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US: $99 Xbox 360 + Kinect bundle coming with two-year subscription ($15 a month)

V

VOOK

We don't know why he keeps buying PAL, either.
Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources. The software giant will offer the 4GB console with a Kinect sensor at its range of Microsoft Stores in the US, subsidized with a monthly cost of $15. We're told that the two-year subscription will provide access to the Xbox Live Gold service and possibly some additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers. Customers who sign-up for the deal will also be covered under a two-year warranty.

There will be an early termination fee for those wishing to break the contract ahead of its two-year duration, and we understand that Microsoft will position the package as a competitor to Apple TV, Roku, and PlayStation 3. For those buying the bundle now and getting the cheapest two-year Xbox Live Gold option, that's about $299.00 + $120 = $420 vs. $459 over a duration of two years. With E3 2012 on the horizon, and Microsoft working on a "Woodstock" music service — it's clear that the company wants to ensure as many people as possible have an Xbox in their living rooms.
Click to expand...

http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993600/99-xbox-360-kinect-subsidized-bundle

Wait what...
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993600/99-xbox-360-kinect-subsidized-bundle

Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources. The software giant will offer the 4GB console with a Kinect sensor at its range of Microsoft Stores in the US, subsidized with a monthly cost of $15. We're told that the two-year subscription will provide access to the Xbox Live Gold service and possibly some additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers. Customers who sign-up for the deal will also be covered under a two-year warranty.

There will be an early termination fee for those wishing to break the contract ahead of its two-year duration, and we understand that Microsoft will position the package as a competitor to Apple TV, Roku, and PlayStation 3. For those buying the bundle now and getting the cheapest two-year Xbox Live Gold option, that's about $299.00 + $120 = $420 vs. $459 over a duration of two years. With E3 2012 on the horizon, and Microsoft working on a "Woodstock" music service — it's clear that the company wants to ensure as many people as possible have an Xbox in their living rooms.
Click to expand...

Well then. That... could make things interesting for people wanting the console and services.
 
ElRenoRaven

ElRenoRaven

Member
Wow. That has to be the stupidest Idea that I've ever heard. So I'm sure plenty of idiots will fall for it and it will be a success.
 
G

Guerrillas in the Mist

Member
Interesting. MS clearly wants to have their cake and eat it, and this might be the best way to do it. Are the services robust enough in the US to warrant this for people who won't primarily use the 360 as a console?
 
H

HammerOfThor

Member
and possibly some additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers. Customers who sign-up for the deal will also be covered under a two-year warranty.
Click to expand...

If this means it will come with HBO Go without the need to a cable sup I will totally buy one!
 
TheMan

TheMan

Member
paving the way for a fully subscription based console next gen? hell, maybe even offer an onlive-type option for games?
 
D

Dresden

Member
I look forward to the eventual evolution of XBL, where there is no longer a console, just a streaming service for Call of Duty 13.
 
W

WickedCobra03

Member
PsychoRaven said:
Wow. That has to be the stupidest Idea that I've ever heard. So I'm sure plenty of idiots will fall for it and it will be a success.
Click to expand...
Basically this. You are going end up paying like $360 when all is said and done after 2 years... :|

And I am sure a ton of people will fall for it like goons.
 
D

def sim

Member
If this comes with HBO Go and various sports packages without the need for a cable sub, this might actually be a hit.

Unlikely MS can pull something like that off though.
 
O

Onion_Relish

Member
This has xzibit all over it.

Yo dawg, I heard you like subscribing, so we put a subscription on top of your xbox live subscription.

God bless Microsoft. They are the only company that makes ubisofts shenanigans look positively quaint.
 
P

pargonta

Member
can i just buy the console at $99 usd without live gold?

therefore, i only spend $99 usd and get a 360, hope that is doable.
 
S

Somnid

Member
$100 + another $360 in fees for a 4GB unit? Gross. Not only that but the end of a generation is the worst time to be locked into a contract. We'll see how the masses handle it but I don't like where this is going.

edit: Also the prime video content on 360 is Netflix and Hulu which have their own fees.
 
P

panama chief

Member
monthly fee = chance to miss payment = bank fees + whatever extra MS will charge for missing a payment (since it is a contract). no fucking thanks.
 
U

UraMallas

Member
This changes everything.

Friedreich said:
If this comes with HBO Go and various sports packages without the need for a cable sub, this might actually be a hit.

Unlikely MS can pull something like that off though.
Click to expand...

If they gave me Netflix, Hulu, Zune and HBO Go for free I would do it in a heartbeat. It will never happen, though.
 
M

MightyHedgehog

Member
Really surprised it took this long for it happen on consoles. I expect next-gen to incorporate this type of model from the beginning, at least optionally.
 
V

Various Artists

Banned
even if I didn't have one this wouldn't interest me. It's an interesting experiment and I want to see how it will work though. If this is the only way they offer systems in the future, bye bye gaming. (for me)
 
ElRenoRaven

ElRenoRaven

Member
Somnid said:
$100 + another $360 in fees for a 4GB unit? Gross. Not only that but they end of a generation is the worst time to be locked into a contract. We'll see how the masses handle it but I don't like where this is going.
Click to expand...

Oh I can tell you where this is going. It's not going to be pretty. When it's successful you can bet your ass Microsoft will repeat this next gen. Then eventually we'll only be renting our consoles from MS for a small monthly fee on top of our Xbox Live Fees. That's where this is ultimately headed.
 
C

Conor 419

Banned
One of my E3 predictions has already come true, now I just wonder how they're going to justify such 'value' of XBL.
 
J

Jiguryo

Aryan mech phallus gun
That's actually a quite smart business model. Learning from cellphone carriers, of all companies!
 
Z

zroid

Banned
Well, if you actually want all those services, I guess it's not an awful deal? Still, you'd think anyone in that situation would already own a 360 by now. Ultimately this bundle will only sell to those who don't know any better.
 
V

V_Ben

Banned
MightyHedgehog said:
Really surprised it took this long for it happen on consoles. I expect next-gen to incorporate this type of model from the beginning, at least optionally.
Click to expand...

Aye, it seems like a forgone conclusion. Pay a smaller fee with a sub, or pay a larger fee upfront.
 
P

pargonta

Member
Tenck said:
It's basically paying for it a month, not just live.

So $15 a month for 2 years to keep it.
Click to expand...

interesting! a different way to purchase for sure, i guess i'm just not a fan of monthly payments/contracts for something i want to own outright.
 
O

Orca

Member
Somnid said:
$100 + another $360 in fees for a 4GB unit? Gross. Not only that but the end of a generation is the worst time to be locked into a contract. We'll see how the masses handle it but I don't like where this is going.

edit: Also the prime video content on 360 is Netflix and Hulu which have their own fees.
Click to expand...

This isn't the 'end of the generation' for the masses of people who don't buy until it hits the sub-100 dollar price point.
 
A

AlanzTalon

Member
if this is a real thing...it is not for the neoGAF crowd. Xbox has already saturated the gamer market as far as it is going to go. it is aimed at the casual where $250 is prohibitive, and to get them into the Xbox Live ecosystem at a cheap price point and get them used to Xbox as a service.

from a POV as a service (Live) provider, the hardware is moot, you want them in your ecosystem. the Apple model. iPods as a trojan horse to your CC to sell content.

We are at the end of the 360's life, and anyone in now for cheap is someone who will be much much more likely to buy in to the next machine because it is a known quantity. It is all about getting as many people into the ecosystem as possible running up to the next Xbox, which will be a media machine more than a gaming machine.
 
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