AfterDawn: Tech news

Xbox 360 sales up 100 percent since price cut, says Microsoft

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Sep 2008 1:55 User comments (21)

Xbox 360 sales up 100 percent since price cut, says Microsoft Microsoft has made a statement confiding that sales of their Xbox 360 console have jumped over 100 percent since the announcement of a price cut in the US last week.
The statement cites Microsoft's own numbers as well as word from retailers who are reporting "that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior" before the price cut was announced.

On September 4th the software giant announced that they were dropping the price of the Arcade model to $199 USD, the Core to $299 USD and the Elite to $399, steep price cuts that make the system cheaper than its rivals in every category. In comparison, the Nintendo Wii sells for $250 USD and does not have a HDD (like the Arcade model) and the Sony PlayStation 3 sells for $400 USD with an 80GB HDD (the Elite has an 120GB HDD).



"We are thrilled to be the first next-generation console on the market to reach USD 199, a price that invites everyone to enjoy Xbox 360," added Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

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21 user comments

111.9.2008 14:07

getting an xbox 360 now is cheaper than gettin a psp

211.9.2008 14:21

No, PSPs are 160$ for their core model, all of the stupid little delux versions are 200$.

And in Japan PSPs sell better then any other system.(According to occasional reports Ive seen pop up on this website.)

311.9.2008 15:17

i wonder what the breakdown is I suppose the arcade would be the best selling of the three

411.9.2008 16:16

Good news for Microsoft but i actually wonder how long it will be before Nintendo follows suit. I guess as long as the Wii continues to fly off shelves they probably won't worry too much but what will Sony do if the Xbox 360 sales dont slow down. Sony cant afford to drop the price of the PS3 right now.

511.9.2008 16:32

Microsoft:
"Duuuuhhhhhhh..."

The world:
"Yeah.
We've been telling you this, Microsoft.
You see how that works there?"

Microsoft:
"Duuuuhhhhhhh..."

611.9.2008 17:22

hmm might hop on that halo =D

711.9.2008 17:34
varnull
Inactive

So why don't they learn from this and roll out these prices across Europe where sales have all but stopped?.. oh yeah.. greed.

Based on US prices I should be able to buy a 360 on the high street for around £125.. but no.. £189-199 is the standard. NO SALE!

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 11 Sep 2008 @ 5:36

811.9.2008 19:05

Yep Varnull it seems every company has got the shaft europe memo lol! i would snap up a ps3 on US prices...

oh and anyone that buys the xbox360 arcade needs to have their head examined :p

911.9.2008 21:14

They sold 10 last week, this week they sold 20. Dropped a little more and maybe they would have sold 21.

1011.9.2008 21:40

I wouldn't be surprised if the 6 fold increase was for the 60 gig pro version. I really hope there aren’t that many people buying the arcade version, almost all of the 360's strong points are based on the live service and dlc so what good is a 360 with no hard drive?

This is going to push out old stock faster and we may see the jasper 360 before October.

1111.9.2008 21:52
atomicxl
Inactive

Originally posted by Stu_dent:
Yep Varnull it seems every company has got the shaft europe memo lol! i would snap up a ps3 on US prices...

oh and anyone that buys the xbox360 arcade needs to have their head examined :p
#1 Minimum wage in the US is like $5.85. I was looking up minimum wage in the UK and it was equivalent to like $11.something. You guys act like the price is breaking you but you actually make close to double what an american makes.

#2 The arcade is a good deal. You can get a used 120gb hdd for like $104 on Amazon.com and a 20gb for $40. Even without the hard drive you can still play EVERY GAME except Final Fantasy 11 (very old and poorly reviewed). You get a memory card so you can save your games. You can't get too much DLC... but if you've waited 3 years to enter the current gen, you probably aren't some super tech head who needs the fanciest and flashiest version.

You were likely someone who was totally satisfied with a PS2... which has no downloads.

1212.9.2008 00:27

Quote:
Originally posted by Stu_dent:
Yep Varnull it seems every company has got the shaft europe memo lol! i would snap up a ps3 on US prices...

oh and anyone that buys the xbox360 arcade needs to have their head examined :p
#1 Minimum wage in the US is like $5.85. I was looking up minimum wage in the UK and it was equivalent to like $11.something. You guys act like the price is breaking you but you actually make close to double what an american makes.

#2 The arcade is a good deal. You can get a used 120gb hdd for like $104 on Amazon.com and a 20gb for $40. Even without the hard drive you can still play EVERY GAME except Final Fantasy 11 (very old and poorly reviewed). You get a memory card so you can save your games. You can't get too much DLC... but if you've waited 3 years to enter the current gen, you probably aren't some super tech head who needs the fanciest and flashiest version.

You were likely someone who was totally satisfied with a PS2... which has no downloads.
A few things here:

You forgot one major factor which is that cost of living in Europe is much higher than in the USA. Did you know that the price of gas in Europe is on average 2.3 times higher than in the USA? A difference in minimum wage doesn't necessarily mean anything in wealth, because it is a part of the economic checks and balances.

And console gaming isnt the only technology out there, and also you're assuming everyone is a gamer. If someone isn't already a hardcore gamer why would they want to buy into something they have little interest in; especially when they would have to pay more than most people to do so?

1312.9.2008 02:04

Quote:

#1 Minimum wage in the US is like $5.85. I was looking up minimum wage in the UK and it was equivalent to like $11.something. You guys act like the price is breaking you but you actually make close to double what an american makes.
$7 USD, and some states its even higher, around 8 or 9 :)

1412.9.2008 04:30
susieqbbb
Inactive

Yea the 360 is doing better.

But when consumers notice that the console is based around the xbox live platform will they keep the console or trade it in.

Makes you think??

1512.9.2008 05:40
varnull
Inactive

Make close to double what an American makes.. I like that..

Reality check.. I run my own business.

My rent has increased from £175 a month to £425 a month over the last 2 years.

Council tax (just to have a roof over my head) is now close to £1000 a year.

Power (electricity and gas) near £900 a year (42% increase in 12 months)

So that means I have to earn £7000 before I can eat.

Add to this income tax (self employed) 33% of every penny I make.. and as I provide a chargeable service they have another 17 1/2% vat.. 50 1/2% of everything I make before I see it.

Minimum wage is £10,920 a year BEFORE tax.. so take away 50 1/2% £5400

Shortfall of £1600 a year... Don't talk to me about poverty ;) I manage to pay myself just enough to cover my outgoings and if I am lucky I have about £600 a year for food, clothes, travel and luxuries. Last years tax return showed a total income of £16,500. Minimum wage doesn't apply to self employed or people who are contracted on different systems.. It only applies to people paid by the hour.

As inflation continues to kill the businesses I work for there is less work and less income possibilities in an environment of something like (my estimate going on price increases month by month) 30% - 50% inflation. EVERY time I go into a shop prices have gone up.. even the cheapest food is now 30% more than it was 6 months ago.

My budget is tight.. £1 a day for food with any left over being put towards other essentials. I see you Americans moaning about how expensive things are.. you don't know the half of it. Try living in a country which believes it is right to starve the poor and hard working to give handouts and tax breaks to the rich. This is why I recycle computers.. I look at new hardware and it is a dream I can't afford.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 12 Sep 2008 @ 5:43

1612.9.2008 05:44

Varnull, I agree and beleive me I understand. Though it's really not that much different here or anywhere else for that matter.

1712.9.2008 10:32

Well everywhere except oil bearing countries. I don't see this affecting the United Arab Emirates, where each citizen is worth at least an estimated $1 million.

This is all a bit off topic, but companies such as MS and Sony need to stop being so greedy to increase their profits by fleecing the consumer. I never understood the motivation of super executives to make their corporations more profit by counting pennies. In the end, I guess their stock incentives make them more rich and that's what really matters, even when you're already a millionaire...

1812.9.2008 11:29

Good for xbox, about damn time.

btw you didn't know bill needs a new ride at windows land. he also wants the BSOD torture room operational again. he's currently building the biggest server ever, with 8,000 processors and 12,000 8 gig of DDR4 Rambus. first he's got to build the under ground nuclear refrigerant system to house it in.

he will then proceed to download everything in the world wide web under 2 minutes.

1912.9.2008 13:45

Quote:
This is all a bit off topic, but companies such as MS and Sony need to stop being so greedy to increase their profits by fleecing the consumer. I never understood the motivation of super executives to make their corporations more profit by counting pennies. In the end, I guess their stock incentives make them more rich and that's what really matters, even when you're already a millionaire...
This really doesnot make sense to me. If anyone had a company or business the main goal would be to make as large a profit as possible. Some managers make more money through bonuses if they meet certain goals or budgets. Really if you were a manager at a well known store who told you your base salary is $50,000 a year and your bonus would be another $50,000 each year as long as your numbers and budget were met..... Honestly what would you do???
You have to be able to see the picture from both sides of the window pane.

2012.9.2008 15:54

Quote:
Quote:
This is all a bit off topic, but companies such as MS and Sony need to stop being so greedy to increase their profits by fleecing the consumer. I never understood the motivation of super executives to make their corporations more profit by counting pennies. In the end, I guess their stock incentives make them more rich and that's what really matters, even when you're already a millionaire...
This really doesnot make sense to me. If anyone had a company or business the main goal would be to make as large a profit as possible. Some managers make more money through bonuses if they meet certain goals or budgets. Really if you were a manager at a well known store who told you your base salary is $50,000 a year and your bonus would be another $50,000 each year as long as your numbers and budget were met..... Honestly what would you do???
You have to be able to see the picture from both sides of the window pane.
That's exactly what I said... stocks and incentives are a bonus, right? That was my rant on corporate greed! ;-)

2115.9.2008 09:46

damn, after a year i bought my x360, they decided to drop the price... Damn you MS, you should have dropped the price earlier. It's all good though.

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