UK price drop!

[PuPPeT]

the New news just in is that Xbox's price in the UK is set to drop to just £129.00 thats the same as Gamecube (at full price). It is unknow if this will go for the rest of the EU as well.






In an incredibly aggressive move that will really put the pressure on Nintendo's Gamecube, Microsoft look set to reduce the price of the Xbox in the UK to £130 from Friday.

Although Microsoft have yet to officially confirm the price drop, retail sources have indicated that it will be possible to pick up an Xbox for the same price as a Cube from the end of the week.

To coincide with this, Xbox bundles are also said to be dropping in price, with the Sega pack (which includes Sega GT and Jet Set Radio Future) weighing in at £150 while a new bundle featuring Halo and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance will be on sale for £170 - the same price as a standalone PlayStation 2.

When Xbox was launched in the UK in March 2002, it initially retailed at a whopping £300.

[TheGame]

Halo and MGS2??? this is an excellent deal. But why the price cut? From what I know Xbox is doing just fine in UK.

[tarakan69]

The only site with this article was SPONG

http://spong.com/index.asp?art=4732

If you find a reliable source please post it... Cause SPONG... LOL I won't even go into it.

Imagine if PS2 drops to 100J worldwide it would be RAPE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.

Now WTF is GCN gonna do if this is true.

[Joeiss]

Originally posted by tarakan69


Now WTF is GCN gonna do if this is true.


It always seems as if GCN always has to 'do something' in order to keep up in sales.

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by Joeiss
It always seems as if GCN always has to 'do something' in order to keep up in sales.

Well it does... cause it costs the same price as the X-Box. You know casuals are gonna buy the X-Box.

I doubt this is true... it would murder X-Box's point in even existing. How long can you possibly lose money on a product... a move of desperation on their half.

[TheGame]

Originally posted by tarakan69
Well it does... cause it costs the same price as the X-Box. You know casuals are gonna buy the X-Box.

I doubt this is true... it would murder X-Box's point in even existing. How long can you possibly lose money on a product... a move of desperation on their half.

The pointof Xbox isn' to make money.. it's just MS's tool to get thier foot in the door of the game inustry... trying to make a profit isn't even a goal for MS this gen.Thier goal right now s to spend as much as it takes to get Xbox's in as many houses as possible.

Nintendo trying to compete with MS for the better deal is like a human trying to see who can stay alive longer underwater vs a fish.

I don't think they will be trying to make moneywith Xbox 2 either, but I'm expecting that they want thier payoff around Xbox 3's time.

[Jonbo298]

Originally posted by Joeiss
It always seems as if GCN always has to 'do something' in order to keep up in sales.

:lol: Thats funny. But like others have said, MS is the one to first initiate a price break usually before Nintendo initiates a price break. But cheaper consoles is fine by me. As long as people can afford to play one, its good for everyone.

[PuPPeT]

Originally posted by tarakan69
The only site with this article was SPONG

http://spong.com/index.asp?art=4732

If you find a reliable source please post it... Cause SPONG... LOL I won't even go into it.

Imagine if PS2 drops to 100J worldwide it would be RAPE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.

Now WTF is GCN gonna do if this is true.


I can tell you that Game in the UK the trading name for EB over here has told me that they will start selling the xbox £129.99 from this weekend.

[PuPPeT]

ok it's all 100% true




XBOX: CHEAP AS CHIPS

The director of Microsoft's UK home entertainment and marketing division speaks to us about today's Xbox price drop in Europe

8:00 As of today, European gamers will be able to snap up Microsoft's Xbox console for €199.99 or 129.99. That, it has to be said, is something of a bloomin' bargain, or, to steal a phrase, as cheap as chips. Out for just over a year on these shores, the machine now retails for under half the original launch price. Blimey.
So what's prodded Microsoft into making this decision, and how does it now see Xbox when stacked up against the competition? We spoke to Chris Lewis, Microsoft's UK home entertainment and marketing division, to get the scoop.

Why drop the price of Xbox now? What's prompted it?

Lewis: We have to pinch ourselves sometimes, but Xbox is still the fastest growing debut console ever. Against the long-established competition and the great companies out there, with the heritage they've got, we're really happy with the market share we've got in Europe; and we want to continue that trend.

Reducing the price of Xbox for this period now is just fantastic way for us to both reinforce what's going on right now and continue to do that.

So it's not a direct response to the recent GameCube deals that have seen sales of Nintendo's consoles rocket, albeit for a brief time?

Lewis: What we always say, and what I've always said, is that we'll always work very hard to make sure that we remain competitive. We learnt very early on that that was a necessary part of being a key player in this industry - and we'll continue to do that.

What we've seen, particularly in the UK actually, is that Nintendo has had some challenges and issues with retail that pretty much resulted in what we thought of as almost a virtual price drop. In other words, in certain key retailers the price point had got terribly aggressive, for want of a better description.

And also, I think that in other parts of Europe Sony had worked creatively to develop other special offers in retail.

Our price move really is a response to these scenarios. We are going to remain competitive and will do, and we also want to provide retail with a clear pricing policy. You typically won't see us, as much as we can control it or get involved in it, in the virtual areas.

We want to be crystal clear with retail in terms of our pricing policy.

Xbox will now sell at the same price point as GameCube. Do you regard the Nintendo console as your main competition?

Lewis: We see both Sony and Nintendo as competition in this space for different reasons. We see ourselves most closely aligned, in terms of the product itself and the platform and the games, with Sony's market place. Clearly, it's all about consumers and about consumers getting their hands on a great gaming experience.

Nintendo is a great company, and we're very mindful of its activities in the market place. So we are, and will continue to be, responsive to both our competitors.

Xbox is now cheaper than PS2, despite it being a more powerful console. What are you doing to make consumers aware that Xbox actually contains the superior hardware?

Lewis: You'll see, and hopefully have seen all along that we have... Well, two things really. We make sure that we give masses of trial opportunities for Xbox. What we've found all along is that the product speaks so loudly in its own right that giving as many trial opportunities to gamers gives this enormous momentum to the product.

Because people love it - when they get their hands on it they just love it. It's a very powerful machine with strong technology - the hard disk, broadband capability, Dolby 5.1. The sheer power of it speaks volumes.

All along, we've been heavy on trial. The messaging in-store and the close work we've done with retailers is all about making sure they are clear on the technical capabilities of the Xbox. I think you've also seen the publishers enthusiastically writing to the platform because it gives them such a huge canvas to paint on.

With this latest round, you'll see us continue to talk a lot about the technology advantage but also working very hard to make sure that Xbox gets into the hands of as many hardcore and social gamers as is possible.

Will you be doing bundles based around the new price drop? If so, could you tell us about these?

Lewis: No comment on that at this stage. I think you may well see retailers developing their own unique propositions to their own consumers around the price drop. But we have no specific bundle announcements to make on the back of this pricing announcement.

Xbox has now been available in Europe for just over a year. What lessons, in terms of price point, have you learnt over that time?

Lewis: We learnt very early on that it is critical for us to remain price-competitive. I think what you've seen is that Microsoft... we do listen, we do understand what our consumers are telling us. Certainly, when we came to market, very close on the launch we took action to remain competitive. We also developed a reward pack for the consumers that committed early.

What you have seen and will continue to see is that we recognise it's important that we stay competitive. We will, of course, remain, from a technology standpoint, a fantastic proposition for users out there. But, as I said, we also recognise the need to remain competitive - and that's not going to change.

Finally, a number of big surprises from Xbox and Microsoft at E3 this year?

Lewis: You can expect to hear a lot from us there. I think you'd be disappointed if you didn't, and I'm saying to you that you won't be disappointed.

[tarakan69]

Nintendo HAS to drop it's price to to 79J in one week cause if they don't they can kiss it goodbye.

Shops in my town are stopping to sell the gcn... You better come out this one Nintendo.

[Dyne]

Meanwhile, what? PS2 prices stay ridiculously high, despite the fact they'll sell anyways?

That blows.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by Dyne
Meanwhile, what? PS2 prices stay ridiculously high, despite the fact they'll sell anyways?

That blows.

That's smart business, actually.

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
That's smart business, actually.


There's actually nothing smart about Sony's bussiness... it's just the brandname is way to strong to over power.

Imagine if the PS2 was the new commer... and sold at less than the X-Box (which would have the euqivalent of Sony's brandname).

To tell you the truth Stu I really do expect Sony to match X-Box's price pretty soon anyways... it would render the X-Box's price cut pointless in minutes.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by tarakan69
There's actually nothing smart about Sony's bussiness... it's just the brandname is way to strong to over power.

Imagine if the PS2 was the new commer... and sold at less than the X-Box (which would have the euqivalent of Sony's brandname).

To tell you the truth Stu I really do expect Sony to match X-Box's price pretty soon anyways... it would render the X-Box's price cut pointless in minutes.

Not this again...all of PS2's success is due to its name :rolleyes:

And even if it was, for the sake of arguement, riding off of a brand name is not smart business? Tell that to Nintendo regarding Pokemon and they'll laugh at you on their way to the bank.

To tell me the truth? When did I not say Sony would match Xbox's price? Sony will do what it takes to keep their sales at a dominant rate. If that means matching the price of the Xbox, then so be it. My point is that it's smart to sell the system (or any product, for that matter) a price where sales will be high...If you can sell something for $1000/per and still have it outsell competiting items at $500/per, it would be stupid not to do just that. *SMART BUSINESS*

[tarakan69]

Stu NOBODY is debating wiether the PS2 will dominate or not. Cause it will...

Brandname has sold at least half of what PS2 has sold... Casuals expect from the name. I rember MANY people actually telling me that PS2's and X-Box graphics are identical. As for Gamecube... it was dismissed at "TEh Kiddy" console with fruity Zelda, and gay ugly mario.

Look Stu I bought a second PS2 after the X-Box and PS2 is staying while my X-Box is getting sold. I like it's games way more... it's also got the BIG name games that appeal to causals. Also Sony's marketing is way too strong to overcome... I mean a mediocre game like The Getaway became the fastest selling game in the UK and sold god knows how many copies. Sony could release PS3 with the same hardware as PS2 and it would still break the 30 million sold barrier.

Let's not forget how the N64 rode in to the 32/64 bit gen on the Snes success.

[Perfect Stu]

alright I'm reading over your post and not once do you mention anything about Sony's "nothing smart about sony's business"

elaborate on that if you will...

[Professor S]

Sony is doing smart business. They are getting the maximum profit for their investment, thats what business is based on. Its supply and demand. People are willing to pay more for an inferior product based on the brand, so why should Sony drop the price?

Dropping the price without the market showing that a price drop is needed to keep up sales is just silly.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally posted by The Strangler
Sony is doing smart business. They are getting the maximum profit for their investment, thats what business is based on. Its supply and demand. People are willing to pay more for an inferior product based on the brand, so why should Sony drop the price?

Dropping the price without the market showing that a price drop is needed to keep up sales is just silly.

Bingo. And that is coming from a (supposedly) somewhat-educated man...

:sneaky:

;)

[Joeiss]

I hope they start dropping the prices here in North America... I say they take another 100 bucks Canadian off of Xbox and GCN, so I can buy both.

;)