Xbox 360 Fanboy

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]

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.

To go with our "New Xbox Live" rumor, here's another rumor about a supposedly new product out of the Microsoft camp. Amazon.com is reporting that many of the current 360 SKU's are "Discontinued by the manufacturer," and this is hitting right at a time when there's swirling talk about how there are shortages for the 360 on the supply side of things. Not only that, but then there are the rumors about the new chipsets and motherboards, which may or may not be being readied for a new line of SKU's. Hardware evolution over the course of a console's life-cycle is not unheard of, but this round of the console wars has been hit with enough SK craziness to last several generations. With this new rumor surfacing in the midst of news about new chipsets and discontinued models, maybe Microsoft is simply updating whats in the bundle, not the price of the box. Then again, GTA IV is right around the corner, and that would be the perfect time for a price drop or SKU shift ....

Struggling as they are in Japan, Microsoft has pulled another move in a desperate attempt to gain (or perhaps simply lose no more) ground. The Premium 360 there had previously been priced at 34,800 yen, and on March the 6th Microsoft will launch the Arcade to the tune 27,800 yen, which is (one would think not coincidentally) much closer to the Wii's Japan price of 25,000 yen. With this new price effecting only the Arcade SKU it's difficult to see how this could gain Microsoft anything at all, as with the sale of Arcade units the consumer is still not receiving the entire experience (Live, HDD required content, etc) and may not end up being a loyal customer. Just how hard is Microsoft willing to push in Japan? Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon have already released and that didn't change much at all, so what will it take? Will this price drop do anything to sales? Readers, is Japan a lost cause for the 360?