biscuit

[Yomiro]

I thought the xbox 360 was cheaper than the PS3

[EliteHITMAN]

wii and ds they still manage wifi integrated...not a chaep high latency add on that covers some of those precious breathing ports 360 can't have enough of.

[skip2mylou]

just taking a guess. but umm.... could it be to cover the cost of RROD? from the extended 3year warrenty that they gave out?
holy shyt. $99.99 for a fuking wireless adapter? and the used ones are freaking $65.00. damn!!!! im surprised that microsoft is making people spend that much for a wireless adapter

[EliteHITMAN]

your probably speaking the thruth skip2

[pacowles]

I think it's fairly pathetic that the 360 doesn't support wifi out of the box when the Wii, DS, PSP, and even iPod Touch do. First they make you pay for the wireless adapter...then they make you pay for the ability to play online. I'm sensing a trend here.

[xg-ei8ht]

Pixel that explains it all except two things.

PS3 doesn't play halo or gears.

If it did. 360 would not exist.

[ForROME]

Cheap hardware exp accessories sounds like a win win for MS and a lose lose for consumers

[LiquidJordan]

Yeah...that thing really is expensive...

[Why o why]

The ONLY 'current' console, handhelds included, that doesn't come with built in wi fi....................go figure

[Grown Folks Talk]

a lot of people don't know you can use a cheaper 3rd party wireless adapter as long as it has an ethernet output.

[Sarcasm]

Which is why Microsoft capitalizes on that innocent ignorance of regular consumers.

[Arutha]

Better yet if you can find the Buffalo wireless Ethernet converter then get that. I picked that up for $59 and have my 360 hooked into that. What is nice about it is that it has 4 ports so I was able to hook up my Denon 3808CI, 360, HD DVD player, and my Direct TV HDVR to it. I have had no issues playing on Xbox live with it. Probably one of the best pieces of equipment I have gotten.

[deshon09]

they are stupid we have the best online let keep the fans from playing wirelessly

[swingingape]

M$ likes microtransactions... even when it comes to selling you the an incomplete... separate hard drive, separate wi-fi, separate rechargeable battery and charger equals separate profits. PS3 had all of that stuff included.

[Robiul]

Visit this link for an cheaper alternative
http://www.gamedaily.com/ar...