Xbox 360 Fanboy

Prior to E3, when Microsoft announced the liquidation price cutting of the Xbox 360 20GB HDD models and the introduction of the 60GB HDD console, they made it clear that the changes would only affect North American territories. But now, thanks to UK retailer Play.com's £30.00 Xbox 360 20GB price cut, rumors are swirling that Microsoft will be making the same price cut and 60GB Xbox 360 announcements for European territories. An announcement that is speculated to happen during the Leipzig Game Convention this August.

Even though MS has already addressed this European price cut rumor saying that the Play.com's pricing has "nothing to do with us," we're optimistic our European fanboys will join in on the North American console restructuring. Because receiving cheaper 20GB HDD models and some newer 60GB HDD Xbox 360s is way, way cool.

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's "mock" price cut where they slashed the price of the 20GB HDD Xbox 360s to $299, only to replace the $349 SKU with a 60GB HDD, Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald is demanding a true 360 price cut to stay competitive with the Playstation 3.

"We remain very sceptical [sic] of Microsoft's pricing strategy and competitive positioning versus the PlayStation 3", Greenwald recently told investors saying that "at USD 349, with a 60GB hard drive, we just don't think it is a compelling product compared with the PS3 at USD 399 with an 80GB hard drive (along with more processing horsepower, Blu-ray, Wifi, HDMI, and going forward, more exclusive content)." Greenwald further picked apart Microsoft's E3 strategy mentioning that "Sony's biggest announcement was a strong counter-punch to Microsoft's USD 50 price cut on the 360", adding that "beyond Gears of War 2, Microsoft doesn't seem to have the same library of exclusive, must-have titles."

While we don't agree with Greenwald when it comes to the Xbox 360 lacking "must-have titles" or being less of a gaming powerhouse, we tend to agree that Microsoft missed an opportunity with their console pricing. Clearancing out the 20GB HDD models is fine by us, but we truly think a price drop across all models would have helped team Microsoft stay competitive with Sony and Nintendo. Especially in Europe. What say you fellow fanboys? Will a 360 price drop be necessary going into the holidays or will the 360's games library and content partnerships be enough to win the 2008 console war?

At this rate our Bingo cards will be filled before Microsoft takes the stage on Monday morning! Microsoft has finally confirmed the much-talked about rumors of a $50 price-cut to the 20GB Xbox 360 Premium bundle ($299.99 in US and Canada) and introduced a new bundle outfited with a 60GB HDD -- set to replace the outgoing 20GB model. The 60GB model will retail for $349.99 while the Arcade and Elite bundles will remain at the current price-point of $279.99 and $449.99 respectively.

For those keeping score at home with your official X3F E3 Prediction Bingo Card, you can mark off the Xbox 360 Price-cut, the new Xbox 360 SKU, a 60GB HDD and the Too Human E3 XBLM Demo squares. It's a shame those weren't all in a line together. It's almost as if we planned it that way!

[via Joystiq]

Since it's been pretty much confirmed that the 20GB 360 is going to be getting a price cut down to $299.95, we hoped that the Arcade SKU would be getting a similar price cut. In light of the rumors of a 60GB HDD SKU though, we did speculate the price drop was simply to clear shelves of the older 20GB units and that the future 60GB unit wouldn't debut at $299.99.

While that could all still be proven wrong, as more info comes in it seems to be the most likely scenario. Thanks to a tip from our good buddies over at ps3fanboy we've got an advertisement from Circut City that seems to confirm that by the weekend of July 27 the Arcade unit will not have gotten a price cut. Makes you think about why someone would buy that over an HDD equipped unit at $299.99; unless of course they'll all be off the shelves by then ....

Only time will tell, but look for E3 to clear up a lot of these uncertainties.

While we generally operate on the principle that all rumors about Microsoft are true, we still get a thrill when we start to dig up real proof. What could be more thrilling than proof? How about a whole gallery of it? Our compatriots over at Joystiq have assembled just such a gallery, a veritable mosaic of "$299," the supposed new price of the Xbox 360 Pro system. Check out the images and believe.

Seeing that we're 99.89% sure an Xbox 360 Pro price cut is headed our way this weekend thanks to a flood of leaked retail ads smacking us in the face, one wouldn't be all that surprised to hear that Target is planning on selling the Xbox 360 Pro for $299. But one would be surprised to hear that Target is also throwing in a FREE $25 gift card on top of the deal, and that's exactly what they're doing.

According to an "alleged" ad-scan that was sent our way, beginning this Sunday, Target stores nationwide will be selling Xbox 360 20GB Pro consoles for $299 and tossing in a $25 Target gift card to sweeten the deal. So, if you, a friend or family member are in the market for a 360 and don't care about getting a 60GB HDD, then hit up Target next week. A cheap console and a free gift card sounds like major "good times" to us.

[Thanks, NeoRaiden]

As you can see, you shouldn't know about this until Sunday. After all the other leaks surrounding the issue, one wouldn't think it'd be such a big screaming deal. Still, the phone cam shot above looks to confirm what we've already known. However, we shouldn't forget that the majority of gamers don't exactly comb the internet for this stuff, and "window signs," "Pop-ons" (whatever those are) and a gigantic stack of boxes with "oversized price labels" will likely be the first many folks hear of the price drop.

[Thanks Kris]

Well as E3 approaches, it looks Microsoft just can't keep a lid on their announcements. The lowered price on the 20GB unit has been rumored for a while now, and the idea has even been bandied about that its purpose was to clear the shelves to make room for a 60GB unit. While this of course is still waiting on some sort of official word (likely coming around or at MS's E3 press conference), a leaked email supposedly sent out to GameStop and Blockbuster company buyers seems to confirm both the new 60GB SKU as well as a "Live Starter Pack" for Arcade owners, which consists of a 60GB HDD, 3 Months of Live, a Headset, and an ethernet cable, all for $99.99.

Additionally, the email states the 20GB HDD is being phased out altogether and that the 120GB stand alone drive will receive a price cut to $149.99 (HA!). Word is that the 60GB Pro Unit will hit before the month is out and the Live Starter Pack will hit late October or early November. Whether or not the new 60GB SKU will be subject to the new price drop is unknown, but doubtful. Likely the 20GBs at $299.99 are a fire sale, and the 60GBs will still be $349.99.

The full text of the email can be found after the break.

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.

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 technica
Source - Hollywood Reporter

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.

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]

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]

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 Divinich expects last month's results to be the beginning of a new trend. On the sales victory, Divinich 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, Divinich believes that Microsoft will respond by announcing a price cut for the Xbox 360 during next month's E3. Furthermore, Divinich believes Microsoft may also announce a new Xbox 360 model with new features (Blu-Ray, perhaps?). Should the price cut take place, Divinich expects Sony to follow suit within two months of the announcement.

[Via Joystiq]

Last week's European Xbox 360 price cut looks to have been a huge success with retailers seeing hardware fly off shelves in greater numbers over the weekend. 40% more 360 sales to be exact. Chart-Track's 40% increase in 360 sales estimate is great news for team Redmond, but the increase in sales doesn't equate to continued success seeing that the that it could potentially be the result of the Easter holiday. So, we'll have to keep an eye on European 360 sales in the weeks to come to verify its success. All said, Europe is happy to see a 360 price cut, retailers are happy to see a 360 price cut and Microsoft is happy to see a 360 price cut, because their sales have increased. Now only if they'd share the price cut love with us in good old North America ... mmm?