Xbox 360 price cut!

[Vocenoctum]

It's not going to happen. An internal drive would raise the cost too much, and Sony's not going to subsidize either an external drive or an internal drive (Toshiba subsidized the external HD-DVD drive). By the time Blu-Ray drives are cheap enough that the cost increase from dual-layer DVD is negligible, it'll be time for the PS4/Xbox 720 generation (and MS will put a Blu-Ray drive in that one).

Well, IIRC, BluRay isn't "Sony", but I doubt they'd subsidize, true. Lots of folks considered this HD-DVD/Bluray "generation" to be a stepping stone anyway.

The add-on, I doubt ever sold well. One theory was that MS would license out the 360 hardware so someone else can make a version with BluRay, but I can't see that happening either.

I do think they need more to make the "elite" elite though, so we'll see.

 

[drothgery]

The add-on, I doubt ever sold well.

Eh. It was by far the best-selling HD-DVD player. That's not saying much, but in terms of absolute numbers, Blu-Ray's PS3-driven sales lead was not all that large when Toshiba and its partners threw in the towel.

I do think they need more to make the "elite" elite though, so we'll see.

My guess is that either the Pro or Elite gets cancelled next summer; if it's the Elite that's canned, the Pro will get another hard drive size upgrade (because by next summer there will be essentially no cost difference between a 120GB 2.5" HD and a 60 GB 2.5" HD).

 

[Vocenoctum]

Eh. It was by far the best-selling HD-DVD player. That's not saying much, but in terms of absolute numbers, Blu-Ray's PS3-driven sales lead was not all that large when Toshiba and its partners threw in the towel.

I was thinking in terms of % of 360 sales, but yeah I can see that it probably sold well as a HDDVD player.

My guess is that either the Pro or Elite gets cancelled next summer; if it's the Elite that's canned, the Pro will get another hard drive size upgrade (because by next summer there will be essentially no cost difference between a 120GB 2.5" HD and a 60 GB 2.5" HD).

I think they'll bump up the Elite, especially with the "install to HD" option incoming.

 

[ssampier]

Maybe I want this more than the Wii now (even if MS is the evil empire ).

Then again the PS3 does come with a Blue-Ray player (if I understand, one of the most affordable options).

In any case, I do not have an HDTV TV yet. I probably should pick that up first.

 

[Felon]

Really?

The PS3 is looking better and better.

http://cnettv.cnet.com/9742-1_53-29032.html

Why so? It just means get the pro, not the arcade.

Having a 360 and a Wii, I'd still consider getting a PS3 for the bluray benefits, but not for any games they have. But to do so, they'd need to execute another price cut, and they simply can't afford to do that. Comments made at E3 and PAX this year indicate that Sony is backing off on paying for exclusive game titles, and the new models aren't going to have any compatability with PS2 games, so I'm not really sure how they're looking to position themselves with consumers. They're not going to have the mainstream popularity that the Wii enjoys, and they're not going for the serious gamer sect, so are they really hanging everything on "we've got built-in Bluray" to justify their current position as the premium-priced system"?

 

[drothgery]

I think they'll bump up the Elite, especially with the "install to HD" option incoming.

FWIW, checking laptop hard drive prices at NewEgg.com showed

(note that this includes both 5400RPM and 7200RPM drives)
60-80GB - mostly ~$50-$70
120GB - mostly $60-$100
160GB - mostly $65-$120
250GB - mostly $85-$100
320GB - mostly $100-$170

... which makes a pretty good case for bumping the Pro all the way to 160GB and canning the Elite, unless the price deltas for MS aren't much like retail.

 

[Whitemouse]

Hmm, at these prices I could afford to get my son the Arcade Edition for Christmas. I'll probably have to buy it before it goes out of stock for the holidays.

 

[Ranger REG]

Comments made at E3 and PAX this year indicate that Sony is backing off on paying for exclusive game titles, and the new models aren't going to have any compatability with PS2 games,

But XBOX 360 is backward compatible to old XBOX games, correct?

 

[Vocenoctum]

But XBOX 360 is backward compatible to old XBOX games, correct?

For the most part, yes. There's a long list of compatible games, but they're not really adding to it anymore.

Also, some old games are available from Live via Download.

 

[Vocenoctum]

FWIW, checking laptop hard drive prices at NewEgg.com showed
60-80GB - mostly ~$50-$70
120GB - mostly $60-$100

Compare to XBoxHD:
120g: $150

It's a "gouge", but it's not a huge deal, I think. (It does mean Arcade+120gig is cheaper than Elite though, amusingly enough.)

Also, if you're figuring on getting one based on price, remember to include $20 for a play&charge kit.

I think it's nice that the PS3 takes regular HD's, but I don't think it's needed. The HD really is "optional" for a 360, though it's an option that everyone should take (same as Play&Charge kit).

Basically, if you want a 360, get Arcade, you can add a HD later if you want. I dunno.

I enjoy mine a lot, though I haven't used it recently due to Summer Game Season.