New cheaper XB360s on the way?

WeasteDevil

New Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2001
Messages
109,013
Location
Salford in Castellón de la Plana
Now that we have the release in the UK this week of the £300 40Gb PS3 without backwards compatibility and the drop in price of the 60Gb PS3 with backwards compatibility and with 2 games for £350, are Microsoft going to respond by lowering their prices as well, or simply try to ride the Halo phenomina wave until after Christmas? Comparing the RRPs of the XB360 to the PS3 now, it looks like a seriously poor value box.

NB. Sites such as Play.com are not being used here, as that is retailer competition by improving their supply lines, cutting their margins, or including bundled extras. Only RRP is used here as stated by the manufacturers.

NB. 40GB PS3 does not include a memory card reader or memory card, so in comparison to the XB360 Core with a Hard Disk unit, you have to cut £23 from the stated prices. Without a hard disk unit, cut £70. One or the other is required for online play.

NB. XB360 Elite is supplied with a 120Gb HDD. Therefore, to bring the PS3 up to the same specification, £38 approx would have to be added to the PS3 prices, making them £338 and £388 respectively.


Lets look at the three base models and their RRPs:


XB360 Core - £180

£250 £070 - No Hard Disk (20 Gb Optional)
£310 £060 - No WiFi (Optional Unit Available)
£333 £023 - No Online Play (Needs Memory Card 64Mb if no Hard Disk)
£438 £115 - No HD-DVD Player (Optional Extra)
£468 £030 - No Rechargeable Batteries for Controller (Optional Extra)
£508 £040 - XBox Live (Need Ongoing Yearly Subscription)
£508 £338 - Total For Approx PS3 Specification

£338 RRP in accessories required to bring it up to what PS3 has out of the box.


XB360 (Also known as Premium) - £250

£310 £060 - No WiFi (Optional Unit Available)
£425 £115 - No HD-DVD Player (Optional Extra)
£455 £030 - No Rechargeable Batteries for Controller (Optional Extra)
£495 £040 - XBox Live (Need Ongoing Yearly Subscription)
£495 £245 - Total For Approx PS3 Specification

£245 RRP in accessories required to bring it up to what PS3 has out of the box.


XB360 Elite - £300

£360 £060 - No WiFi (Optional Unit Available)
£475 £115 - No HD-DVD Player (Optional Extra)
£505 £030 - No Rechargeable Batteries for Controller (Optional Extra)
£545 £040 - XBox Live (Need Ongoing Yearly Subscription)
£545 £245 - Total For Approx PS3 Specification

£245 RRP in accessories required to bring it up to what PS3 has out of the box.


Comparison

Code: 
         PS3=  PS3-40  DIFF  PS3-60  DIFF

XB360C   £508  £300    £208  £350    £158
NHDDVD   N/A   £300    £93   £350    £43

XB360P   £495  £300    £195  £350    £145
NHDDVD   N/A   £300    £80   £350    £30

XB360E   £545  £338    £207  £388    £157
NHDDVD   N/A   £338    £92   £388    £42


Conclusion

As can be seen, whichever configuration is chosen, when upgrading the essentials of the XB360 system (even when taking the HD-DVD out of the equation), all XB360 models are more expensive than all PS3 models by a similar amount. It's quite obvious that on a hardware level, Microsoft's current pricing strategy is weak and offers very little value.

This returns us to the original question. What are Microsoft likely to do?

A) Ride the Halo wave hoping that it in itself is going to sell systems.
B) Make and immediate price cut of £80 at the very least.

I think that they will try to take road A.

I hope the maths are right. Feel free to correct them if otherwise. ;)
 
The Xbox Core system is been done away with. Whatever stock is in shops is all that's left of it now. A new bundle is been released soon and should be in time for Christmas at a cheaper price.
 
Retirantmobs said:
The Xbox Core system is been done away with. Whatever stock is in shops is all that's left of it now. A new bundle is been released soon and should be in time for Christmas at a cheaper price.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the "Arcade Pack"? Whichever way, it's what I call a TurdBox, and even if it was dropped in price by 50 quid it would not offer any value at all. It's had crap sales in any case, that end of the market will probably rather buy a Wii.
 
WeasteDevil said:
Are you referring to the "Arcade Pack"? Whichever way, it's what I call a TurdBox, and even if it was dropped in price by 50 quid it would not offer any value at all. It's had crap sales in any case, that end of the market will probably rather buy a Wii.
Click to expand...
Not sure what it's been called. They're swapping the 64mb memory card for a 256mb one and you get a whole load of free games. I also heard there is a higher spec one to be released but I don't think there will be.
 
Retirantmobs said:
Not sure what it's been called. They're swapping the 64mb memory card for a 256mb one and you get a whole load of free games. I also heard there is a higher spec one to be released but I don't think there will be.
Click to expand...

Ok, so you don't think that they will try and cut the price of the XB360 or the Elite? You think, the same as I do, that they will try to live off Halo shifting new consoles? It's a very strong card they have to play with all the hype it has.
 
come on weaste, who wants wireless anyway?

the 360 is a capable beast straight out of the box, yes you pay for live, but it is a cracking service. Not everyone wants HD movies either, not all console owners have a HDTV

we know the ps3 is powerful and has extras, but that is why it costs more

in order to get a porsche to go as fast as a ferrari, you may have to add extras, but maybe you like your porsche the way it is

I have both of them, and they co-exist quite nicely, although I do play more games on the 360, and watch more films/torrents on the ps3 (except for planet earth, which i got on hddvd for the 360)
 
James Parkin said:
come on weaste, who wants wireless anyway?

the 360 is a capable beast straight out of the box, yes you pay for live, but it is a cracking service. Not everyone wants HD movies either, not all console owners have a HDTV

we know the ps3 is powerful and has extras, but that is why it costs more

in order to get a porsche to go as fast as a ferrari, you may have to add extras, but maybe you like your porsche the way it is

I have both of them, and they co-exist quite nicely, although I do play more games on the 360, and watch more films/torrents on the ps3 (except for planet earth, which i got on hddvd for the 360)
Click to expand...

We are talking about value here, or perceived value. I gave prices without the HD-DVD player, and the XB360 still comes out more expensive. And I think that WiFi is becoming important. I need it, because the router is with the PC in another room. Take off the WiFi price as well if you want, you are not daft, it still makes what you get for your money poor value.

Christmas is coming, and a lot of consoles and HDTVs are going to be shifted.
 
WeasteDevil said:
Ok, so you don't think that they will try and cut the price of the XB360 or the Elite? You think, the same as I do, that they will try to live off Halo shifting new consoles? It's a very strong card they have to play with all the hype it has.
Click to expand...
Where did I say I think they will be living off halo? In the next few months, they is Call of Duty 4, Assaisns Creed, Need for Speed, Tom Clancys: Endwar, PGR4, PES2008, Blacksite: Area51, Guitar Hero 3, Mass Effect, Kane & Lynch. All before Christmas. So no microsoft won't be liviing off Halo 3. I'm fully aware many of these shall be on the PS3 before you start, Weaste.

Bungie are also start work on a new game as well.
 
Retirantmobs said:
Where did I say I think they will be living off halo? In the next few months, they is Call of Duty 4, Assaisns Creed, Need for Speed, Tom Clancys: Endwar, PGR4, PES2008, Blacksite: Area51, Guitar Hero 3, Mass Effect, Kane & Lynch. All before Christmas. So no microsoft won't be liviing off Halo 3. I'm fully aware many of these shall be on the PS3 before you start, Weaste.

Bungie are also start work on a new game as well.
Click to expand...

Bungie working on a new game is irrelevant to the conversation, it could be two years before we see it, and it could be multi-platform.

Halo possibly has the ability to shift hardware in a way those other titles (apart from PGR4) can not, not to the same extent anyway.

You avoid the question in any case, the one in the thread title.

Even you must admit, that what you pay for the system is poor value in comparison to what you pay for PS3.
 
WeasteDevil said:
We are talking about value here, or perceived value. I gave prices without the HD-DVD player, and the XB360 still comes out more expensive. And I think that WiFi is becoming important. I need it, because the router is with the PC in another room. Take off the WiFi price as well if you want, you are not daft, it still makes what you get for your money poor value.

Christmas is coming, and a lot of consoles and HDTVs are going to be shifted.
Click to expand...

can you reccomend me a good pc building company only wanna spend around a grand though
 
Looking forward to getting my PS3

Xbox is getting a bit shit, and too loud
 
WeasteDevil said:
Bungie working on a new game is irrelevant to the conversation, it could be two years before we see it, and it could be multi-platform.

Halo possibly has the ability to shift hardware in a way those other titles (apart from PGR4) can not, not to the same extent anyway.

You avoid the question in any case, the one in the thread title.

Even you must admit, that what you pay for the system is poor value in comparison to what you pay for PS3.
Click to expand...
I doubt Bungie (Microsoft) would release a game on other consoles other than the 360, knowing full well the success of Halo.

And to your question no I don't think what you get is poor value for money compared to the PS3. I hardly ever played the PS2 in the years I had it. I got the 360 at Christmas and I'm never actually off it. That to me is value for money. If I added up the value of goods I own for the 360 including games, shared by the number of hours I've played it it would show just how great value the 360 is.
 
Retirantmobs said:
I doubt Bungie (Microsoft) would release a game on other consoles other than the 360, knowing full well the success of Halo.
Click to expand...

You need to keep up to date. Bungie and MS have separated. MS have the Halo name and cannot go to PS3, and any game Bungie want to make, MS have first refusal. But they can go multiplatform.

Retirantmobs said:
And to your question no I don't think what you get is poor value for money compared to the PS3.
Click to expand...

You think that on a hardware level and the new price of the PS3 that the XB360 is good value for what you get? You are either stupid, been smoking something funny, confused, or delusional. For what you get for the price you pay, it's a no goer now.

Retirantmobs said:
I hardly ever played the PS2 in the years I had it.
Click to expand...

I never had one, but for those that did, it obviously puts you in the 100 in a million category, a very special lad you are.

Retirantmobs said:
I got the 360 at Christmas and I'm never actually off it. That to me is value for money. If I added up the value of goods I own for the 360 including games, shared by the number of hours I've played it it would show just how great value the 360 is.
Click to expand...

Subjective, as you don't seem to like the PS2. 100m or so would disagree with you.
 
When deciding what console to get I did some rough working out's. And yes the 360 premium is £50 cheaper that the 40GB PS3, but then you have to buy and adapter and pay £40 for online.

So the PS3 actually works out better value, especially if you take into consideration that it is newer and has far more potential, and the 360 is nearly 2 years old.
 
Sam#1 said:
When deciding what console to get I did some rough working out's. And yes the 360 premium is £50 cheaper that the 40GB PS3, but then you have to buy and adapter and pay £40 for online.

So the PS3 actually works out better value, especially if you take into consideration that it is newer and has far more potential, and the 360 is nearly 2 years old.
Click to expand...
That £40 works out to be 9p a day. Which for the fun you get from it is unreal really. Why do people base value for money on price? Value for money is (for me anyhow) how much I use the item or how much entertainment I get out of it. I agree that the PS3 does have far more potential than the 360. But by the time it's used the 'Next Gen' of consoles will of been unveiled and we shall be having the same conversation.

Weaste I may just ignore you as you seem to be getting wound up and it's highly effing amusing. :)
 
In a years time the PS3 will have overtaken the Xbox 360 by a mile, it may only be 9p a day, but that still £40 + £60 for the adapter, so why pay an extra £100 for a console that is not as good ?

And I'm not some sort of fanboy, 4 days ago I was going to get a 360, but I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that the PS3 is a better choice, not to mention the fact that 1 in 3 of the 360's self destruct....
 
Sam#1 said:
In a years time the PS3 will have overtaken the Xbox 360 by a mile, it may only be 9p a day, but that still £40 + £60 for the adapter, so why pay an extra £100 for a console that is not as good ?
Click to expand...
What adapter?
 
I don’t see the point in all the comparisons. Both systems stand up on their own.

Personally, i would prefer to have the Wifi, blu-ray, free PSN access that the PS3 offers - thats why i have one.

But i dont think its such a bad thing for MS to have a bare bones system then for people to add things as they go.

I would imagine that some dont want Hi-Def, Wireless, Bluetooth, hard disk or even net play. £425 (PS3s old price) is alot of money for a console that you may use only for One player FIFA or Motorstorm.

WEASTE - question for you. Does the new PS3 have a faster Blu-Ray?
I believe the current PS3 has a 2 speed drive (9mb a second) which is part reason as to why the games take longer to load than the 360.
In future, I think that the slow drive speed could be the PS3s achilles heel.
 
Sam#1 said:
You do with the Premium, my mate bought one the other week, I don't know about the elite, I would guess that comes with it.
Click to expand...
I have the premium and a wireless router and I haven't bought an adapter in fact none of my friends have either, you just plug a wire in to it.
 
My adventures with the XBOX 360 have really made me despise Microsoft even more than I already did
 
Retirantmobs said:
I have the premium and a wireless router and I haven't bought an adapter in fact none of my friends have either, you just plug a wire in to it.
Click to expand...

mmm, I've obviously been given poor information and my mate has lost himself £60. lol

I don’t see the point in all the comparisons. Both systems stand up on their own.

Personally, i would prefer to have the Wifi, blu-ray, free PSN access that the PS3 offers - thats why i have one.

But i dont think its such a bad thing for MS to have a bare bones system then for people to add things as they go.

I would imagine that some dont want Hi-Def, Wireless, Bluetooth, hard disk or even net play. £425 (PS3s old price) is alot of money for a console that you may use only for One player FIFA or Motorstorm.[/B]

WEASTE - question for you. Does the new PS3 have a faster Blu-Ray?
I believe the current PS3 has a 2 speed drive (9mb a second) which is part reason as to why the games take longer to load than the 360.
In future, I think that the slow drive speed could be the PS3s achilles heel.
Click to expand...

I agree, and thats why I was going to go for a 360, but now that PS3 have brought out the 40GB for only £50 more than a premium and the same price as an elite, that seems a better deal to me, although to others it may not. It really depends if your happy to wait a bit to get the full potential from the PS3 and if you particularly prefere the games on the 360.
 
gaffs said:
WEASTE - question for you. Does the new PS3 have a faster Blu-Ray?

I believe the current PS3 has a 2 speed drive (9mb a second) which is part reason as to why the games take longer to load than the 360.
In future, I think that the slow drive speed could be the PS3s achilles heel.
Click to expand...

Your beliefs are quite wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.