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[shinobi602]

Michael Pachter has made a prediction regarding the retail model of Microsoft’s next console, which most of us are calling the Xbox 720 until we know any better.

Pachter, gaming analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes that Microsoft will adopt a pricing model similar to that of a smartphone – with a low up front cost and a rolling subscription.

“I think Microsoft’s got it right [with their console strategy], and I think Sony will keep plugging away because they have an integrated strategy across all of their consumer electronic products. Microsoft, they have a strategy to take over the world.

“Console will have to be multiple purpose devices, though. The Xbox 720, this is my prediction, is going to be your television as well [as your game console]. You’ll be able to tune into television through it.

“You want need a ‘smart TV’ when you’ve got an Xbox 720, it will be your television and your internet. It’s going to be open architecture and I think it’s real trick will be that one Xbox will be able to display television to as many screens as you have in your possession.

“The next Xbox will be Windows for sure, and you’ll be able to open up multiple TV channels in different windows and you’ll use SmartGlass to shoot off different channels to how ever many screens you want. That is happening, that I’m certain of.

“I’m pretty confident that in the US Microsoft is going to partner with a cable TV provider, so I expect that the console will be priced like a smart phone. I expect you’ll be paying $99 for the console with a cable TV subscription.”

Pachter’s word came during his session today at the Evolve conference.

http://www.incgamers.com/2012/07/xbox-720-will-cost-99-with-cable-tv-subscription-predicts-pachter/

Lol, I love this guy. $500 ultra powerful Xbox being all disc based and only plays games confirmed?

 

[Slayer-33]

It will not launch at $99, and it will not have a cable TV subscription.

haha

FYI MS I hate my Cable bill (triple play, too damn pricy)

 

[cw_sasuke]

720 to launch at 499$ confirmed. Anti-Nostradamus at it again.

If true, poor Ouya though.

 

[Meelow]

I'll buy it if it's $100.

 

[Anth0ny]

It will not launch at $99, and it will not have a cable TV subscription.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

Goodbye sales outside of the US.

 

[Dennis]

This is how you troll professionally.

 

[Kurdel]

I'll buy it if it's $100.

You'll buy a 3 year contract and a 60$ per month tv plan.

Still, if MS has the balls to do it, they will win the living room.

 

[metalslimer]

I will never buy a console with a subscription no matter what, so my PC will be getting a definite upgrade if he is even slightly right.

Still, if MS has the balls to do it, they will win the living room.

Unless people don't want a fucking tv subscription with their games console and also don't want to pay 500 dollars to get in untethered,

 

[Forsaken82]

I'll buy it if it's $100.

add on an addition 400-500 over the next 2 years and you would likely be closer to the real cost and then ask yourself if you are still interested.

 

[Wario64]

I guess this would be why Microsoft is testing the waters with the $99 X360 contracts

 

[Stealth20k]

sigh........why must he be a joke all the time

 

[MasterSheen]

$599 launch price confirmed.

 

[jonno394]

Credit check required to buy a home console.....nice way to alienate the poorer UK benefit families...

 

[Xater]

Goodbye sales outside of the US.

Yep. Europeans will be thinking: "Oh cool this time the Americans get access to even more stuff we can't use. Please take my money Sony!"

 

[herod]

sounds entirely irrelevant to me if true.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

You'll buy a 3 year contract and a 60$ per month tv plan.

How many snickers bars is that per day?

 

[casinoman921]

I can see the $99 (minus the cable TV nonsense) being an available option. But no way they abandon the traditional route.

 

[UberTag]

I'm in agreement with Pachter on this one.

However, it will NOT be the only payment option for Xbox 720 available.
Just the most affordable path out of the gates.

There will likely be an equivalent low entry price w/ XBL service contract/subscription option as well.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

So parents would be buying multiple cable plans if they wanted to buy 2 Xbox's for the kids? I don't see this. Maybe for one SKU, but not the main system.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Pachter: "Look at me, making some shit up - again."

 

[Takao]

Will wait for free on PSN+ in three year deal

 

[dc89]

$99.

Hmm can't see this to be honest. And I can't see it being done like that in the UK for example.

£499 it is.

 

[Meelow]

You'll buy a 3 year contract and a 60$ per month tv plan.

Still, if MS has the balls to do it, they will win the living room.

Yeah pretty much lol, he also said the 3DS was a failure.

 

[StevieP]

Well damn... my name must be Patchter:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=39717600&postcount=148

This is purely speculation on my part, based on some stuff I read last year but... the next Xbox may not have a "paywall" of Live Gold. It may simply have a monthly fee.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=39717868&postcount=150

I'm not sure. Like I said, purely speculation. It could go either way in my speculation-based world (the subsidized 360, for example, includes Live Gold, right?) but....

"Always on internet"... "shift toward services and features"... there's a lot of puzzle pieces there to be put together.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=39718459&postcount=158

But that's the direction MS seems to be going in with their living room box, so it would make some form of sense. Especially considering all the HD cable channels and media streamers you'll be getting with the box.

They figure most gamers pay the monthly fee anyway, right? They won't complain. They currently make up less than half of the Live Gold userbase - more people are using the box for media assumption now, if you look at the post I highlighted from an MS employee on the previous pages.

Like I said, purely speculation but I'm trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and I keep coming up with a box that has a monthly fee of some kind. You can bookmark this post for this time next year, I guess.

 

[Kusagari]

I'm sure this will happen when the Wii HD does.

 

[Gahiggidy]

Wii U already lets you watch TV with the Gamepad.

 

[Silas Lang]

Yep. Europeans will be thinking: "Oh cool this time the Americans get access to even more stuff we can't use. Please take my money Sony!"

I can't understand it. Are Microsoft that dense? I mean maybe they have some kind of master plan to get more content available everywhere but based on their record thus far it seems doubtful.

 

[Zoator]

I can see them doing some sort of subscription option, but cable TV? I don't know how they would sell that to the millions of people who already have a cable TV subscription.

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

Goodbye sales outside of the US.

That's right. Microsoft hasn't been able to put any meaningful non-gaming content on the Xbox outside the US/UK in the last 7 years, and they will not succeed now.

 

[Omlagus]

Goodbye sales outside of the US.

Yeah I don't think there is any way they would be able to even do this outside of the US.

 

[Speedymanic]

Yep. Europeans will be thinking: "Oh cool this time the Americans get access to even more stuff we can't use. Please take my money Sony!"

So Sony doesn't offer features that aren't available in all regions?

 

[Jhriad]

I expect you’ll be paying $99 for the console with a cable TV subscription.

Fuck that. You're not tricking me into going back to cable. If it's like their current offer for 360s where you get Live and pay a monthly fee I might bite.

So parents would be buying multiple cable plans if they wanted to buy 2 Xbox's for the kids? I don't see this. Maybe for one SKU, but not the main system.

If they were doing this it'd be like phones in that you still had the option to buy the system outright. They're not going to get deals with enough cable providers to cover the entire US so they'll have to have traditional retail options as well.

 

[DragonSworne]

What will happen to my live subscription?

 

[PaleFolklore]

I get my cable for free already(I do video production for my cable company). There better be an alternative or I'm not interested. I'll just grab a PS4.

 

[H3xum]

It's mildly depressing that this guy gets paid an almost certain outrageous sum of money to make predictions like this

 

[Jackano]

99$? I read on GAF it will be called Xbox Ouya.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Patcher says will launch at $99 with cable tv?

Launching at $499 with a web browser confirmed.

 

[ProtomanNeo]

Real talk. Has Patcher ever been right?

 

[DragonSworne]

Real talk. Has Patcher ever been right?

He predicted Wii HD

 

[outunderthestars]

It's a little early in the day to be that drunk, isn't Pachter?

 

[HIGH DEF JEFF]

Ban him if he's wrong.

 

[GQman2121]

It will not launch at $99, and it will not have a cable TV subscription.

Not now, but in the not so distance future I can see this becoming our reality.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I think they're more likely to subsidize the console price with Live subscriptions, which will include a large bundle of streaming services (as it does now).

$199 console, with say, three to four year commitment for Live.

If they really want to get aggressive, let buyers pick how many years of Live they commit to in order to further subsidize the purchase price (say, 1-5 years of Live for different price points on a sliding scale).

 

[Xater]

So Sony doesn't offer features that aren't available in all regions?

They do but they are way better at offering comparable services for every region. MS not so much.

 

[Dennis]

Real talk. Has Patcher ever been right?

He drives a Porsche. Can't argue with that.

 

[metalslimer]

It's mildly depressing that this guy gets paid an almost certain outrageous sum of money to make predictions like this

Nope, that's not his real job. This is just his hobby making fucking dumb gaming predictions to get people riled up and tune into that god awful gametrailers thing he does. The only way to stop pachter from having diarrhea of the mouth is to start ignoring him when he is dumb.

 

[Ravensmash]

So what about my games? Or am I gonna be buying a TV box?

Well I've already got one of those - don't need to buy a 'smart' one which is likely to have less channels and content. In the UK you still need a subscription with Sky to access a limited number of channels (besides the free on demand services which are available across any other media device). No buy.

Serious note though, this isn't happening. And if it does then Xbox 720's primary function is not going to be a games console which would make me lose interest.

 

[JawesomeJaw]

This is the antithesis of what Microsoft has been doing. They have been making traditional media companies come to them, why would they then bind their flagship to a declining industry? I mean, this is out there even for Pachter.

 

[UberTag]

Nope, that's not his real job. This is just his hobby making fucking dumb gaming predictions to get people riled up and tune into that god awful gametrailers thing he does. The only way to stop pachter from having diarrhea of the mouth is to start ignoring him when he is dumb.

To be fair, I think it's fair to argue that he makes just as many fucking dumb predictions in his regular line of work.
There's no accountability when you're an analyst, though... so who cares?