Looks like the 120-GB
hard drive and
HDMI (High-Definition
Multimedia Interface) Xbox 360 Elite may be headed for a hefty price cut. On gaming site
Kotaku, a photo of a page in Midwestern store chain Mejir's catalog shows the Xbox 360 Elite offered at $299 as of the end of this month -- in plenty of time for holiday shoppers.
The move is likely in response to increasing competition in the gaming sphere, and also as an effort to head off a potentially weak holiday retail season. The black Xbox 360 Elite system is currently priced at $399.99 The decision to make the Xbox more in line with the Wii's pricing is wise, given both systems' modest storage space. Kotaku also reports that the Xbox 360 Pro (which coincidentally sells for $299.99) will be discontinued, and that the Elite together with the slim, hard-drive-less Arcade will be the only 360s on the market.
Microsoft isn't the only gaming manufacturer feeling price pressure. Earlier in the summer, Activision CEO Bobby Kotic told the London Times the company believed the sales of games would slow down if the price of Sony's $400 PS3 did not decrease. Rumors abound online that the console will see a price cut of as much as $100 by the middle of August.
If the cut materializes, the Xbox 360 Elite will be only $50 more than a Wii -- and offers the ability to play DVDs (including the HD but not the Blu-ray format), stream Netflix and has more storage than the Wii. It may now be Nintendo's move next.
