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[TurtleSnatcher]

I picture the core as the fake facial image of Microsoft.. Its there to show a new consumer.. "Oh look.. its not $400 like people said"

At the same time they can latch those people and also push accessory sales on them. Those few people are worth it for an extra SKU to stay alive to MS.

 

[Talamius]

But what about the difference in hardware and technology? The Wii's hardware is relatively the same as the Gamecube's, but the 360 is "next-generation" technology. It all boils down to what you expect and yearn from in the system.

People who care about the HD features of the 360 are not going to be buying Core systems. They'll buy Elite or Premium SKUs. Why pay $250 for a core and then pay for a hard drive, a wireless controller, a headset and a game when the 360 Premium comes with everything but a game? It's still a "tard pack", albeit a slightly cheaper one.

MS needs to start signing deals to bundle games if they want to move the Core.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I picture the core as the fake facial image of Microsoft.. Its there to show a new consumer.. "Oh look.. its not $400 like people said"

At the same time they can latch those people and also push accessory sales on them. Those few people are worth it for an extra SKU to stay alive to MS.

EMERGING MARKETS.

THEY'VE SAID IT A THOUSAND TIMES.

 

[KeithFranklin]

Am I the only one who sees a problem with the following:

$349 Premium
$399 Elite

Already the Elite has drastically eaten into Premium sales simply because for only $80 more you get so much more HD space and HDMI. This has also hurt 360 sales because finding an Elite is nearly as hard as finding a Wii, at least near me (Chicago Southwest Suburbs). Damn for $50 difference why would anyone get a Premium.

I think a drop in price in November isnt likly. What I could see is 65nm configuration that is tweaked with something like the following:

HDMI across all SKUs
Memory card with Core
3 months Xbox Live membership (or 6 months free of XBOX Live with 1 year membership)
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged packed in

 

[Odysseus]

Am I the only one who sees a problem with the following:

$349 Premium
$399 Elite

Already the Elite has drastically eaten into Premium sales simply because for only $80 more you get so much more HD space and HDMI. This has also hurt 360 sales because finding an Elite is nearly as hard as finding a Wii, at least near me (Chicago Southwest Suburbs). Damn for $50 difference why would anyone get a Premium.

I think a drop in price in November isnt likly. What I could see is 65nm configuration that is tweaked with something like the following:

HDMI across all SKUs
Memory card with Core
3 months Xbox Live membership (or 6 months free of XBOX Live with 1 year membership)
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged packed in

yes, i still see the elite as a problem. the hdd disparity is too vast, given the price differential. i've often said that microsoft should phase out the 20gb hdd in favor of a larger one in order to keep the value ratio between the premium and elite skus in balance. the better solution would be to drop the elite sku entirely and just offer the 120gb hdd as an accessory purchase.

in fact, i think i'm slowly coming around to someone's line of thinking from a while ago. soul creator, maybe? drop the hdd from all skus entirely and just sell a modified core.

 

[nextgeneration]

Am I the only one who sees a problem with the following:

$349 Premium
$399 Elite

Already the Elite has drastically eaten into Premium sales simply because for only $80 more you get so much more HD space and HDMI. This has also hurt 360 sales because finding an Elite is nearly as hard as finding a Wii, at least near me (Chicago Southwest Suburbs). Damn for $50 difference why would anyone get a Premium.

I think a drop in price in November isnt likly. What I could see is 65nm configuration that is tweaked with something like the following:

HDMI across all SKUs
Memory card with Core
3 months Xbox Live membership (or 6 months free of XBOX Live with 1 year membership)
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged packed in

No, you're not the only one. Like Odysseus says, Microsoft really should consider swapping the 20 GB with a higher capacity drive.

 

[KeithFranklin]

Really they dont need to drop the price another $50 if they simply did the following when 65nm comes to market.

HDMI across all SKUs
HD across all SKUs
- 20GB for Core
- 80GB for Premium
- 120GB for Elite

Then makes you think why not just 1 SKU at $249 with internal 512MB and like others said HD as add on.

 

[TheRipDizz]

People who care about the HD features of the 360 are not going to be buying Core systems. They'll buy Elite or Premium SKUs. Why pay $250 for a core and then pay for a hard drive, a wireless controller, a headset and a game when the 360 Premium comes with everything but a game? It's still a "tard pack", albeit a slightly cheaper one.

MS needs to start signing deals to bundle games if they want to move the Core.

You don't need an HDTV to see that the 360 shits all over the Wii in terms of graphics/physics technology.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Really they dont need to drop the price another $50 if they simply did the following when 65nm comes to market.

HDMI across all SKUs
HD across all SKUs
- 20GB for Core
- 80GB for Premium
- 120GB for Elite

Then makes you think why not just 1 SKU at $249 with internal 512MB and like others said HD as add on.

No more of the differentiation by lack of or inclusion of a Wired or Wireless controller.
All three SKUs should be identical with the exception of the size of the Hard Drive. Get rid of the names, and just label them by HD sizes. The 120GB one just happens to come only in Black. Like a Model T, but not like a Model T.

 

[Mooreberg]

Really they dont need to drop the price another $50 if they simply did the following when 65nm comes to market.

HDMI across all SKUs
HD across all SKUs
- 20GB for Core
- 80GB for Premium
- 120GB for Elite

This I agree with. It's the accessory pricing that makes the core system a so called "tard pack." I don't know if they'd want people to just have 512MB internal storage since it would count down on how much they used the market place at first, but having some type storage on every SKU would help.

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

If they want the core to rival the Wii then they will have to bundle some memory with it. Heck the Wii comes with 512mb as standard, and a game. If the Core continues to be "Just a Core" then fuhget about it! Why not take the loss on the 20gb HDD with every Core sold, at least then you are opening up XBLM to more of your market which you can get revenue back from.

Stupid core.... shakingfist.gif

 

[Gahiggidy]

I predict that the 360 will be the cheapest console by the end of this generation.

 

[mik]

Its a Wal Mart ad as you can see the "Rollback" above the price.

That's Photoshopped. Have you ever seen a Wal-Mart price that didn't end in ".XX"? I don't think I have. They should have made it say "349.86," then I'd believe it.

 

[MechDX]

That's Photoshopped. Have you ever seen a Wal-Mart price that didn't end in ".XX"? I don't think I have. They should have made it say "349.86," then I'd believe it.

Yes I have, I also happen to work for the damn company as well....:lol

 

[mik]

Then I'm insulted you didn't greet me before posting.

 

[KeithFranklin]

Its a Wal Mart ad as you can see the "Rollback" above the price.

I seriously hope to God that this hasnt been posted already but the damn search function isnt working.

Anyway of someone posting a larger version of the image? MechDX is this something you have or found elsewhere.

 

[soul creator]

yes, i still see the elite as a problem. the hdd disparity is too vast, given the price differential. i've often said that microsoft should phase out the 20gb hdd in favor of a larger one in order to keep the value ratio between the premium and elite skus in balance. the better solution would be to drop the elite sku entirely and just offer the 120gb hdd as an accessory purchase.

in fact, i think i'm slowly coming around to someone's line of thinking from a while ago. soul creator, maybe? drop the hdd from all skus entirely and just sell a modified core.

yes!

couple other folks have gotten on board with this i noticed. Sweeten the core a little bit, go with one sku, and get folks on accessories. All the folks "in the know" who want to download a bunch of videos/games/movies/etc. will buy a hard drive anyway, so it's not like they'll be missing anything. And it'll still be waaaay cheaper than a PS3, so it's not like that thought will enter their mind.

Get the system in folks' homes as cheap as possible. Then once they have it, that's when you start baffling them with "options". Don't baffle them with options before they even get the system, MS. lol

 

[TheRipDizz]

If they want the core to rival the Wii then they will have to bundle some memory with it. Heck the Wii comes with 512mb as standard, and a game. If the Core continues to be "Just a Core" then fuhget about it! Why not take the loss on the 20gb HDD with every Core sold, at least then you are opening up XBLM to more of your market which you can get revenue back from.
Stupid core.... shakingfist.gif

The problem with that is that it probably costs MS just as much, if not more than say standard size 80 GB HDDs, to include 20GB HDDs in their packages since they are special made items. It's the reason Sony opted to put 80GB HDDs in the PS3 all of a sudden instead of odd 60 GBers.

 

[MechDX]

Doubters be damned!

http://www.xbox360rally.com/liveblogging-jws-search-for-answers

While I’m waiting for someone to answer, I received an e-mail from a Wal-Mart “Help Center” Representative responding to my original question of the Xbox 360 Price Drop. He… or she reveals quite a lot to me!

While we are indeed planning on rolling back prices of all Xbox 360 consoles by $50-$80, we can not as of yet give a timetable for when. But you can expect it soon.

$50-$80 for ALL XBOX 360 consoles.:lol

 

[Karma Kramer]

Doubters be damned!

http://www.xbox360rally.com/liveblogging-jws-search-for-answers




$50-$80 for ALL XBOX 360 consoles.:lol

Alright so does this make it official?

Core = 249
Pro = 349
Elite = 399

That looks mighty fine to me. I don't know how this is bad news.

 

[Odysseus]

Alright so does this make it official?

the lingering questions for me are who is xbox360rally.com and what makes that site trustworthy?

 

[MechDX]

Alright so does this make it official?

Core = 249
Pro = 349
Elite = 399

That looks mighty fine to me. I don't know how this is bad news.

Because its GAF its bad. I mean Wal Mart DID drop the "cents" off the price.

"OMG!!!11! WM and MS are deceiving the public!!!!1!!"

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Doubters be damned!

http://www.xbox360rally.com/liveblogging-jws-search-for-answers




$50-$80 for ALL XBOX 360 consoles.:lol

!!! CONFIRMED !!! WALMART HELP DESK FTW!!!


and.. /sarcasm

:lol

 

[Joates]

!!! CONFIRMED !!! WALMART HELP DESK FTW!!!


and.. /sarcasm

:lol

It will be a shame that I will never be able to take you serious after this thread fully pans out.

 

[Karma Kramer]

!!! CONFIRMED !!! WALMART HELP DESK FTW!!!


and.. /sarcasm

:lol

Well the site could be makin it up.. but I doubt a help desk lady would just lie and make up some random price drop...

 

[evil ways]

Why not go all the way and make it.....

Core $200
Premium $300
Elite $400

I hate half assed price drops, got ahead and cut the full $100!!!

 

[MechDX]

Well the site could be makin it up.. but I doubt a help desk lady would just lie and make up some random price drop...

On that note I stopped by my store today. The ads for August 8th havent arrived yet but by the company calendar there is one planned for that week.

 

[RiskyChris]

Why not go all the way and make it.....

Core $200
Premium $300
Elite $400

I hate half assed price drops, got ahead and cut the full $100!!!

Yeah I mean, $50 just doesn't look right to me.

Are you related to LanceStern?

 

[Karma Kramer]

Why not go all the way and make it.....

Core $200
Premium $300
Elite $400

I hate half assed price drops, got ahead and cut the full $100!!!

Because Microsoft doesn't need to cut it that much.

$349 is a pretty good deal considering all the awesome games coming out just this month... Madden, Blue Dragon, and Bioshock... then Halo 3 and PGR4 in September... then GTA4 in October... then Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed in November.. and finally Lost Odyssey in December...

 

[Joates]

Why not go all the way and make it.....

Core $200
Premium $300
Elite $400

I hate half assed price drops, got ahead and cut the full $100!!!

Why not throw in a free library of games too!!

I would love to see some of you guys behind the wheel of a corporation. Only the talented here could successfully gain the most market/mind share while running the company into the ground.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

It will be a shame that I will never be able to take you serious after this thread fully pans out.

Looking forward to a fully panned out thread then

 

[Joates]

Looking forward to a fully panned out thread then

Im just saying, you really should just take out the wink in your permaban bet ;P

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

Does anyone some data as to what percentage of sales the Core SKU has made up out of 360 sales? Worldwide or localised to a specific region, its alllllll good with me.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Im just saying, you really should just take out the wink in your permaban bet ;P

Well $50 obviously is shown in the scan on 1 sku, but $80.. Thats just some random number the lady spewed out.

 

[evil ways]

Because Microsoft doesn't need to cut it that much.

$349 is a pretty good deal considering all the awesome games coming out just this month... Madden, Blue Dragon, and Bioshock... then Halo 3 and PGR4 in September... then GTA4 in October... then Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed in November.. and finally Lost Odyssey in December...

Who gives a shit about corporations or what Microsoft needs. What about my needs, I buy the ****ing games, I'm the customer, I'm always right. Cater to my needs.

 

[MechDX]

Who gives a shit about corporations or what Microsoft needs. What about my needs, I buy the ****ing games, I'm the customer, I'm always right. Cater to my needs.

You need WiiFit you fatass!

 

[Karma Kramer]

Who gives a shit about corporations or what Microsoft needs. What about my needs, I buy the ****ing games, I'm the customer, I'm always right. Cater to my needs.

They are catering to your needs by providing an excellent line-up of games...

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

They are catering to your needs by providing an excellent line-up of games...

Agreed.. XB has an insane holiday lineup

 

[evil ways]

You need WiiFit you fatass!

Bitch please, you a bitch and so is you aunt.

 

[Joates]

Well $50 obviously is shown in the scan on 1 sku, but $80.. Thats just some random number the lady spewed out.

Dude, you were saying that we wouldnt see the cut across the whole line. That in itself doesnt make much sense at all.

And how the hell is $80 just some random number??? That would bring the Elite to 400, so no, its not "just some random number".

Quit trying to make people think you know more than you do when in reality, you are the one just spewing out random thoughts.

 

[RiskyChris]

Who gives a shit about corporations or what Microsoft needs. What about my needs, I buy the ****ing games, I'm the customer, I'm always right. Cater to my needs.

You ask why not go all the way, and people answer with a reason why.

Don't mess with sales-age kids.

 

[LM4sure]

Have the 360's been fixed, or are they still breaking left and right? This price cut might just be a wash if you have to get the extended warranty because it's defective.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Have the 360's been fixed, or are they still breaking left and right? This price cut might just be a wash if you have to get the extended warranty because it's defective.

The extended warranty comes automatically. They are fixing them right and their improved units are soon to hit the market.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Dude, you were saying that we wouldnt see the cut across the whole line. That in itself doesnt make much sense at all.

And how the hell is $80 just some random number??? That would bring the Elite to 400, so no, its not "just some random number".

Quit trying to make people think you know more than you do when in reality, you are the one just spewing out random thoughts.

Actually I said I doubt $50 across the whole line and I still think $80 is some random number not everyhting has to be on a freaking denomination of $100..

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7212380&postcount=229

Learn to read.

 

[LM4sure]

The extended warranty comes automatically. They are fixing them right and their improved units are soon to hit the market.

When will the improved units be in the store? If it's not too far off, I'll wait. I figure I'll get a 360 eventually, but I, like many, have been waiting for the price to drop.

 

[quest]

Really they dont need to drop the price another $50 if they simply did the following when 65nm comes to market.

HDMI across all SKUs
HD across all SKUs
- 20GB for Core
- 80GB for Premium
- 120GB for Elite

Then makes you think why not just 1 SKU at $249 with internal 512MB and like others said HD as add on.

The core will never come with a hard drive. They want a SKU they can eventually produce ultra cheap. I think HDMI will be standard on all falcons. They still need to bundle a memory card and premiums component/compisite combo cable to un tard it for those with out high speed internet.

 

[quest]

Why not throw in a free library of games too!!

I would love to see some of you guys behind the wheel of a corporation. Only the talented here could successfully gain the most market/mind share while running the company into the ground.

I am sorry but 50 dollars after 2years is really weak and stupid. It is not like the 50 takes them to the magical mark of 199 with the core or 299 with the premium. The 50 dollars still puts them way out of reach for casual gamers. This is it for MS they need to cement NA against sony this fall. They have the line up but they chickened out with the price drop. Come fall 2008 it will be sony with the monsterous fall line up. I highly doubt sony will chicken out when it comes to price cuts as they have already done one.

 

[Psychotext]

Actually I said I doubt $50 across the whole line and I still think $80 is some random number not everyhting has to be on a freaking denomination of $100.

Maybe, but it fits too well to be random, and why would someone bother to say "$50 - $80" if there was one price drop across the entire range? Wouldn't enter your head.

 

[Lo-Volt]

EMERGING MARKETS.

THEY'VE SAID IT A THOUSAND TIMES.

That's an argument I never understood, honestly; if you speak of China or India, there's a middle class in these countries that companies like Microsoft should want to chase, and selling them Cores when they can possibly afford Premium models seems like a pretty shoddy reason to do harm to the experience people could have with a HDD-based strategy. A Chinese urbanite who can afford his first or maybe second car instead of just a bike probably can swing the difference for a Premium instead a Core, and the people who can't afford either won't benefit from the price difference between the two anyway, so Microsoft can't seriously think of getting them to buy Xbox 360s anytime soon.

 

[Karma Kramer]

I am sorry but 50 dollars after 2years is really weak and stupid. It is not like the 50 takes them to the magical mark of 199 with the core or 299 with the premium. The 50 dollars still puts them way out of reach for casual gamers. This is it for MS they need to cement NA against sony this fall. They have the line up but they chickened out with the price drop. Come fall 2008 it will be sony with the monsterous fall line up. I highly doubt sony will chicken out when it comes to price cuts as they have already done one.

It is virtually impossible for Sony to beat Microsoft in NA.