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

[ucahg]

I paid $92 CDN for Ocarina of Time when it came out for N64.

Let's see, back then that was probably still more than $59 USD.

Re:Still $300

[despisethesun]

Yeah, but cartridges are more expensive to manufacture than CDs and DVDs. All N64 games were more expensive than Playstation and Saturn games at the time.

Re:Still $300

[DavidLeblond]

*yawn* old news.

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

[koi88]

One thing is for sure: It's time to start gearing up for an expensive Christmas.

Or wait a few months and get a Nintendo Revolution. Which should be cheaper.

Re:Still $300

[lobsterGun]

Your conversion sounds good to me.

Say, since I have your attention, could you transfer these $50 US into Canadian Dollars. That should be around $920 Canadian, but between the two of us, just give me the $900 and we'll call it even.

Re:Still $300

[The-Bus]

Not only that, but games for $60.00 aren't THAT expensive. I remember Mortal Kombat was over that amount when it first came out, and that was a decade ago. And Nintendo games in the mid-to-late 80's were in the $40-50 range, which makes them about $70-75 now.

What I do know is that, just like with current games, prices will plummet only a few months later. I bought Burnout 3 recently for $20 and I can't say that I minded waiting a year (or so) to play it.

Re:Still $300

[jbrandon]

don't forget the effect of inflation on your wallet though. XBOX 360 isn't cheaper because the purchasing power of your dollar is also less than it was when the original XBOX came out.

The dollar may be worth less, but I have more of them. Get it?

Re:Still $300

[Fishstick]

I always thought 'burning a hole in your pocket' meant that you had money, and were anxious to spend it?

as in:

Look at him, he just got paid and that $20 is burning a hole in his pocket.

Re:Still $300

[Iriel]

So the price will be comparatively cheaper than it's predecessor...

So how much money are they going to lose per system this time?</toungeincheek>

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

[peculiarmethod]

Well over here I can assure you there are a few kids who will learn the delights of an etch-a-scetcha this christmas.

Re:Still $300

[Tibor the Hun]

You're right, but this is Slashdot, the home of misappropriated analogies.

Just you sit tight and we'll burn that bridge when we get there, OK?

Re:Still $300

[KingOfBLASH]

But if you're cheap like me and willing to wait a year you can still find clearance priced games for $10 to $20! :-D

Re:Still $300

[j-turkey]

Not only that, but games for $60.00 aren't THAT expensive.

Agreed. They're especially cheap when you consider entertainment time per dollar. A ticket for a full length movie is about $9. That's around two hours of entertainment, or about $4.50/hr. DVD's are even more expensive, not accounting for replayability. Supposing that your average game has about 20 hours of playability (I pulled that number out of my butt...but it seems pretty conservative). At $60, that's $3/hr, not accounting for replayability.

Even at $60, most games are a relatively good value in terms of entertainment...although books, broadcast TV, and radio tend to trump it.

Re:Still $300

[justforaday]

But it's sold by Nintendo of America...I mean, how much more American can you get?

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

Re:Still $300

[Lumpy]

Which is the unny part. i was a dyed-in-the-wool Sony freak, I have 2 PS-1's and 2 ps-2's and a crapload of PS2 games, I shunned the gamecube for the first year it was out until they dropped below the $100.00 mark, and made fun of Xbox owners that have to pay to play online (PS2 is Free on most games. I still play twisted metal black and the other older games online from time to time). So I got one for the $99.00 blowout price they have. and the last 10 games I bought have been Gamecube games. They simply seem to feel better. (Yes they typically are GC only titles.) Even games that are on both platforms look and feel better on the GC to me... 007 Nightfire for example, looks and has smoother gameplay on the Gamecube, and yes I have it for both systems.

The fact that I can play 4 people on the Gamecube without shelling out for a special adapter and there are more fun multiplayer games for the GC than the PS2 make it something I can not ignore.

to the point that I did not buy a PSP but a DS and I am ingoring for the forst time sony's new system that will come out...

I really hope that sony will focus the developers on gameplay for the PS3, because the PS2 failed miserably by not having even 1/2 the great fun titles that the origional PS1 had...

unfortunately, most games are headed down the eyecandy over playability road.

Re:Still $300

[gray code]

I'm glad someone mentioned HL2; does it not seem a little strange that every retail outlet (as of the last time I priced it, anyway) sell the game for $55 and it never goes on sale? Ever? It's, what, 8 months old? No price drop anywhere? Sales can't still be high enough after 8 months to support that price. It smells like dictated pricing to me, but isn't price fixing illegal? You see the same thing with Apple products: no one ever has a sale on iPods or Macs. Anyone know the scoop? Have I made an incorrect assumption somewhere?

Re:Still $300

[acvh]

"A controller with more than one button."

A joystick with more than one button just confuses grandma, and it encourages developers to put game controls in places they don't belong.

Re:Still $300

[dreold]

Many manufacturers have agreements with their distributors specifying a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP). This is why you will never find Sony or Apple gear advertised outside of maybe a 1-5% difference of Manufacturer's Suggested Retail price (MSRP). These agreements can go as far as specifying the Actual Selling Price.

Mind you this only really works with items that are somewhat high profile ("AAA") as in those cases the market will actually bear these prices for an extended period. And in cases where the actual top level distribution is very tightly controlled (Apple, for example), there may be only so many places where a retailer can purchase the goods. Since a retailer needs to make a specific margin on a product they sell, the "Street Price" can be controlled through wholesale pricing, under above mentioned circumstances.

If you look at very large distributors/retailers who can take advantage of volume discounts, they sometimes print or say "Call for price" in their advertising which means they have some sort of agreement with the manufacturer or want to maintain a "friendly" relationship with their supplier.

Note: I use the terms manufacturer and distributor sort of loosely here, you get the idea though.

That's great!

[jarich]

$300 for a really cool triple core Linux box (post hacking, of course)! That's COOL!

$300 Isn't So bad..

[fwice]

$300 isn't all of too bad for a console, especially considering the hardware present. Looking back, the NES came out at $199 initially, as did the SNES, and N64. The N64 didn't even include any games, just a solitary controller. The $60 price tag for games is what N64 games cost as well.
I'm viewing it as a slightly more expensive initial investment. That, and only that.

and no, I'm not planning on buying one.

perhaps not as sure as you seem to think

[frovingslosh]

One thing is for sure: It's time to start gearing up for an expensive Christmas.

Do you understand that buying this, as well as lots of overpriced games, is entirely optional?

Re:perhaps not as sure as you seem to think

[frovingslosh]

Either that, or I raise them to think that they don't get everything they throw a trantrum for. One has to wonder about the next generation when parents make posts like yours.

Re:perhaps not as sure as you seem to think

[hal2814]

I have kids. It's still optional. You just have to learn to tell them no. I know that's not a popular thing to do becuase it requires effort on the parent's part.

I don't think so.

[Godeke]

It's time to start gearing up for an expensive Christmas.

Um, no, I don't think so. I own all three consoles from the current generation. In fact, I have two PS2s... one for the living room and one for dressing room. I didn't originally mean for it to be that way: we kept the Game Cube in the living room because when people come over: it is the best for party games. We kept the PS2 out there so my son could continue playing the games he had become accustom to. I bought the X-Box when the price dropped and put it the dressing room so at night I could play without disturbing others. The Steel Battalions reissue didn't hurt.

In the end I *had* to get another PS2 so I could actually play games I wanted. I felt like when I was a kid and we picked up an Odyssey instead of the Atari. There weren't enough games that *I* wanted to play. I still have my X-Box but I find myself working really hard to find games that have that slight edge on the X-Box to make buying them for it worthwhile. (Psychonauts is a recent example, one of a small number).

Combine that with the fact that Live is overrun with punk kids (and now the 360 offers the new "see me flip you off" feature... OH BOY!), the lack of full backwards compatibility and the high price games they are going for... I think I will wait like I did with the X-Box for the price drop and the bargain bins of games. Maybe... if the PS3 doesn't take all my money when it comes out.

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:I don't think so.

[thatguywhoiam]

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.

So - are you going with PS3, and its superior 1080p, next time around?

Or are you going to be sensible and see which has the better games first?

Sorry I'll wait for HDDVD

[Eunuch]

DVD has been dragging its low capacity ass for far too long. I'll wait for v2.

Re:300?

[rwven]

It's hard to say. It might be two years before they add that feature so the xbox might be selling for 200 anyway. i'd imagine it would only raise the price by like 30-50 bucks, but i may be way off...

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...

$60 games is cheap!

[rmccann]

$60 = 50. New games normally cost 60 at launch here in Ireland.

Re:360

[MisterMurphy]

$359.98. I guess they'll have to rename the console, won't they? "They XBox 359.98; because we can't just make something cost an even dollar amount!"

Better than Atari 2600

[DoofusOfDeath]

Way back in the day (maybe 1980?) I got an Atari 2600 for Christmas, and I think it cost $250. Games cost about $25, IIRC.

Accoding to http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ that Atari 2600 would cost $634.91, and each cartridge would cost $63.49, in 2005 dollars.

So Xbox 360 is actually a great deal compared to the Atari 2600 if you just look at price.

I can't see any reason to complain about the price

[JudgeFurious]

  The price of the console is fine, exceptional even considering what you get. That's to be expected since they routinely sell these machines at a loss to get them in the hands of the game buying public.

  $60 a pop for the games is insane though. I was raised on video games and I love video games but I'll be damned if I'm ever going to give anyone $60 for a game.

  I still think the "optimum price" for a new game should be around $39. Anything more than that turns the game into an instant "I'll look at it again when it gets marked down, or I'll buy it used later on"

Reconsidering my budget

[Iriel]

$59.99?

Damn. If single games get any worse, subscription MMO's might actually become cheaper overall! ;)

(Yes, I know Guild Wars has no fee. I play it with religious fervor)

...this is nothing new.

[Audigy]

ps2 and xbox both launched at 300$...

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

[Damek]

Is it just me, or has something drastically changed here at Slashdot? I'm seeing almost no 4/5-moderated comments on any Slashdot stories for the past few days...

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

[hoggoth]

> Is it just me, or has something drastically changed here at Slashdot?
> I'm seeing almost no 4/5-moderated comments on any Slashdot stories for the past few days...

As is, the parent is a boring offtopic comment... but mod it up to +5 and you've got some real humor, baby! It would have everything, irony, pathos, in-jokes.

MOD IT UP!!

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.

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

[Tsiangkun]

All the insightful comments were being submitted by a script.

I'm not seeing that stupid image/text thingy today, so I imagine the +5 posts will return shortly.

Re:$60 for games too much?

[Mr.Dippy]

I remember there was Virtual Racing for Sega Genesis that cost 100 bucks. The reason that cartridge games were so expensive because the game companies would load them up with RAM to make them have pretty graphics. Remember STrider for Sega Genesis. The box for it advertised that it had 8 megs of RAM! I believe the game sold for 70 bucks. There is no reason today to sell games for more because they get stamped on the same CD/DVD disc. Personally, I'm going to hold out on all three new consoles until I know which one is better and which one is more cost effective. I'm already squirmish about shelling out 50 bucks for a new game.

the gamecube

[cerelib]

what you just mentioned about the gamecube is exactly why I like it. If you have people over what better to play than super smash bros melee or similar nintendo games. they build in an optional automatic handicap as opposed to halo where it is obvious that the people who play it constantly destroy everybody. a little off topic but I just had to comment on the gamecube remark. in general I like where Nintendo is taking gaming.

No economist....

[mattmentecky]

But isn't there some sort of sticking point price for games? It seemed like it was $49.99, throw down a hundred and you get two, ya know? But $60? That seems way out of the realm. But thats just me.

Either Microsoft doesn't realize that people will always spend within their means (ie if you have $500 in disposable income a year to spend on games, youre going to spend it if they are $50 or $60) or Microsoft is throwing in the towel and fixing a high price for games because they figure that gamers just won't buy a high number of their games and that there just won't be a large number of games to buy (which was a critique of the original Xbox, not enough games).

Re:EXTRA EXTRA! Slashdot covers lack of news!

[Momoru]

There is no one more knowledgeable about the industry then Walmart employees. Just go to any Walmart video game counter and experience the vast wealth of knowledge they possess.

Funny,

[kryogen1x]

The price of the Xbox 360 and one game at launch comes out to $360. Coincidence?

Re:Funny,

[wickedj]

Now if only the PS3 and a new game came out to $3...

Re:Funny,

[Dirtside]

No, clearly the name "PS3" is merely a number in base 29 (digits: 0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS). So in reality, it'll cost $22,710!

Attn: Wal Mart Employees

[ch-chuck]

We have a leak in aisle 6 - send Microsoft cleanup crew immediately. Repleat, we have a leak in aisle 6.

Re:How about SNES?

[mustbepatient]

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

It's not $299.99 from Wal-Mart...

[rah1420]

...because Wal-Mart never prices anything ending in a '9'.

I had heard that as an urban legend, but apparently it's true.

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.

Minux the HD Drive too

[varmittang]

Don't forget that you will need to upgrade later to get the HD drive and higher def games.

$60 Games will make me rent from now on.

[Viewsonic]

There are far too many games being released today that aren't even worth the $50 being charged as is. If they think they can suddenly bump it to $60 for the same crap, I think they're going to find out real quick what the last console crash was like first hand.

If a game is going to cost $60, it had better get 9/10 or 10/10 reviews from nearly everywhere, and be hailed as the next best thing. If it is even SHY of that, 8/10 or an average 3/5 game, then I can think they can kiss any sales goodbye.

I have a feeling this next generation will be dubbed generation rental.

Priceless:

[blake3737]

Xbox 360: $300 Game for XBox 360: $60 Getting to see some immature idiot moon you via the new feature in xbox live: Priceless

Re:$60 games? $300 console?

[nutshell42]

Yeah, right. The new Xbox is the same price while games are more expensive. That's gonna show those people who don't buy any games.

What?!?

[GunFodder]

Who paid $199 for an NES? That was the mega-package with the robot that Nintendo put together to sneak their game console into stores that remembered The Great Video Game Crash of 1983. I bet most people bought the cheaper bundle; I know my NES console cost $80.

That's because ..

[dustmite]

This is a Microsoft product, no one on Slashdot is going to actually pay money for it

That's because most slashdotters' parents are going to buy it for them ;)

I want a game system, not a status symbol.

[Scrameustache]

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.

I don't have a 5.1 HDTV setup.
And I don't want "games" who's main selling point is that they have 5.1 sound and 480p display.

I want games I can play for fun, not for showing off, thank you very much.

Re:Not a replacement

[Anonymous Coward]

obligatory: counter with Resident Evil, point out that the PS2 has a lot of silly japanese games

concede that the GC is short on games, though maintain that most of them are fantastic and any adult who has a problem playing any (non-pokemon) one of them has insecurity problems.

p.s. if that doesn't work, mention that the PS2 is the one with Karaoke Revolution...

Combat rocked for it's time

[Monte]

So enlighten us - what spooky awsome video action were you using in 1977 that made Combat look so lame?

Here's the history lesson: The idea that you could actually interact with images on a television screen was pretty damned novel back then. Stuff moved around, you shot at it, it went boom.

Which, in the final analysis, describes most of today's popular video games as well. The images and explosions are just prettier now. But it all still boils down to "Push button, go boom", doesn't it?

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).

Re:No XBOX

[DaveCBio]

Well, since I'm married I don't give a crap about getting girls to like my games. My wife finished San Andreas before me so I have no worries there. Also, I like games where my ability to learn and improve has an impact on gameplay. Retro games are fun once in a while, but they are shallow. You want to sit there and play NES while I check out the new GTA go ahead.

Re:Wal-Mart employees

[dTox]

Now just how many Wal-Mart employee paychecks would it take to buy an XBox 360...?

Is that men's paychecks or women's?

Re:Costco will sell them for $200

[DaveCBio]

Right, because we all know Sony is run by a nice Japanese family out of their little shop in Tokyo and Nintendo is a kindly old man that just likes making kids happy. They have no profit or market share motivations like Microsoft does. And Microsoft will go out it's way to make games that suck and to kick puppies.

the poll is screwed up, too

[The Fun Guy]

Another sign of /. wierdness... today's Poll ("favorite tool of destruction") was created as an archive, so no comments can be posted.

Personally, I think that Hemos, CmdrTaco and all the other /. bigwigs have gone up to their cabins in the U.P. for August, and have left the running of /. to some interns. This is why you should never, never, never give interns Administrator privledges, even temporarily.

The Strategy for the PS3

[courtarro]

A few months before Sony's ready to release the PS3, they'll set the price at 499.99 for WalMart. Then, WM employees leak the price to every scoop blog and its brother, infurating everyone and leading to claims such as "Sony is greedy" or "I'll be poor" or "I'd never buy a PS3 anyway". A few months pass, as people speculate what the box will have as well as slowly rationalize that price to match the features. Eventually, Sony makes the official release at the asking price of just $349.99! Holy crap, that's a $150 savings! All that and it's barely more expensive than the XBox 360! Where's my wallet?

Re:you get nailed by volume, though.

[antic]

You can't sell your movie ticket after you've watched the movie. You can sell or trade your unwanted Xbox games.

Much better cost of entertainment per hour.

But it's basic versioning -- you will pay more if you want it sooner. With the $10 movies at the cinema, that will be out on DVD, then in the bargain bin, then on TV, etc.