They removed Kinect, so was not that insane.
The lowest point of entry to get a XB1 went from $500 to below $350 with multiple free games and even gift cards in some cases. That was pretty insane to witness. MS killed it last holiday season.
They removed Kinect. So? It's a different sku. So?
The gate for buyers to get a XB1 now opens at a significantly lower price. Just one year later with free games and other incentives thrown in.
I'm hoping things get even more insane this holiday with MS
and Sony. I'd think that if PS4 drops price (even by $50 or so to match XB1), MS would be ready to move lower to get the price advantage again. Even if MS has the exclusives edge, I'm not sure they want to chance price parity with the ps4 heading into the holidays.
Now Sony dropping to $299 might be our best chance of having a straight up battle and seeing how things shake out. I don't know if MS, with the exclusives in their holiday line up, would be willing to drop below $299 to undercut PS4 at that point. But if anyone would or could do it, it's MS.
The possibilities for this holiday are nuts
I can't be the only one who thinks a $100 price cut is unnecessary for PS4 to move units. I think dropping the price from $399 to $349 would be enough especially if they continue with these limited edition bundles with the bonus content.
Sony has exclusive dlc for
Mad Max
Just cause
NFS
AC victory
BOPS3
Battlefront
Imagine the bolded titles each with an exclusive limited edition bundle for $349. They'd take holiday irrespective of what MS does. But admittedly, that theory is predicated on whether or not Sony manages to sell a significant number of consoles in June despite the insane bundles MS gave away to counter the arkham bundle.
I say insane because from memory MS gave away: AC Unity + MCC + free game of your choice + $50 + 3 months online.
So in my humble opinion if PS4 manages to take the month by a significant margin and also sell more Arkham knight discs then we here at gaf might need to readjust this $100 price cut. Especially if Sony theorize that they can achieve what they want with sales and the subsequent PR this holiday at $349
Nah, I'm with you. A $50 drop would be enough to give PS4 a significant sales boost, I think. Heck, it might not even need a price cut if Sony goes silly with the bundles.
But I think a PS4 drop to $349, prompts MS to go as low as $299. And from a recent post from Abdiel, that $50 saved makes a difference with some people, and was enough to sway some originally prospective PS4 buyers to purchase a XB1 instead.
I think the only way for Sony to "checkmate" MS is to just drop to $299. Though MS could drop lower, I'm not so sure that they would try to undercut PS4 at $299. And Sony won't have to worry about a $50 advantage chasing buyers to their competitor.
That all depends on Sony's goal though. Whether Sony wants to "win" or if they just want to continue working their own schedule to make money.