Kotaku: Price Cut

Xbox 360s Flying Off The Shelves After Price Cut

Stuart Houghton — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:20:00 MDT

Well, that seems to have done the trick. Following last week's Xbox 360 price cut in the US, the console has seen a big spike in sales.

Some retailers are reportedly showing 100% increases in sales of all Xbox models with up to six times more sales between Friday September 5th - Sunday 7th compared to the previous weekend.

Granted, these are Microsoft's figures, so they may have been given a bit of a spit and polish — still, Sony & Nintendo must be eying the holiday end of the calendar and doing a bit of chin stroking right about now.

Full text of corporate gloating after the jump...

Subject: Media Alert: Xbox 360 console sales surge post-price drop

Coming off the heels of the console price drop last week, Microsoft Xbox 360 sales have surged, with retailers reporting over 100% sales lift for all Xbox 360 models compared to the previous weekend. Additionally, retailers are reporting that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior.

At $199, Xbox 360 is now not only the most affordable next-generation console available, but it also packs more entertainment punch per dollar than any other consumer electronics device connected to your TV. Xbox 360 invites you into a limitless world where the best games, movies and TV shows live side by side with your personal pictures and music library, and the experience is ready to share anytime with friends in your living room or across the globe through Xbox LIVE.

No Xbox 360 Price Cut For The UK

Stuart Houghton — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:20:00 MDT

Bad luck, old chap. Microsoft is refusing to pass on the Xbox 360 price cut to the UK market.

As if the British economy wasn't looking dark enough - now we face another Christmas of not-that-cheap Xboxes.

"Pricing is handled on a region-by-region basis," said a killjoy Microsoft spokesperson, "We do not have a price drop in this region to announce."

An Xbox Arcade will set you back £159.99 ($281.35) in the UK, while an Elite can be obtained on the open market in exchange for a kidney or other major organ.

Microsoft says no Xbox 360 "price drop" in the UK [Pocket Lint]

Euro 360 Price Cut Coming?

Mike Fahey — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:40:51 MST

Come this Easter, buying an Xbox 360 in Europe could be cheaper than picking up a Nintendo Wii. News from various industry sources over various web sites suggests that the Xbox 360 is getting a €50 (around £40) price cut across the board come March 14th. Such a move would put the Xbox 360 Arcade system at a price of £150 - less than the price of the £180 Nintendo Wii in the UK. TechRadar attributes the rumor to several well-placed industry insiders, and has also claimed to have gotten confirmation from several retailers in the UK, while several other sites contacting UK retailers have failed to elicit any comment whatsoever. Still, Microsoft recently dropped the price of the 360 in Canada, so I'd say this is one rumor that will more than likely come true. Happy Easter Europe!

Rumours suggest Xbox 360 price cut this month [GamesIndustry.biz]

Xbox 360 HD DVD Price Plummets

Mike Fahey — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:20:07 MST

In case you're still holding out hope that somehow, someway HD DVD will make a last minute comeback and triumph over blu-ray as the high definition DVD format of choice, then has Microsoft got the deal for you. Effective today, the MSRP of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on is dropping from $179.99 USD to $129.99. The price drop effects the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As Microsoft's Larry Hryb points out, once you figure in Microsoft's ongoing five free HD DVD movie offer, which is still in effect until the end of this month, they you've got one hell of a good time to get in on the Betamax of the 21st century!

Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price drop (now US $129.99) [Xbox Live's Major Nelson - Thanks Scott!]

40GB PS3 Dated

Mike Fahey — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:20:24 MDT

We know the 40GB PS3 is coming, with Europe already having a firm date for the console, but now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting...from Hollywood, possibly...that the 40GB PlayStation 3 will be hitting U.S. store shelves on the 2nd of November. As reported earlier, the new 40GB model will have two fewer USB ports, no memory stick capabilities built-in, and software BC support. The article states that at least one major retailer has confirmed the date, with reports that retailers are being urged to clear out their stock in time for the $399.99 systems to hit.

Sony to put cheaper PS3 in play [The Hollywood Reporter]

Euro PS3 Announcement At E3

Mike Fahey — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 08:20:52 MDT

Okay, so Luke might have been a bit off on his predictions about when SCEE would be handing out a piece of that sweet price cut pie to European PS3 hopefuls. In his defense, he did indeed say "Sometime this week?" tentatively before following his instincts off a precipice to be dashed on the rocks below. A Sony Computer Entertainment Europe representative has since been in touch with the folks at GamesIndustry.biz to reveal a major announcement regarding the PlayStation 3 dropping this Thursday at E3. No specifics were given of course, but the rep did state it would be related to the North American price cuts and model shuffling officially announced this weekend.

Now technically it could just be the announcement of the 80GB system for Europe and not a price cut, so don't count Luke out of the analyzing game yet! There is still a chance he can make Pachter proud.

Sony to announce new PS3 Euro deals [GamesIndustry.biz]

PSP Price Cuts Coming to Europe

Mike Fahey — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:20:08 MDT

For weeks now the US has been basking in the warm glow of PSP price cuts, while the Europeans looked on with very slight interest for just a moment and then went back to doing whatever it is they do with their bad European selves. Well now it's our turn, as Sony announces the PSP price cuts are coming to Europe and the UK on Friday, May 4th, which should do lovely things for PSP sales between now and then.

From GPB 149.99 and EUR 199.99 the handheld will now go for GPB 129.99 and EUR 169.99 respectively. This means that a savvy American on holiday in Europe at the beginning of May could, at current conversion rates, can purchase a PSP for the equivalent of $250.00, the price we paid at launch two years ago. International economics make my head hurt. Michael Fahey

Sony cuts Euro price of PSP [GamesIndustry.Biz]

Another Analyst Suggests PS3 Price Cut

Mike Fahey — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:20:45 MDT

Yet another market analyst has chimed in on PS3 pricing. This time it is Goldman Sachs Japan's Yuji Fujimori, who predicts the North American price of Sony's new console to drop as much as $100 in October.

Yuji Fujimori wrote in a note Tuesday that lowering the cost of the game console, which competes with Microsoft's XBox 360 and Nintendo's Wii, will not undermine the unit's long-term profitability.

Fujimori cites the lowering of component costs as a major factor in his analysis, and went on to mention that cutting the price of game consoles have traditionally quadrupled sales figures.

Sony's stand on the price cut issue remains muddled. Last we heard it was not likely for another two years. At this point I think they're waiting to see how things go in Europe later this week before making any long-term plans.

I have a feeling the PlayStation 3 is the best thing that ever happened to video game industry analysts. I'm imagining drunken 2AM collect calls from analyst bars to Sony for slurred 'I love you guys' speeches. Michael Fahey

PlayStation 3 price cut may be ahead [CNNMoney via Gamasutra]

Sony: PS3 Price Cut Not Likely For Two Years

Brian Crecente — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:00:22 MST

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)—The new videogame-console war is firmly underway and Sony Corp.'s (SNE) PlayStation 3 looks like it is losing its once-dominant position in the $25 billion industry.

Packed with analysts and those pesky hard numbers, this Dow Jones story doesn't paint a very pretty picture for the Playstation 3, but it is mostly a rehash of what we already know: The PS3 isn't doing so great out of the box, but will likely stabilize and do just fine given enough time.

What we didn't know, but I certainly suspected, is that Sony still plans to stick to their plans for the console, including not dropping the price for another few years and adding music and movies to the Playstation store.

Although analysts say price reductions would benefit PS3 sales, Sony isn't likely to make any price cuts for at least another two years, said Kimberly Otzman, a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment America. She noted a similar time frame for lowered prices for the PS2. "We probably expect the same for PS3," Otzman said, adding that while the console's price is higher than competitors', it comes completely packaged so consumers don't have to buy extra equipment or attachments." Meanwhile, Sony has said it is looking into expanding into music and movie downloads via the PS3, which comes equipped with the new high-definition DVD format - called Blu-ray.

Sony had a lot of momentum from the PS2 going into the PS3 and I think they bet on that momentum getting through this predictably harsh launch, the question is whether it will be enough to carry them over the hump. Brian Crecente

Sorry Buster, PSP Will Be Full Price All Year Long

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 19:24:19 MDT

Sony Computer Entertainment of America's John Koller says that there will be no PSP price cuts this year. (Guess that leaves next year?) Instead there will be 110 UMD games release, bringing the grand total to 230 titles. Good news, indeed. Says Koller:

We don't neccessarily see the need to cut the price... We need to offer broader value and introduce new consumers to what the PSP can do.

Which is? LOL.

We kid, Sony. Koller notes that more will be revealed about how the PSP will interact with the PLAYSTATION 3. And by "more," we hope that isn't just as a rearview mirror for driving games. Brian Ashcraft

No Price Cut [Games Industry]

Rumor: Microsoft to Cut 360 by $100

Brian Crecente — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:30:35 MDT

Citing a Taiwanese OEM component maker, Digitimes is reporting that Microsoft is planning to cut the price of their premiere Xbox 360 console to $300.

Msoft Taiwan denies the reports, claiming that it is bad information, but Digitimes says their sources have confirmed the price cut and that Microsoft has negotiated reduced production costs for the console to gear up for the reduction.

The manufacturers estimate that the total production cost can be reduced by 15-20% due to diminishing costs for most components along with increasing production scales and decreasing defect rates, the sources pointed out.

The article goes on to state that part of the reasoning behind the price cut is so Microsoft can bundle the HD-DVD player with the console for $399 down the line.

This sounds very fishy to me. Why not just wait until you're ready to bundle to do the price cut? And why does Msoft have to be so much less expensive than the PS3 when including the HD-DVD? I'd think they'd just want to be the same price or a tad under. Thoughts? Brian Crecente

Microsoft Rumored to Cut Xbox 360 Price by $US 100 [Digitimes]
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PSP Price Cut Rumors... DENIED

brownlee — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:40:31 MDT

Upon industry analyst P.J. McNealy's prediction that a PSP price cut loomed, Sony has issued a retort: "No frickin' way."

"Currently we have no plans to cut the price of the PSP at this time."

Sony better have a hell of a line-up for the next year if they aren't planning on dropping the price: currently, there's just no way you could sell me one. Of course, that all may very well change when Vice City Stories and Silent Hill: Origins hits. Florian Eckhardt

Sony dismisses rumours of PSP price cut [Games Industry]

Best Buy Guy Confirms GameCube Price Cut

Brian Crecente — Tue, 02 May 2006 01:00:35 MDT

A Best Buy employee sends word that Best Buy is already printing up the Sunday advertisement for the price-cut GameCube.

He says that the Nintendo reps have confirmed the price cut and that he's in the process of trying to obtain an ad for scanage and email age so we can postage...it.

GameCube Getting Price Drop in May [Kotaku]

EA Current-Gen Price Cut Extends Further

lsmith — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 13:43:54 MST

We reported in January that EA was cutting the price on current generation games, but GameDaily Biz pointed out that these price cuts extended deeper than the Madden and Medal of Honor games that were originally among the reduced price titles. What else? How about EA's first person shooter Black due Feb. 28 and The Godfather both hitting shelves for $39.99? Sounds good.

EA Lowering Prices on Current Gen [GameDaily Biz]
EA Cuts Price on Current-Gen Games

Hacked and Slashed: EA Drops Prices on Select Games

lsmith — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:03:00 MST

News.com has a list of games EA knocked the prices down on, likely in hope to spur some holiday sales. NBA Live 06, Burnout: Revenge, NASCAR 06, Marvel Nemesis and SSX On Tour. Analyst Gary Cooper said that he expects to see EA slash the price on Madden 06 and FIFA 06 in December. I love price cuts.
Thanks Chilly

EA Cuts Prices on Some Video Games [News.com]