Hey, Microsoft couldn’t let Google steal all the headlines for an entire week, right? (See “Chrome.”) What better way to steal some than to drop the price of one of their most popular hardware releases ever? Effective September 5th, the Xbox 360 Arcade will be available for $199, the 360 console for $299 and the 360 Elite for $399. Here’s some details from the official press release:
Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies from Netflix, live out their musical fantasies through “Rock Band 2″ and “Lips”, star in their own Hollywood classics with “You’re in the Movies,” or have the power to never miss the latest episode of “Heroes” – all from one device, starting at $199. That device is Xbox 360, and Microsoft Corp. today announced it will offer the gaming and entertainment console, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE service, at a new low price in the United States.
Microsoft Japan is already actually paying people to take the machines, with little success. “We hope more people will be able to enjoy Xbox 360,” said marketing marketer Takashi Sensui, “and we can stop enjoying quite so many of them. We also have this fine pile of HD-DVD drives … Wait! Come back!” http://notnews.today.com/?p=63