XBox 360 pricing

[Misty]

Not sure why this hasn't even been mentioned, seeing as it's incredibly relevant. Then again, I suspect this forum is packed with Nintendo fanboys... But anyway.

MS announced the XBox 360 pricing. As long ago suspect, there are multiple release versions - sort of akin to the PSP pricing structure in Japan. Like the PSP, one package is a sort of base package - a system, a controller, and cables to hook up the system. There's also a value package - a system, a 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller, HD cables, and some other stuff I'm forgetting, like an XBox Live headset. The base package is $300, and the value pack is $400.

This sounds well and good until you realize that the accessories in the value package are rip-offs when bought alone. The 20GB hard drive (which, by the way, is required for backwards compatability) alone is $100. The wireless controller is $50 - and if you want a rechargable battery for it, that's anolther $20.

Furthermore, the cheapest memory card is $40 for 64MB - which, thanks to lazy developers who don't feel like compressing their saves, is probably going to fill up very quickly. So essentially the value of the base pack is incredibly minimal.

So in the end, unless you're insane or just a very casual gamer, you're going to have to buy the $400 pack. That's not too bad - with inflation, it's not much worse than the $300 PS1 or even the $300 PS2/XBox. However, with it being all but confirmed that games are $60, this system is going to start eating up money like a crazed shark.

 

[Trainer-c]

Looks as if those 500 dollar estimates were not so far off the mark...
and the hard drive is required for backwards compatibility? So, your essentially buying half your original X-box all over again, when you purchase the hard drive. (I'm not even touching the fact that Revolution, and PS3 will be backwards compatible right out of the box.)

$50 for a wireless controller? I can't imagine what Microsoft is thinking, other than
"we like money" first off, fifty dollars for a first-party (even the best third-party) controller, wireless or not, is outrageous.
Secondly, do they even look at their competition? Its all but guaranteed that both the PS3 and Revolution will have a wireless controller included with the console. And buying them separately would likely be 25-35 dollars at most.

I was not intent on buying an X-box 360 at launch, (Considering they have not a whole lot to offer software-wise at the moment.) and this certainly does not help matters.

 

[FabuVinny]

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/?t=archives&date=2005-09-14

 

[PlatinumHawke]

So in the end, unless you're insane or just a very casual gamer, you're going to have to buy the $400 pack. That's not too bad - with inflation, it's not much worse than the $300 PS1 or even the $300 PS2/XBox. However, with it being all but confirmed that games are $60, this system is going to start eating up money like a crazed shark.

Also fun to note, that by having a system *without* a harddrive stock on all models, Microsoft has given game developers worse hardware than the first time around. Whoops, I guess they forgot about that when they planned this.

 

[Misty]

They didn't forget, they just have other priorities(i.e., not losing another billion on this console)