-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Xbox Scorpio Pricing Discussion
- Thread starter BeforeU
- Start date
Okami Haundo
Member
It is worth noting that the Xbox One "Elite" bundle that came with the Elite Controller was priced at $499. That was basically a markup for the controller plus the 1TB hybrid drive. It also didn't take long before they discontinued that model. Not sure if we ever got a specific reason why.
ViolentP
Member
Yeah, nothing about a Scorpio tells me they are creating a parallel to the Xbox One. My guess is that it will be sold as an enthusiast product and it will be priced accordingly. I would be willing to believe they are offering a powerful product at a decent loss with the plan of their library carrying the responsibility of recouping the loss, but that library doesn't appear to be in place just yet.
Thing is those ppl who buy Scorpio are mostly upgrading from thw OG Xbox One or Slim, so they would buy the software anyway...so no way they'll sell it a loss
Dlacy13g
Member
So after listening to the conversation Major Nelson had with Albert Panello regarding how Scorpio uses all the same inputs as the Xbox One S it got me to thinking what if they plan to offer 2 sku's at launch?
Sku #1 - The all in Box for $399 maybe $449. You get the console with HDD, a controller, headset, power chord, HDMI chord and 3 months of XBLG included.
Sku #2 - The S Upgrade Box for $299 or $349 more likely. You get the console with just the HDD. No accessories or cables at all with the expectation that you will use all your existing cables, controllers, etc. to hook up the new console since they all work with the Scorpio. Edit: Ok maybe they include the power chord since that is different on the OG Xbox One.
I mean think about it, that is how many sites now are selling some PC's...just the box, no monitor, keyboard & mouse are optional, etc... just the most basic hardware to get you to the upgrade path.
Sku #1 - The all in Box for $399 maybe $449. You get the console with HDD, a controller, headset, power chord, HDMI chord and 3 months of XBLG included.
Sku #2 - The S Upgrade Box for $299 or $349 more likely. You get the console with just the HDD. No accessories or cables at all with the expectation that you will use all your existing cables, controllers, etc. to hook up the new console since they all work with the Scorpio. Edit: Ok maybe they include the power chord since that is different on the OG Xbox One.
I mean think about it, that is how many sites now are selling some PC's...just the box, no monitor, keyboard & mouse are optional, etc... just the most basic hardware to get you to the upgrade path.
ViolentP
Member
I think it's entirely reliant on what the Scorpio is. The PS4 to PS4 Pro was an upgrade that was reasonably priced so many naturally upgraded. The Xbox One controller to Elite however was not an upgrade but an option for enthusiasts. Even though every XBO owner had a standard controller, most did not feel inclined to bump up to the Elite. If Scorpio releases similarly to the Pro, then I think they will have a lot of upgraders as well as new users. As an enthusiast option however, I expect adoption to be closer to the Elite's pattern.
benicillin
Banned
I do not think the Scorpio will have more than one SKU. They'd never sell just the console and power cable, it's too confusing for the average buyer.
They have the Xbox One S and they'll have the Scorpio. Any more than that and they're needlessly complicating things.
They have the Xbox One S and they'll have the Scorpio. Any more than that and they're needlessly complicating things.
EtherMagic
Member
Posted the same "Sweet Spot" price a few days ago. $499 would not bother me either, anything above that would be a little much out the console realm.
MS knows better though, im sure they done their research, history tells all! Just look at the 3DO from the 90's (GOD i wanted it sooo bad at the time), it launched at $699 which killed any progress with the public, and it bombed. PS3 launched at $599 with the biggest name in the industry, and they got KILLED by MS at first! If not for the Sony name and massive price drops in later years, there is no way they would have broke even with 360 at the end of that generation.
Smart move MS, hit that sweet spot of $449, $499, and we got a deal!
Simply Sami
Member
It's a premium Xbox, so it will be around 500. As Spencer said if you want a cheap Xbox then go for a slim.
Not sure why people are moaning for. They moan when consoles are underpowered. But when MS launch a powerful console they'd probably moan about the price.
Not sure why people are moaning for. They moan when consoles are underpowered. But when MS launch a powerful console they'd probably moan about the price.
Seems to high imo. I think the most they could get away with is $499.
Lol No. Never. Remember what happened to a console launching with a $599 pricetag? Not going to Happen again. No Matter what.
foxdvd
Member
449...with 500 including a game.
This thread made me think of those old Atari 2600 commercials from the mid 80's. I still can't get that song out of my head.."Under 50 bucks? Now isn't that nice"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAadfsJrmM
This thread made me think of those old Atari 2600 commercials from the mid 80's. I still can't get that song out of my head.."Under 50 bucks? Now isn't that nice"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qAadfsJrmM
bananafactory
Banned
The PS3 was the mass market box at that price. That's why it failed.
This is a tech enthusiast device. They still have the One S for the standard gamer.
Think of this targeting the same people who buy high end video cards or VR headsets or 4k TV's. They have no issue spending $1k on those things and if this is a good device they will spend the money for the quality
It may be 499 but it doesn't have to be.
ViolentP
Member
The PS3 did not fail, however.
EtherMagic
Member
ViolentP
Member
I think what is trying to be said here is that the high price of OG PS3 hurt its sales. But the PS3 itself cannot both fail and succeed sales-wise.
Yes but an Xbox at 599 would fail. There's no way they would price it at that and want ti to succeed. I am pretty skeptical at it succeeding at 499 either. I doubt it will do very well at either of those price points.
tiredheadcrab
Member
They would have to pull off a good marketing campaign to get people to understand they are buying a premium product. MS has been very good at doing that with the surface line of devices.
EtherMagic
Member
I'd pay the $599, but not many will, especially with getting a somewhat comparable gaming console in PS4 Pro which most likely will drop to around $349 by the time Scorpio drops. Take the "Gaming" out the equation, add the 4K bluray, ect, and you will get some more to bite.
This is why $449, $499 is the key sweetspot they need to hit. Look, if it cost MS $600 to produce each Scorpio console, they would make that loss back pretty quick in game sales per customer, its a win win for them, and MS knows this.
BTW, Don't see $599, MS knows better.
anothertech
Member
Succeed...Fail
Its all just subjective and means nothing. Does it have to sell 5million at launch to succeed? Does it have to beat ps4 sales to succeed? Does it have to win back cod marketing to succeed? Cause none of that is going to happen.
They can and will price this above most expectations and they will sell what they project for an enthusiast 'premium' device.
The only thing they are doing here is releasing the most powerful console on the market. So they are already succeeding in their plans.
EtherMagic
Member
I like your post...
Just wondering, what price tag do you expect MS to sell this at?
ViolentP
Member
I wouldn't say fail if it is Microsoft's intention to release an enthusiast product that will be expected to have substantially lower sales, but only if there was some ulterior motive for building a userbase of that size to begin with. Only thing I can imagine is the Scorpio technically delivering what they promise on paper but using bad components to allow a reasonable profit from even the smaller userbase.
Even then it seems like a bad business move unless their markup was like 500%.
Marketing will help, sure. But I think history has proven that one of the best ways to sell a console is a good price. They'll certainly get the enthusiasts, but it's the regular gamers they really want to get.
Okami Haundo
Member
I'm still betting on $399 against all odds. Most of that is just personal hope, as I don't feel I can justify paying $499 for one at launch. I don't buy into the idea that Scorpio is Microsoft's version of the PS4 Pro. I fully believe they intend for it to become the the "base" model for Xbox when their next console comes along.
Lets get into specifics just for fun:
-$499 "limited edition" bundle
-- Comes with 2Tb HDD and a vertical stand ALA Xbox One S
--- Launches mid to late September
- $399 base SKU
-- Comes with 1Tb HDD with multiple game bundle options (Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, Battlefront 2)
--- Launches late October/early November
Lets get into specifics just for fun:
-$499 "limited edition" bundle
-- Comes with 2Tb HDD and a vertical stand ALA Xbox One S
--- Launches mid to late September
- $399 base SKU
-- Comes with 1Tb HDD with multiple game bundle options (Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, Battlefront 2)
--- Launches late October/early November
All this talk about success and failure...
Whats the goal for Sony with the Pro sales wise? I dont think we can say if the Scorpio will or wont be a success. Its all up to what MS goal is with it.
The Pro isnt outselling the OG PS4 and I doubt its outselling the XBO, XBO S separately. Is the orig XBO still being sold?
The main sellers whether its 3DS or PS4 is the base, low end model. Do some think this system is going to be positioned to try to win back marketshare or overtake the PS4?
Interesting...
Basically this.
Whats the goal for Sony with the Pro sales wise? I dont think we can say if the Scorpio will or wont be a success. Its all up to what MS goal is with it.
The Pro isnt outselling the OG PS4 and I doubt its outselling the XBO, XBO S separately. Is the orig XBO still being sold?
The main sellers whether its 3DS or PS4 is the base, low end model. Do some think this system is going to be positioned to try to win back marketshare or overtake the PS4?
Interesting...
Basically this.
ViolentP
Member
I think failure is an easier metric to gauge when talking about this sort of thing. Therefore, I gauge success by the absence of failure. Still subjective, but it gives me a proper line to stand on.
Technically 2017 dollars are cheaper than 2006 dollars. And MS has a console for the budget-conscious already on the market. I don't think $599 will deter people that have the 4KTV setup to use the system as intended. It's target is the hardcore, not the casual. Premium does not mean cheap.
My guess is for $599 you will get it with a controller and game....something to show off new system, like maybe Crackdown 3 or Shadow of War.
Sorry, but there's nothing 'enthusiast level' about Jaguar / Polaris.
This is not meant in a downplaying way, but in a realistic way. I'm confident the performance of this thing will be more than adequate for what it's pitched as.
Enthusiast level would have meant that this thing would be packing bleeding edge chips and high-end hardware. Only then would a 599$ pricepoint make any sense.
But it turns out they went rather conservative with the hardware, hitting their performance targets with rather modest internals. That's good news for everyone, really.
I don't understand the fervor of people that want this thing to have a higher price-tag.
As if paying 600 bucks for a Jaguar/Polaris box magically makes it more powerful than the chips allow.
This is not meant in a downplaying way, but in a realistic way. I'm confident the performance of this thing will be more than adequate for what it's pitched as.
Enthusiast level would have meant that this thing would be packing bleeding edge chips and high-end hardware. Only then would a 599$ pricepoint make any sense.
But it turns out they went rather conservative with the hardware, hitting their performance targets with rather modest internals. That's good news for everyone, really.
I don't understand the fervor of people that want this thing to have a higher price-tag.
As if paying 600 bucks for a Jaguar/Polaris box magically makes it more powerful than the chips allow.
ViolentP
Member
Way I see it, PS3 launched at $599 and by the end, still outsold the 360 worldwide. If anything, they capitalized on a window of sales that maximized profits. At first glance, a sound business move. But without ultimately knowing whether they could have generated greater sales by having a lower price at the onset, it's impossible to say whether it was the smartest move.
Dee Dah Dave
Member
I don't know why the hardware is being considered as 'premium'. It's a medium spec machine for the time of it's release, same as any other decent console is, or has been.
I can totally see them trying to sell it at $499 but it's never going to be any higher than that.
I can totally see them trying to sell it at $499 but it's never going to be any higher than that.
Now here is something that might blow people's minds: $199 with a 3 year contract to MS's new premium Xbox Live service. That service could be 30-40 a month, with XBL gold and the Netflix-like game service as part of the bennies. After 3 years the Scorpio is yours...or you can upgrade to whatever is next.
It'll go higher. I can see a 2TB and Elite controller sku going for 599 or more. The Elite Xbox One was going for 499.
Okami Haundo
Member
They already attempted a similar service (albeit much cheaper) near the end of the 360's lifecycle. It never went anywhere...
Source
They also discontinued that model fairly quickly with little to no explanation. I was working at a Microsoft store at the time and we just randomly got word via shipping/recieving that they couldn't order any more.
Dee Dah Dave
Member
Yeah but any crazy bundles they do don't count do they. The base price SKU is the important one.
True.
EtherMagic
Member
One of the best posts i ever seen on Gaf.
Just as i been saying, history tells the tale of the tape. MS is aiming at a certain userbase, and that falls inline with me. Ill be getting it no matter what, and as i stated before, MS message is "All games work on all of our consoles, if you want the ROLLS ROYCE of the Xbox family, Scorpio is what were offering".
Great post man!
At 500$ you'd get 40% more performance for a 25% prince increase vs PS4 Pro.
I want new "Do the math!" ads.
But they won't recoup the losses with software from uograders...so they can' sell it at a los. Sony and MS won't sell consoles at a loss anymore I think
ViolentP
Member
Thanks, bruv.
Lost sales from a user's existing library, sure. But even though they cannot capitalize monetarily on an upgrader's library, it can still serve purpose. Specifically, motivation for upgrading. And since I'm sure Microsoft intends on continuing releasing games for the platform, there is still ample opportunity to recoup those losses.
Though I do agree that all of that would result in higher margins still if they did in fact sell the console at a profit.
699 is my breaking point. Maybe?
PHOENIXZERO
Member
Paying over $1,000 over the course of three years is 100% "may as well just build a gaming PC" territory. Besides you'll get those XBox exclusives too anyway.
Vegetable Lasagna
Member
I'm expecting $499. Would be cool if an Elite controller was packed in, but I'm not holding my breath. They definitely aren't going to pull a PS3.