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Taken from ComputerAndVideoGames.com
EXCLUSIVE: XBOX PRICE SLASHED IN EUROPE ON APRIL 26
Blink. You read it right. Microsoft has just confirmed that the price of its console is about to fall by £100, with full compensation for those who bought at the original price
Microsoft is to drop the price of Xbox in Europe by £100 to £199 on April 26, less than six weeks after the launch of the machine. Slow pan-European sales prompted calls from industry leaders in the last week to drop the price immediately. Microsoft has obviously had its ears wide open.
"At 6.00am today, we'll be reducing the price of the Xbox to €299, £199, effective from April 26," said Chris Lewis, UK divisional director for Xbox retail. "There are no announcements, or any plans to make price changes elsewhere. It is a European-only announcement at this stage."
The speed of the move will come as a shock to many, but Microsoft has merely pointed to its wish to remain competitive in an increasingly tough market.
"When we announced the price back in Cannes at X01 [In October, 2001 – Ed], the terrain was slightly different to that which we have now," said Lewis. "Nintendo [GameCube] wasn't imminent, and certainly PlayStation 2 was at a different price point. We were always committed to being competitive.
"For us to remain competitive, and to allow even more people to get the best value and get the chance to play with Xbox, we want to remove any obstacles to success and change our price-point now."
Lewis went on to reiterate Microsoft's commitment to the console market for the long-term.
Obviously wary of causing chagrin among early adopters - already at least £345 lighter due to buying at the original European price - Microsoft also confirmed today a system for refunding gamers who supported the format from the off. Anyone who has already bought an Xbox, or buys one in Europe up to April 25, will be eligible to receive two free games and a free controller in the wake of the cut. Honestly and truly, kids, you cannot say fairer than that.
Xbox games retail at £45. Xbox controllers sell for £25. That's £115 in total. That's free money. Say "thank you Mr Microsoft". "We want to reward the early adoption," said Lewis.
Lewis denied that the price for the machine was pitched too high for Europe initially. "When we first made our pricing decisions in late summer last year, we felt that at that time – we were twice the power of PlayStation 2, we had a better games line-up, the box was future proof, we were built with broadband and there are a whole lot of online announcements coming at E3 - we offered great value for money," he said. "We still do.
"What we recognise now is that we need to remain competitive. To that end, we've made this decision and we've made it for Europe. We feel that we've made the right decision at the right time."
Xbox Europe is planning to head into E3 bouyed by extra sales garnered from the drop, with the general focus for the show looking increasingly likely to be online play. "What that does do is leave the way very clear for us to have some good discussions around the games and remove any obstacles that might be debated around the price," said Lewis.
EXCLUSIVE: XBOX PRICE SLASHED IN EUROPE ON APRIL 26
Blink. You read it right. Microsoft has just confirmed that the price of its console is about to fall by £100, with full compensation for those who bought at the original price
Microsoft is to drop the price of Xbox in Europe by £100 to £199 on April 26, less than six weeks after the launch of the machine. Slow pan-European sales prompted calls from industry leaders in the last week to drop the price immediately. Microsoft has obviously had its ears wide open.
"At 6.00am today, we'll be reducing the price of the Xbox to €299, £199, effective from April 26," said Chris Lewis, UK divisional director for Xbox retail. "There are no announcements, or any plans to make price changes elsewhere. It is a European-only announcement at this stage."
The speed of the move will come as a shock to many, but Microsoft has merely pointed to its wish to remain competitive in an increasingly tough market.
"When we announced the price back in Cannes at X01 [In October, 2001 – Ed], the terrain was slightly different to that which we have now," said Lewis. "Nintendo [GameCube] wasn't imminent, and certainly PlayStation 2 was at a different price point. We were always committed to being competitive.
"For us to remain competitive, and to allow even more people to get the best value and get the chance to play with Xbox, we want to remove any obstacles to success and change our price-point now."
Lewis went on to reiterate Microsoft's commitment to the console market for the long-term.
Obviously wary of causing chagrin among early adopters - already at least £345 lighter due to buying at the original European price - Microsoft also confirmed today a system for refunding gamers who supported the format from the off. Anyone who has already bought an Xbox, or buys one in Europe up to April 25, will be eligible to receive two free games and a free controller in the wake of the cut. Honestly and truly, kids, you cannot say fairer than that.
Xbox games retail at £45. Xbox controllers sell for £25. That's £115 in total. That's free money. Say "thank you Mr Microsoft". "We want to reward the early adoption," said Lewis.
Lewis denied that the price for the machine was pitched too high for Europe initially. "When we first made our pricing decisions in late summer last year, we felt that at that time – we were twice the power of PlayStation 2, we had a better games line-up, the box was future proof, we were built with broadband and there are a whole lot of online announcements coming at E3 - we offered great value for money," he said. "We still do.
"What we recognise now is that we need to remain competitive. To that end, we've made this decision and we've made it for Europe. We feel that we've made the right decision at the right time."
Xbox Europe is planning to head into E3 bouyed by extra sales garnered from the drop, with the general focus for the show looking increasingly likely to be online play. "What that does do is leave the way very clear for us to have some good discussions around the games and remove any obstacles that might be debated around the price," said Lewis.
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I heard you will only have a limited number of free games to choose from if you bought it for £299. Basically the release games plus a couple more..
Think I'll wait for the next price cut before thinking of getting one.
€299 hey? Thats about £15 squid cheaper than what the price will be here. Quicker we join the Euro the better...
€299 hey? Thats about £15 squid cheaper than what the price will be here. Quicker we join the Euro the better...
if you have already bought an XBOX go in with your reciept and you get a FREE controller and TWO FREE GAMES.
one word - wa
one word - wa
I'd get an X-box if I were you! Chances are they're gonna be rare in the future cos no one will have bought one, so you'd be able to sell it as a collectors item and make a fortune :)
Make sure you never get tempted to open the box though...
Make sure you never get tempted to open the box though...
Mattyboy wrote:
> I still cant decide whether to get one or not!!
same here! i dunno whether to get the cube or xbox, i am going to trade my ps2 in with some of my older games, i am keping the better ones so that i can play them on my bro's ps2 :)
> I still cant decide whether to get one or not!!
same here! i dunno whether to get the cube or xbox, i am going to trade my ps2 in with some of my older games, i am keping the better ones so that i can play them on my bro's ps2 :)
I still cant decide whether to get one or not!!
Blimey! 100 quid knocked off after just 5 weeks on the shelves, and I'm still not getting one!
Can't wait for May the 3rd, though.
Can't wait for May the 3rd, though.
Rakuga wrote:
> I'm suprised the price drops so early. I'm quite impressed that they
> will be compensating those first buyers. Seems only fair. Maybe Bill
> Gates isn't that evil..
Nintendo did the same with their N64's price drop as it was so sudden.
Don't you think it's a bit coincidental though?
The N64 boasted it was the most powerful games console in the world. However, it didn't sell very well so they reduced the price around a month later.
The X-box boasted it was the most powerful games console in the world. However, it didn't sell very well so they reduced the price around a month later.
> I'm suprised the price drops so early. I'm quite impressed that they
> will be compensating those first buyers. Seems only fair. Maybe Bill
> Gates isn't that evil..
Nintendo did the same with their N64's price drop as it was so sudden.
Don't you think it's a bit coincidental though?
The N64 boasted it was the most powerful games console in the world. However, it didn't sell very well so they reduced the price around a month later.
The X-box boasted it was the most powerful games console in the world. However, it didn't sell very well so they reduced the price around a month later.
I'm suprised the price drops so early. I'm quite impressed that they will be compensating those first buyers. Seems only fair. Maybe Bill Gates isn't that evil..
Desperation.
-It doesn't sell at all well after launch.
-Shops like GAME still have original launch date consoles.
-Microsoft refuse to admit it hasn't sold well.
-I laugh at Microsoft out loud for hours.
-Microsoft decide to lose even more money on top of the near billion for the XBox so far by lowering the price.
-People look at the 100 quid price drop in the shop and wonder why.
-People look at the interesting and exciting games on the GameCube and buy that a week later.
-Bill Gates sends an email to Steve Jobs asking for sympathy.
-Steve Jobs sends an email back with the smiley ' :-P ' on it.
-It doesn't sell at all well after launch.
-Shops like GAME still have original launch date consoles.
-Microsoft refuse to admit it hasn't sold well.
-I laugh at Microsoft out loud for hours.
-Microsoft decide to lose even more money on top of the near billion for the XBox so far by lowering the price.
-People look at the 100 quid price drop in the shop and wonder why.
-People look at the interesting and exciting games on the GameCube and buy that a week later.
-Bill Gates sends an email to Steve Jobs asking for sympathy.
-Steve Jobs sends an email back with the smiley ' :-P ' on it.
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