Microsoft lowers XBox price outside US (X-box European hopes discussion pt2) (1 Viewer)

[Dan Brecher]

Jeff,

I'd actually wonder if this wasn't a Microsoft strategy in Europe from the get go. It's as if they thought "ok, lets try at £299 and see what happens, if sales flag after the initial launch we can reduce to £199 and do this rebate offer for those who paid £300"... I just get the sense this was perhaps planned all along.

Dan

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Wouldn't put it past MS
But a price change this fast still means they have sold approximately 7 units (kidding guys!)

 

[Dan B]

I am impressed that Microsoft offered the compensation to early buyers of the Xbox over there, & hope the price cut helps their sales a bit. I guess we'll have to wait & see if it has a big effect or not...

-Dan

 

[BrianB]

I'd actually wonder if this wasn't a Microsoft strategy in Europe from the get go. It's as if they thought "ok, lets try at £299 and see what happens, if sales flag after the initial launch we can reduce to £199 and do this rebate offer for those who paid £300"... I just get the sense this was perhaps planned all along.

Definitely not. It's a massive PR blunder, and it's gotten them more bad press than good. It's annoyed a lot of retailers too.

 

[paul h]

Makes me wonder what, if anything Sony will do with the PS2 price now...

E3 should be killer this year, MS know they have to show some quality games, Nintendo will have their big names and who knows what Sony will have.

 

[Ryan Peter]

You guys are talking about Amped, that's one of the best games I've ever played. I rented SSX Tricky and it was just unplayable after logging in tons of hours on Amped. I even played Dark Summit and it's not as good as Amped at all. I think it took me about 30 or 40 hours to get to 20th ranking in Amped. I just sold it on Half.com in anticipation for the next Amped. That should be an amazing title.

 

[BrianB]

Makes me wonder what, if anything Sony will do with the PS2 price now...

Man down pub told me last night not to buy a PS2 this week if you're in Europe.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The thing is, Sony doesn't need to do anything. They already dropped the price in Europe and Japan after selling a TON of consoles, and they undoubtedly have a price drop coming soon in America, so they don't have to veer from their plans that much.

Though more price drops would be accepted.

 

[Brad Grenz]

I always feel dirty after reading those kind of interviews, might as well have taken out an advertisment in an independant magazine. It's so incestuous, these Official magazine, not just the Xbox ones, but Nintendo Power, the Official PSX mag. But those interviews... Do these people ever actually sit together for a Q/A session? Cause it always seems like they came direct from marketing. Jeff's translation was completely apt. My favortie part is the "Thank You pakage":

OXM UK: Tell us about the 'Thank-You' package.

Chris Lewis: Microsoft is committed to its gamers in every aspect. We felt it was important to reward the early adopters of Xbox who are already enjoying Xbox since launch on March 15. And we want to make sure they continue to feel very, very good about their Xbox purchase. That's critically important for us now and going forward.

They couldn't not do this. Talk about burning you bridges. This is a "no, don't worry. we didn't fuck you over! really, we didn't!!! here, takes some free stuff, here's some more, just don't freak out! please!!!"--thing.

It's really weird though, having the PS2 and XBox be more expensive in the states than anywhere else in the world. Thats a complete flip of how things usually are.

 

[Sean Oneil]

I agree with Jeff. I read the first sentence where the MS marketing major said the reason for the price cut was "Not at all" due to lagging sales..
-And then I stopped reading and moved on to the next post.
I am glad that they cut the price, however.