MS Xbox360 Arcade For $279 Confirmed >

	2007/10/18 10:47:03: Posted by DM
	Apparently it is finally official. Microsoft is bringing out a $249 Xbox360 bundle called the Xbox360 Arcade pack. The $279 Arcade will include a wireless controller and casual games including Pac-Man, Uno and Luxor 2. You have to register to read the FT.com article. >Link
	Labeled With  xbox360 microsoft Comments [14]  | Rate this article: -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  | Avg. rating of 9.0

wow same price as wii ! Nintendo is not scared of this issue :o

DM! you have $249 in the subject, and $279? I'm guessing it's 279

Nintendo had better get scared, for several reasons!

(1) Nintendo claims their production problems will limit the number of Wii's that consumers can purchase this holiday.

(2) In the past, the "Core" system really was a stupid purchase, because it didn't come with a memory card, which you obviously needed to play all games with. What was worse is that the 64MB Memory Card used to cost $50, yet the 20GB Hard Drive was $99...So, it really was dumb to buy the "Core," system, and that is why it didn't sell well.

(3) The new "Arcade" version of the Xbox 360 comes with a 256MB Memory Card for only $249, which means that the instant you open the box, you don't need to buy anything else in order to play Xbox 360 games. You automatically have the ability to play and save Xbox 360 games with the Xbox 360 Arcade system.

(4) Xbox 360 Arcade has the same excellent marketing advantage that the Wii does: "Games that come with the system." In the past, the Wii Sports package allowed people to hear "You get six games with the system." The Xbox 360 Arcade package comes with FIVE Xbox Live Arcade games, AND five additional samples of other Xbox Live Arcade games!!! That means the Xbox 360 Arcade unit will have that same marketing advantage.



*** The Arcade system has already been sold in stores for $279...when I saw $249 I actually thought Microsoft could have responded to the price drop of the PS3 by making it so the Arcade system would be $249, followed by an eventual price drop of $299 for the Premium, and $399 for the Elite. Time will tell what happens.

But one thing is clear, this holiday belongs to the Xbox 360 and Wii for several reasons:

(1) The PS3 doesn't have enough exclusive games

(2) The overwhelming majority of mutli-platform games end up better on the Xbox 360, and inferior on the PS3.

(3) Price. Playstation 3 is simply too expensive. Even $399 takes the PS3 out of a position from possible competition with the Xbox 360 and Wii. From a business point of view, they are targeting very different potential consumers. It's like fishing; they are in different pools of water right now. And if Microsoft does lower the price to $299 for the Premium, then the Xbox 360 truly will ride the wave of Halo 3 momentum into the #1 position this holiday, for the second year in a row.

^^^^^^^, they need to do better than that, huge price cut needed

I think this is a great deal for someone who's interested in diving into the XBox360 system. Can easily see parents purchasing this unit for their kids for Christmas. Sure hope a game like Contra or Heavy Weapon is on that disc, though. I can already hear the kids crying about the 'casual' game selection.

No news on release date?

so a blu-ray/40gb console for €400 is bette the elite ya twat, go kill yarr self ya microfoft lovin oiece of shit/ go and bry to your fuuvkin parents ya piece, BTW your lucky i fif nt frink jrager 2 nite onetherwise sum1 wud be hurt.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ dude, that english

@Krogan

PS3 is too expensive?!? It's only $120 more than the gimped 360 Arcade, and for that you get:

1. BluRay

2. 40GB hard disk

3. WiFi

4. Gigabit Ethernet

5. Free online play

6. Ability to add inexpensive standard SATA hard drives

7. Ability to use any USB mass storage device to easily back up your data

8. Ability to play ALL PS3 games, even online

I suppose you think Pac-Man is worth a lot then. What a joke. Add just a hard drive or WiFi or two years of Live gold and you're paying as much or more than a 40GB PS3, and getting sooooo much less. I just don't understand how anyone can recommend the arcade to anyone, it's HORRIBLE value.

Response to madgunde:

From the point of view of a hardcore gamer, the Wii Sports games aren't much of a value, and neither are package deals that come with the Arcade system with Pac-Man, and things like that...however, it is the simple, yet EFFECTIVE, marketing that can be applied...Parents like to hear "This comes with 5 games" when they are buying a system for their kids.



As far as the 8 things you list about the PS3 40GB system, I would like to reply to each of them to point out why the 40GB Playstation 3 will NOT be wanted by consumers...it will fail even worse than the 20GB system of the PS3.

1. BluRay - is NOT something consumers want at all at this point in time. When the PS2 included a DVD player it was a very important factor, becausd DVD was better than VHS in every way--DVD was revolutionary; it was something everyone could take advantage of, and everyone agreed DVD was the format winner.

Dedicated Blu-ray players are now being OUTSOLD by dedicated HD-DVD players once again. There is currently a format war going on...Blu-ray is a RISK of a purchase with very expensive discs.

Also, Blu-ray discs do NOT have the same high-quality mandatory standards that HD-DVD does. Things that are "optional" for Blu-ray are MANDATORY for HD-DVD.

Also, using Blu-ray for "Space" was a mistake for the Playstation 3...less than 1% of discs require more space than what a dual-layer DVD offers.

Also, EVERY Playstation 3 game uses a 25GB Blu-ray disc. If Sony would have used an HD-DVD drive for the PS3, there would be even more space available, because the standard disc size for HD-DVD disc is dual-layer 30GB. The dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray discs are rarely used for movies, and have never been used for games, because they have a very high defect ratio and are very expensive to produce. Sony could have used HD-DVD for more space in the PS3, for LESS HARDWARE COST.

Bottom Line: Blu-ray is NOT a significant factor, especially for a game system. You can't buy Transformers on Blu-ray, like you can with HD-DVD.



2. 40GB hard disk - is simply NOT important! Even Sony produced a 20GB version of the Playstation 3, because they know that you would never need that much space for playing games. Also, this will actually work against Sony, because "Who would want to pay $399 for 40GB, when you could pay $100 extra for 80GB." The problem is, that is $500...which causes consumers to say, "Do I want a $500 PS3, or the much higher rated Xbox 360 for less than $300."



3. WiFi - is NOT a significant factor. There are seven million Xbox Live subscribers, but only a small percentage use Wi-Fi. In fact, I actually have a 4-port Wireless Router at my home, but I only use it with one of my laptop computers. My other laptop computer goofs up with the WiFi stuff because WiFi is interupted where I live. And both my PS3 and Xbox 360 have lost connections with WiFi. For gaming online I would much rather plug in the Ethernet cord, because it has a better form of connection reliability...that is why the Xbox 360 comes with an Ethernet cable.



4. Gigabit Ethernet - is NOT a factor. I have high-speed Internet, and I pay extra cash each month, just to get an 8MB per second connection speed rather than the standard 4MB connection speed. It's nice to see 100MB for a possible LAN Connection Speed, but NONE of the Cable/Modem/DSL or other form of ISP offers that type of speed at this point in time.



5. Free online play - is VASTLY INFERIOR to the Xbox Live Gold account that costs about $4 per month. Examples:

(1) Many Playstation 3 games do NOT offer online play at all...while the Xbox 360 versions DO offer online play.

(2) Even the PS3 games that do offer online play do NOT let you talk while you are playing the game. For example, if you play John Madden NFL Football 2008 on the Xbox 360 you can talk to the person you are playing online with the whole time, using the headset included with your Xbox 360 system. But on the Playstation 3, even if you purchase a headset seperately, you still can NOT talk while you are playing the game.

OBVIOUSLY, Xbox Live is FAR SUPERIOR to anything offered on the PS3.



6. Ability to add inexpensive standard SATA hard drives - There is NOTHING that would cause you to need to buy a big 300GB or 500GB hard drive for your PS3. Sony does NOT give consumers the ability to download THOUSANDS of TV Shows and Movies, like the Xbox 360 does with Xbox Live.

For example, if you want to watch shows like Heroes or Star Trek in High-Definition, Blu-ray doesn't let you do that...and neither does the Playstation 3. But with the Xbox 360 you can choose to download high-definition programs like that with the On-Demand Xbox Live Marketplace.



7. Ability to use any USB mass storage device to easily back up your data - is a feature also offered by the Xbox 360...sooooo, you really shouldn't be listing this as a special feature.

One thing that is special is the fact that the 40GB Playstation 3 is missing two USB wired controller ports...another thing that is very important is the fact that the low-end 40GB Playstation 3 is missing the Memory Card inputs that other versions of the Playstation 3 have.



8. Ability to play ALL PS3 games, even online - Not all Playstation 3 games are online...just because games like Virtua Tennis 3 and Virtua Fighter 5 are online for the Xbox 360 does NOT mean they can be played online for the Playstation 3...the Playstation 3 versions do NOT allow you to play online.

Not only that, but the Playstation 3 versions of games like NCAA Football 2008 and John Madden NFL Football 2008 do NOT let you talk online while you are playing...as soon as you start playing, you lose the ability to talk with the person you are playing the game with. But on the Xbox 360 you can ALWAYS talk with the person you are playing online with. In the Xbox 360 version, you can scream YES!!!! when you score a touchdown!!!

Also, the 40GB Playstation 3 does NOT have the ability to play ANY of the Playstation 2 games...that is NOT a good thing.



$400 is far too expensive for a low-end version of a PS3 system that does not even offer backward compatibility with the PS2.

With the Xbox Live Arcade system, it is only $279, and if you want to make it backward compatibile in the future, just buy a Hard Drive...you have that option.

But with the 40GB Playstation 3, it is a PERMANENT thing...a BAD THING...no backward compatibility with the PS2...EVER.

@ Krogan

1. Consumers do want HD movies, it was in the top 10 wanted items for this Christmas, ahead of the XBox 360.

2. Sure, having 40GB instead of 20GB isn't important, but with all the game demos, movie trailers and soon to be music and video sales that will be offered via PSStore, it's definitely nice. Having a 40GB hard disk is way better than no hard disk at all.

3. Most home networks are WiFi. Therefore, having WiFi means you support what most people have out of the box. No extra accessories required!

4. Again, Gigabit ethernet may not be important, but having it is better than not having it. It makes the PS3 more future proof, and ready to take advantage of faster networks for media streaming, which the PS3 supports. I agree it's not important for internet access, but the PS3 can use it's network features for more than just internet access.

5. Don't think the Arcade comes with a headset, so that's not an argument for it. To make matters worse, you HAVE to buy a proprietary headset if you want one, unlike the PS3 which supports open standard headsets. PSN is adding new features all the time and will continue to be free. So when PSN does everything XBLive does, then what will your excuse for paying for it be?

6. My 60GB hard disk is already full, I had to delete a bunch of stuff off of it. The point is, if and when a PS3 owner decides to upgrade their hard disk, they can buy inexpensive standard drives in whatever sizes they feel they need. For the price of the 20GB 360 hard drive, I could buy a 120GB hard disk for my PS3. As for music and video downloads, it's coming, sooner than you think, and I'll be able to take advantage of it affordably, while 360 owners are stuck paying $180 for a 120GB hard drive, when I could buy twice that amount of storage for the same price. Even better, when I upgrade my hard disk, I can use the old one as an external backup. The 360's old HD is useless.

7. Sorry, I am mistaken, but my understanding is you can't load any media acquired through XBLM onto external media. Also, the 360 does not have built-in standard memory card slots either, so I fail to see why this is an issue for the 40GB PS3. A USB memory card reader can be added easily and inexpensively. Also, 2 USB ports is plenty since the PS3 controllers are wireless. You only need the ports to charge and you can use a USB hub to extend or a dedicated charger.

8. The 360 Arcade can't play any XBox 1 games either, so I fail to see why you're knocking the PS3 40GB model for lack of backwards compatibility. Besides, backwards compatibility isn't even used by most 360 or PS3 owners. If you want backwards compatiblity, buy a PS2 and you'll get far better compatibility than the 360 or PS3 offer, and it's only $30 more than the crappy 20GB 360 hard drive you speak of. $30 is more than worth it to have a whole other console that can be connected to another TV in the house and played by another family member while you use the PS3.