[TGD] New Xbox360 SKU 60GB HDD - Overclock.net

ElMikeTheMike · 07-13-08

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Redmond (WA) – As expected, Microsoft dropped the price of its 20 GB Xbox 360 Pro (Premium) game console by $50 to $299.99. However, the price drop isn’t permanent as it is designed to quickly clear the inventory of these models to make room for a new 60 GB version. As soon as the 20 GB consoles are gone, you will be paying just as much as you would have before.

Weekend flyers of all major consumer electronics resellers confirmed what had been widely reported last week: Microsoft’s hard drive-equipped Xbox 360 will get cheaper: A $50 price reduction means that the device now costs $299instead of $349, which means that the console is now $100 cheaper than Sony’s 40 GB PS3 and just $50 more expensive than Nintendo’s Wii ($249). But on a closer look, it isn’t a simple price reduction of the Xbox 360, it is a marketing move.

Microsoft press release states that the $299 price is only available “while supplies last.” In fact, the current 20 GB Premium model will be replaced with a 60 GB Premium model, which will “offer triple the storage for the same price”. In plain English: The Premium will cost $349 as soon as supplies of the 20 GB version are depleted. Sony used a similar strategy to phase out its 60 GB PS3 model: The $599 price was dropped by $100 to $499 to clear the inventory and make room for the $80 GB model, which initially sold for $599 and is priced at $499 today.

Microsoft said the prices for the entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade and the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite remain unchanged at $279 and $449. While the 20 GB price drop as well as the announcement of a 60 GB version do not arrive unexpected, Microsoft’s decision to leave the price of the (Pro) Premium console unchanged is. Microsoft has lost a lot of momentum in recent months and the Xbox 360 was the second worst selling game console in May: 186,600 units were just slightly ahead of the Playstation portable, which sold 182,300 units. Sony sold 208,700 PS3s and Nintendo 675,100 Wiis and 452,600 portable DS consoles. Analysts noted that Microsoft is facing tough times especially in Europe and Asia.

About one year ago, we noted that Microsoft’s efforts to bridge the gap between the PS3’s 1080p high-def gaming capabilities and Nintendo’s social gaming success with a game console that is everything to everyone may push the Xbox 360 into an identity crisis. Game franchises such as Halo may not be enough to clearly define the Xbox 360 and what benefits it offers to which interests.

Plus, Microsoft’s bridging-the-gap-strategy is a so-so success. So far, there have been more social games for the Xbox 360, but no blockbuster and there is no intuitive controller available that could compete with the Wii. Compared to the PS3, the Xbox 360 still lacks a Blu-ray drive and will have to rely on an upscaling DVD player, Microsoft said. As the months pass by, this may be a big disadvantage for the Xbox 360 as HD movies become more popular and more people are thinking about purchasing a Blu-ray player: The PS3 is believed to single-handedly have decided the HD format war in Blu-ray’s favor and it is no secret that most PS3 owners watch Blu-ray movies on their console. Xbox 360 owners are stuck with DVD.

Suddenly, the Xbox 360 begins to look old. Microsoft needs to update the console to the speculated mid-cycle upgrade “540” and drop the price to $299 permanently. A 60 GB $349 model may not cut it.

TG Daily

opty165 · 07-13-08

wonder how much just a 60gb HDD would cost for the 360. thats all i want

Twinnuke · 07-13-08

Me to. I want to upgrade mine!

carl25 · 07-13-08

PS3’s 1080p high-def gaming capabilities

What ? if anything some multi platform games are a higher resolution on the 360. (gta 4)

Seems really biased to me

Lelouch · 07-13-08

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Originally Posted by opty165

wonder how much just a 60gb HDD would cost for the 360. thats all i want

letsee.. Reality.. $30.. After MS markup, like $120.. Seriously, their HD's are ridiculous.. The PS3 you can just take a SATA drive and switch it, cant you?

< Not Sony fanboy, but I disagree with MS's HD sheme, and agree with Sony's.. *shudder.. Sony*

superk · 07-14-08

Rumors were circulating that MS was supposed to throw in a blu ray player by xmas. looks like this wont happen after all.

Microsoft is making bad move after bad move ever since Gates got bored and left. I hate the playstation, could never get used to their controllers, but looks like I might get one just for a blu ray player. Might even sell my crystal 360

Halo2Vista · 07-14-08

so, isn't this one the jasmine 360??

Twinnuke · 07-14-08

Gates is probably going to make a new OS and start a new company :P

Infinitegrim · 07-14-08

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Originally Posted by Lelouch

letsee.. Reality.. $30.. After MS markup, like $120.. Seriously, their HD's are ridiculous.. The PS3 you can just take a SATA drive and switch it, cant you?

< Not Sony fanboy, but I disagree with MS's HD sheme, and agree with Sony's.. *shudder.. Sony*

It voids the warranty, plus im sure they use high quality hard drives, i think 7200rpm, but all 360 accessories are rediculously priced

OmegaNemesis28 · 07-14-08

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price is only available “while supplies last.”

ROFLMAO
And everyone was doing backflips for this price drop. Meanwhile, it is a "temporary" one. Fail M$ - Fail.

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A 60 GB $349 model may not cut it.

ROFLMAO x2

Why, an additional $50 will get you a PS3 and 2 games or blu-ray movies depending on where you buy. That is epic fail M$ - epic fail.

So much for "the PS3 being too expensive".

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What ? if anything some multi platform games are a higher resolution on the 360. (gta 4)

Seems really biased to me

The PS3 originally was the first to have reap 1080p capabilities. Only until the Xbox 360 with the HDMI did it have real 1080p. Any 360s before that only had stretched 1080p regardless if the game's source was 1080p. Even though component support 1080p, the old 360s stretches 720p for some reason. That's what Ive read and heard several times at least based on what M$ said way back when the 360 got its hardware upgrade.

Why they say that now makes no sense in this article. And no - multi platform games are not higher resolutions. GTA 4 is the same on the PS3 and the 360.

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[TGD] New Xbox360 SKU 60GB HDD

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