Xbox 360 for $300

Xizer writes "Wal-Mart employees have leaked the price of Microsoft's next-generation console. The Xbox 360 is set to be launched for $299.99. Additionally, games are set to be $59.99 each. Ouch. Looks like the next generation of consoles is going to burn holes in gamers' wallets even moreso than the current generation. One thing is for sure: It's time to start gearing up for an expensive Christmas."

Comments

Still $300

[TPIRman]

Looks like the next generation of consoles is going to burn holes in gamers' wallets even moreso than the current generation.

Launch price of Xbox 360: $300
Launch price of PS2: $300
Launch price of Xbox: $300

If you account for inflation, the Xbox 360 is cheaper at launch than its predecessor.

Re:Still $300

[mr_gerbik]

If you account for inflation the Xbox 360 is *much* cheaper than some of its predecessors.

Atari 2600
1977 price: $199.95
Adjusted for inflation: $648.83

Colecovision
1982 price: $199.95
Adjusted: $405.63

Nintendo Entertainment System
1985 price: $199
Adjusted: $353.16

Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index.

Inflation Calculator

Re:Still $300

[shoptroll]

Actually, unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, the price of AAA PC games is up to $55 (depending on the publisher).

Half-Life 2 was (and still is) billed at $55. I think Doom3 was the same at launch.

Also, Blizzard/Vivendi charged $35 for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. So not only are new games going for larger amounts, but expansions are trying to pull in more money.

Re:Still $300

[badasscat]

Atari 2600
1977 price: $199.95

This is disputed - I and many others have seen boxes over the years with an original $249 price tag, and still more people remember seeing them in stores at that price. The general feeling now is that $249 was the initial price of this system, although actual MSRP is not so simple to just go back and look up. (The old Atari no longer exists, there was no WWW back then, and people's memories are not always accurate.)

But, regardless, that would just make it that much more expensive, thereby further proving your point for you.

Nintendo Entertainment System
1985 price: $199

The NES was also originally available as a "Deluxe Set" for $249. I think this may have been the only set available when the system was first test-marketed in New York, but I'm not sure about that.

One thing to keep in mind about the earliest systems (though not the NES or above) is that prices were not "locked". There was an MSRP but manufacturers didn't enforce it - it was literally a suggested price, just like any other piece of electronic equipment gets. Stores could price as they saw fit. That changed around the time of the NES.

Some other hardware launch MSRP's:

Intellivision: $299 (mine was $280 in 1980)
Atari 5200: $249 (although apparently you could get them near launch for $199 if you looked)
Neo Geo AES: $699
Sega Genesis: $249
Sega Saturn: $399

All of those prices would be way over $300 in today's dollars.

Re:Still $300

[gabebear]

Nope, inflation is generally considered a very good thing, a country's economy is best off when inflation is slow and steady. Now the opposite of inflation, "deflation" is generally considered a bad thing

Is that a big increase?

[MaestroSartori]

Here in the UK, new game releases on all 3 current consoles typically cost 30GBP (you can get them for less in some places, but more in others, so I reckon it balances out). That translates to about 60 bucks doesn't it?

How much were Xbox games when the Xbox was first released? They were about 40GBP (80 dollars!) when I got mine, and that was a while after its official release. Maybe 60 bucks isn't that bad...

...this is nothing new.

[Audigy]

ps2 and xbox both launched at 300$...

Re:I don't think so.

[WndrBr3d]

XBox has only A slight edge?

Obviously you don't have an HDTV or Surround Sound, as XBox's OBVIOUS edge over other game consoles is Dolby Digital 5.1 and 480p on most titles.

That alone is reason for anyone with a semi-decent home theatre to lean toward XBox titles over PS2.

I as well own all three game systems, and when a title comes out for all three, let's say Midnight Club 3 for example, I'm going to choose to play this title on XBox because of it's superior feature set.

Period.

Re:How about SNES?

[mustbepatient]

No, the original prices for most good new SNES games was 69.99.

Re:OT: where'd all the 4/5 comments go?

[Evro]

Moderation was apparently broken, and now fixed (I guess?).

Re:OT: where'd all the 4/5 comments go?

[Vaystrem]

I think it has a lot to do with summer actually. I suspect a lot of the readers who get the opportunity to moderate are probably not logging in right now and therefore theirmoderation points are expiring.

As I understand it, Slashdot probably won't issue more moderation points until those ones are used or they expire. So we're probably going to be in this position on and off during the summer. Unless something actually was broken with moderation over the last week.

Correct about SNES

[Vandil X]

Indeed.

Back in the day, many high-profile SNES carts that used tons of ROM chips were in the USD$60-$80 range.

For example:

- Chrono Trigger retailed for USD$79.99.
- Street Fighter II Turbo retailed for USD$69.99.

And you know what? Those two games alone sold heavily. Something tells me high-profile Xbox360 games will too.

Hacking Xbox=way cheaper than anything else

[andersh]

At least mine was cheap to hack:
Take one game, that I really wanted and bought secondhand for $20, insert memory stick with fake savegame on it - voilà!
Didn't open it once to install Linux and XBMC.

CPI

[Black Perl]

The CPI is virtually useless. It significantly overstates inflation.

How so? It's just an aggregate of the measured increases of retail prices. This is often affected by swings in things like gasoline prices or food supply issues. If you want more accuracy, you can track specific areas and/or products or product categories.

If, like most people, you're referring to cost-of-living, you're correct. The CPI wasn't intended to measure cost of living. However, there is a related index (the "chained" CPI) which eliminates the "substitution bias" that makes the CPI higher than a true COL index, if there were such a thing. This C-CPI more accurately reflects COL though.

See the CPI FAQ for more information.

Disclaimer: IANAE (I am not an economist).

Your socialist utopia

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, that is what is costs to live in your socialist, multicultural utopia.

But on the up side you are morally superiour to everyone else.

Re:OT: where'd all the 4/5 comments go?

[Anonymous Coward]

/. has also been reporting more of the 4/5-rated comments than actually show up. For instance, check out the story from yesterday with the Apple Mouse introduction. It claims there are 14 stories rated 4+. Click on it and there are two.

This problem is something I have seen before, but it appears to be more rampant lately.