Breaking news: Xbox will be really expensive!

[Arrrhalomynn]

Well, maybe not that breaking.

Highly placed sources in the UK industry have told GamesIndustry.biz that the Xbox 360 is set to launch in Europe on November 25th, with the US launch preceding a few days earlier - and the price tag may be as high as UKP 299.

According to our sources, speaking under conditions of strict anonymity, the official announcement of the European date will be made by Microsoft to its trade partners on the 15th of this month, two days before a public announcement at Game Convention in Leipzig.

While they were confident of the dates being mooted, the price of the system remains less certain - with our sources indicating that Microsoft itself may not have made up its mind on the matter as yet.

"The original plan was UKP 249, but now that Sony is talking about the PS3 being expensive, UKP 299 is looking more likely," according to one source - although it was admitted that this pricing is a "best guess" based on information from Microsoft, not an official figure by any means.

Even allowing for the higher tax rates here in Europe, a UKP 299 price point would translate as around $500 in the US, which is significantly higher than is currently anticipated by most market watchers - among whom the general consensus is that the system will launch at $300, suggesting a UK price point of under UKP 200.

One area of pricing which our independent sources were more certain of was the pricing of software, with Xbox 360 titles likely to hit shelves at around UKP 44.99 - a price premium over current generation software which Microsoft is said to be unhappy with, but which has been driven by demands from third party publishers.

Microsoft this afternoon declined to comment on the reports, saying simply that "we have nothing to announce at this time."

Now this is all just gossiping by people 'on the inside', but if it's true, it doesn't sound too good. At least not for us. I don't think the introduction price for the XBOX was much lower here, so I can't blame them for trying it again. Especially if there's no competition yet.

[Izret101]

Well if thats the truth i am definately NOT going to be getting a 360 for quite some time.
And i won't be buying very many games new either.
360 is way to rich for my blood.
.
But arn't the PAL prices generally higher anyways?

[phoenix1967]

If any new system is released for more than $299, I have a hard time believing that it would sell. Especially since you'll have to purchase software (at least $49.99 each new game), probably a memory card($19.99?), and likely a 2nd controller (which will likely be around $39.99 since they're wireless now).

I bought my xbox when it dropped to $179.99, and only because I had a $50 gift certificate to help offset the cost.

The one thing that MS has going for it is the backward compatibility. Even though it sounds like it's only for "top selling" games, it's still a solid selling point.  

[Izret101]

The one thing that MS has going for it is the backward compatibility. Even though it sounds like it's only for "top selling" games, it's still a solid selling point.

Yea assuming you already have enough to buy the console and a few games it is a solid selling point.
Also didn't they decide not to ship this with the harddrive?
There goes another 100 bucks.

I am sure not going to be paying 500+ bucks because i can play Halo2 on my new 360.

[Arrrhalomynn]

But aren't the PAL prices generally higher anyways?

Yeah, they are. The XBOX and Playstation 2 both launched at higher prices than 300 pounds (if I remember correctly). On the other hand, so did the Sega Saturn, and we all remember how that ended....

[phoenix1967]

Forgive my cluelessness, but I've seen the term "PAL" a lot and have no idea what it refers to. What does it stand for?

[Izret101]

PAL is the games released in Europe.
And don't worry about your cluelessness.
It happens

[den68]

PAL stands for the Phase Alternating Line. This is a video standard used by the color television industry and is the common standard used in Europe. This video signal format sets the video to playback at 25 frames per second which contain 625 lines of pixels in each frame.

There are various divisions within the PAL standard which determine what pixel and frame aspect ratios are used. These formats are as follows:

· PAL (resolution 720 x 486)
· D-1 PAL (resolution 720 x 576)
· D-1 PAL Square Pix (resolution 768 x 576)

US TV's are NTSC

NTSC stands for the National Television Standards Committee. It is a video signal standard used by the color television industry in the United States and Japan.

The NTSC is a common format used by many video compression boards.

NTSC video contains frames and fields. Most NTSC video frames consist of two interlaced fields. Each field is displayed as alternating horizontal lines across the screen. Most computer video formats are non-interlaced.

The frame aspect ratio used by the NTSC standard format is 4:3. This format uses a 640 by 480 resolution.

I got this info off a FAQ btw. I knew the gist but not the specifics.

[CatchFiveBats]

I'm really not surprised, and I'm also not that aggravated, since I won't be buying a PS3 or 360 on launch...or, perhaps, ever.  Revolution all the way!

[Vladimir]

That's to be expected with all the useless shit they're cramming in that damn box.  I don't much care.  

I'll be getting the Revolution, maybe the PS3 if it doesn't cost a million bucks, and gives me a reason to want it.

I wish Sega would make a comeback T-T

[CatchFiveBats]

I wish Sega would make a comeback T-T

You keep on saying that, but it's never going to happen.  They don't have the kind of funding to release another console, and with the decisions they've made with previous consoles, they probably wouldn't last long even if they did make a comeback.  At least, that's what I think.

I'll be getting the Revolution, maybe the PS3 if it doesn't cost a million bucks, and gives me a reason to want it.

The PS3 is going to cost a lot.  If you read the quote in the first post, it says that Sony is talking about the PS3 being more expensive, so you're probably out of luck there too.

[atari_wizard]

Revolution all the way!

for sure! i am looking forward to getting a revolution too!
my wife just pcs'd from germany to new york and when her house hold goods came, we noticed that our xbox was stolen! along with a wireless controller and a few other misc. things. with the price being that high, i think we can live with picking up another xbox. i'd say 6 months to a year later, i'll be able to pick a 360 up.

[PDorr3]

If this is true, than xbox 360 and elder scrolls 4 :-[ I was hoping for a price like 300 or less

[CatchFiveBats]

If this is true, than xbox 360 and elder scrolls 4 :-[

Crap!  You're right...I guess I'll just have to get a better PC.

[Tynstar]

I will be getting the XBox 360 if it is $299.99 or lower. I will also get Elder Scroll for $49.99 I already have $50 down for the preorder on the 360. I will but some more money down each month until it comes out to spread out the cost.