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Xbox Scorpio Pricing Discussion

Anything over $399 and they push into that zone of too much for an impulse purchase, or justifiable upgrade over an XB1 or XB1s. Knowing Microsoft, they will have all the pieces in place, only to fumble on something so core that it ruins everything good about the product. I really don't want that to happen again. Scorpio needs to be a big hit. If not for the competition it will garner from Sony, but to also put back confidence in the brand with consumers and Microsoft shareholders alike. Pushing the price too high will be a deal breaker, and I'm very sure Microsoft is sensitive to this situation. I just hope those that make the final call on price have enough belief in the brand to take the loss per unit. It's a gamble, but a gamble I believe Microsoft needs to make.

So far, I think Microsoft has done everything right with Scorpio. They sound like they thoroughly believe in the system, and the future it could hold. Now that the hardware specs are out of the way, they can focus on games at E3 and other events leading up to launch.

We should all be hoping they don't fuck it up. I'm pulling for you Microsoft!

Once again this is a comment totally devoid of any consideration of how much it actually costs to make a Scorpio console. Your exact same argument could be used if Scorpio cost $1000 to make.

Another huge hole in your logic is that you are not looking at the sale of Scorpio from Microsoft's perspective. Scorpio is an enthusiast product. The people who will buy it likely already own an XB1. Microsoft makes money off of Xbox through game royalties and Live subscriptions. That money is the same regardless if a gamer is playing on an XB1 S or Scorpio. Simply put, the only money Microsoft makes by people upgrading to Scorpio is from the profits of Scorpio itself. Therefore it makes no sense for them to cut into that profit, or even more absurdly sell Scorpio at a huge loss.
 

belvedere

Junior Butler
Picking it up regardless but I don't see how it won't launch at $499. The pro is out now with less at $399. The market won't be changing that drastically in 7 months.
 
$450-500. I think any lower they'll be taking a loss. I think the majority of early Xbox Scorpio owners will be Xbox One owners, so why would MS take a loss when those people are already in their ecosystem? Buying Halo 6 on Scorpio or the regular Xbox is the same net result to them. I also don't think there's many people sitting on the console sidelines after 3 years that will suddenly buy the most expensive box available so no point in even trying to make the price appealing to those people.
 
Looking at the PS4 Pro is a good baseline for what we can expect the Scorpio to cost, because they are both Polaris APUs we can see the following features Scorpio has over PS4 Pro:

1. The APU Chip is similar architecture, but bigger to accommodate 4 more cores. ~25% extra cost.

2. The memory is of a higher quality and there's 12 GB vs. 9 GB. ~30-50% extra cost.

3. Clock rates are much higher on Scorpio, so the cooling system has to be a lot more expensive. I would venture to say upwards of 100% more costly.

4. Bigger power supply required. ~30-50% extra cost.

5. Motherboard complexity. ~25% extra cost.

6. UHD Drive vs. Blu-Ray drive. I believe the reason Sony didn't go this route is because it added about $20-30 extra.

You add all these factors up, and it isn't cheap. Basically, I don't see how Microsoft gets within $100 of the PS4 Pro without taking a large loss, which I do not think they are willing to do. None of their recent pricing history (Kinect, Xbox One Launch, etc) indicates that they are willing to do so.

So the question is, by this fall, will Sony have PS4 Pro down to $299 or $350? If so, expect Scorpio to be $400-449. The companies are certainly going after different strategies....Sony's being "we'll provide you good power at an affordable price", and Microsoft being "we'll provide you great power at a premium price".
 

MaulerX

Member
I'm going to say $399 for the entry level SKU (1TB HDD). Then go higher accordingly with the size of the HDD.
 

Quasar

Member
$399 - the dream

$449 - pleasant surprise

$499 - likely, and also justified imo. But I could see $449...

$550+ - #dead

EDIT: Will also depend if MS price drops the Xbox One S, and/or if they do different SKUs.

I just think it will be especially tough to sell it for anything much more than 399 if the PS4Pro is at 300-350 over Christmas. Especially if you want to expand the Xbox userbase and not just upsell the few XB1 diehards.
 

ChelseaLoveX

Neo Member
$599+

They're probably going to be aiming this thing at "hardcore" gamers. Those that complain about the price being too high, they'll say that the games are exactly the same on Xbox One, because they will be, save for the higher resolutions, etc.

• If $599+ is too much for you, stick with your Xbox One as you'll have the same exact games on it. (Kind of like they told people who didn't have an internet connection for the Xbox One to go buy an XBox 360)

• If $599+ doesn't bother you, then you pay for it and get a stronger box (Reminds me of PSVR, where the HTC Vive is clearly the stronger product, but PSVR probably sells better because its at a lower price when compared).
 

Quasar

Member
$599+

They're probably going to be aiming this thing at "hardcore" gamers. Those that complain about the price being too high, they'll say that the games are exactly the same on Xbox One, because they will be, save for the higher resolutions, etc.

• If $599+ is too much for you, stick with your Xbox One as you'll have the same exact games on it.

• If $599+ doesn't bother you, then you pay for it and get a stronger box (Reminds me of PSVR, where the HYC Vive is clearly the stronger product, but PSVR probably sells better because it's a lower price when compared).

Better come with an Elite controller then.
 

The Goat

Member
Impulse buy? I don't think people understand this is a product for the hardcore 4k bleeding edge visuals person who doesn't want to deal with PC's. The people who spend $150 on a controller. The XB1S will be for the casual person who just wants to play games without all the other nonsense.

Hmm, after reading EventHorizon's post, ok, I can understand that logic.
 

marciocdb

Banned
I'm betting on USD 449 ....

If Microsoft surprises us, it'll be USD 399... then it's an insta win for them (and for us)...
 

mozfan12

Banned
If you would have asked me pre 2017 if I would buy a Scorpio day one, I would have said most definitely even if it ends up being 600. With the absolutely shit start of 2017 for MS when it comes to exclusive content, I'm thinking I should just buy a PS4Pro. I'll wait till the conference to see what announcements they make at E3 as I've invested a lot in digital purchases/software in Xbox. Plus, I'm guessing if I wait, we might see a price drop fro PS4 Pro around E3 (or at least that's what I'm hoping). Software is king, and thatll be my justification for buying the Scorpio at the end of the day.
 
I just think it will be especially tough to sell it for anything much more than 399 if the PS4Pro is at 300-350 over Christmas. Especially if you want to expand the Xbox userbase and not just upsell the few XB1 diehards.
You can't substantially expand the base with a premium product. Microsoft already admits Scorpio will sell fewer units than the base version. Scorpio is a prestige product, not a mass market one.

People who would buy a more expensive Xbox over a less expensive one at this late date already own a console. The only way to expand the Xbox base is to convert existing PS4-only owners to Scorpio, and that group is very small. Most already have a large number of PS4 digital games they can't sell. Those who value power enough to switch likely already bought a Pro. They will feel little incentive to upgrade again just one year later. Remember, theses are people who are price sensitive enough that they never bought an XB1 before.
 

Bsigg12

Member
$499 2TB September release with no game.

$399 1TB November release with a game.

Very similar to how they handled the launch of the Xbox One S.
 

LostDonkey

Member
I've paid upwards of £400 just for graphics cards in the past so anything around £450-£499 For a full system is fine by me.

My phone was £700 ffs.

Obviously anything cheaper is a big bonus.
 

Chobel

Member
$499 2TB September release with no game.

$399 1TB November release with a game.

Very similar to how they handled the launch of the Xbox One S.

Why is the difference between 2TB and 1TB models $100? In XB1S models it's only $50.

EDIT: Two months without the cheaper SKU? lol not gonna happen.
 

Hawk269

Member
I don't think at all it will be more than $500. I think it will land at $499.99, hopeful for $449.99.

As far as a pack in, I don't think it would be wise to include a previously Xbox One game that has a Scorpio patch. I think they need to pack in something that will really show what this thing can do.
 

Darklor01

Might need to stop sniffing glue
$499.99 with 3 months of Xbox Live. $599.99 edition comes with a signed thank you note that reads..
the-shining-were-baaaack.jpg
 

Quasar

Member
You can't substantially expand the base with a premium product. Microsoft already admits Scorpio will sell fewer units than the base version. Scorpio is a prestige product, not a mass market one.

People who would buy a more expensive Xbox over a less expensive one at this late date already own a console. The only way to expand the Xbox base is to convert existing PS4-only owners to Scorpio, and that group is very small. Most already have a large number of PS4 digital games they can't sell. Those who value power enough to switch likely already bought a Pro. They will feel little incentive to upgrade again just one year later. Remember, theses are people who are price sensitive enough that they never bought an XB1 before.

I'll admit I'm in that camp. PS4 owner who is considering a Scorpio after deciding the PS4Pro was not worth it. Mostly due to non game reasons. It's not a lock though as I have many non price reasons I need answering. Like what is the vr strategy, how noisy is it, are load times still bad, just how good of a UHD bluray player is it?
 

TechnicPuppet

Nothing! I said nothing!
They don't need to worry about including a game they can include a voucher for Xbox Game Pass and it's coming with 100 games.
 

The Argus

Member
Scorpio @ $499

PS5 @ $399

mark my words

By the time the PS5 comes out the Scorpio will be closer to $300. I seriously don't get these PS5 posts. Sony ain't scared of the Scorpio enough to fast track a next gen console while their current one is still a huge success. If they're scared of anything, it'll be the Switch.
 
$599+

They're probably going to be aiming this thing at "hardcore" gamers. Those that complain about the price being too high, they'll say that the games are exactly the same on Xbox One, because they will be, save for the higher resolutions, etc.

• If $599+ is too much for you, stick with your Xbox One as you'll have the same exact games on it. (Kind of like they told people who didn't have an internet connection for the Xbox One to go buy an XBox 360)

• If $599+ doesn't bother you, then you pay for it and get a stronger box (Reminds me of PSVR, where the HTC Vive is clearly the stronger product, but PSVR probably sells better because its at a lower price when compared).
No way in hell this ends up being 600. It'll die a worse death than Wii U if that happens.
 
Pro was 399 and at a non loss. This is a year later where the tech hasn't really changed. If its 499 they messed up imo

Totally.

That said, MS did an excellent job so far, concering their marketing efforts.

All that "premium" talk within the last months, the "evolved Jaguar" talk, "hard coded DX12" stuff, 3 GB more RAM than the Pro, all that made quite a lot of peope perceive Scorpio as a real "beast", a premium console which they expect wil be priced as such. And once they announce that Scorpio will be available for $399 in fall 2017, all those will be blown away by the amazing value-for-money ratio.

Yet all MS did was to use that one additional year to further exploit costs degradation of an already matured APU, RAM solution, HDDs and so on and so on to build the fastest console ever - for $399.
 

yurinka

Member
Everything above $399 means a huge sales fail and game over. $299 is the maximum price to be competitive.

We should consider it doesn't have important exclusives and for a premium price people can buy a pc that will have the same games + additional exclusives.
 

ChelseaLoveX

Neo Member
No way in hell this ends up being 600. It'll die a worse death than Wii U if that happens.

This isn't the next Xbox, it's just an upgrade, albeit a massive one compared to PS4Pro. If it was being pushed as the next gen console for them, yes, I'd see it failing. But I see them as wanting to cater to 2 types of people with this box. The people that have no problem spending a lot of money on it, and those that just can't bear being left behind and will scrounge every penny they have to get one.

Again, the XBox One S will have the same exact games, so what is the problem here?

If thy do price it ridiculously low/competitive, that's awesome, no issues with that here. But I'm just wondering, if they do come out and say "stronger box, better high end parts, more money to make, thus, higher price", what will people do? Will they honestly be upset that they can't afford one, it being a high end product?

It's like Samsung selling a 4KTV for cheap (couple of hundred bucks), meanwhile also having a higher end line of TVs (UHD or whatever they're called) for thousands and people complaining that they want the high end TV for $400. Doesn't make sense. Again, this is just speculation as no one knows anything really yet.

I'm just trying to understand people's way of thinking if this in fact ends up being a premium console. You're still getting the same exact games on the XBox One, why is everyone upset if they're putting a high end console out for a high price. Different tiers for different people, what's wrong with that?
 

modsbox

Member
Not that price isn't always a huge deal for consoles, but I feel like for this one it will have a massive impact on how it does.

At $399 Scorpio is an incredible value and a no-brainer for a PS4 owner who wants to unlock for themselves another nice library of titles and some fantastic performance. For a 4K TV owner it's super attractive. I'll definitely buy one at launch at that price, as a former Xbox One OG owner who sold mine about a year back when the big title drought started. And for someone looking at PS4 Pro, it's better performance for $50-100 more. Seems wise to buy it from a future proofing standpoint.

But at $499 I feel the situation is just so, so much different. Any happy PS4 or PS4 Pro owner is going to pass. Launch for Scorpio would go okay for them as Xbox enthusiasts will begrudgingly upgrade. A month or two in though? Crickets. $500 is very, very far from an impulse purchase. We saw that with PS3, and even with Xbox One launch. Even worse, by the time this thing releases PS4 Pro will be at $350 or less. Anyone who's thinking about buying a console will see PS4 non-pro at $200, Xbox One S at $200... and then PS4 Pro at $350 or possibly $299. No matter what Microsoft tries to do to differentiate Scorpio from PS4 Pro, most people will see the two as competing products that are roughly the same. Sure that isn't actually the case, but again most people will think, ok these are the premium versions of what Microsoft and Sony have to offer. And Sony's will be $150 less, maybe even $200 less. That situation will not work well for Microsoft at all. Enthusiasts will be in, but after that it will do more to help PS4 Pro sales than anything. By the time Microsoft drops the price, the damage will be done.

Keep in mind too, at E3 Microsoft is up first by their own choice. They're going to have to announce price for this thing. Whether they hit $399 or not, Sony can announce PS4 Pro at $350 or less effective immediately and get 4-5 months of sales to the exact people Microsoft wants. It's rough. Sony is in a really good position with Pro available already.
 
I remember a while back ago Microsoft was doing something with the 360 where you got it for really cheap but you had to pay monthly like most people do with phones on contract. I wonder if they could do something like that with the new xboxone?

I either way I'm going to buy it at launch like I do with every console. I'm pretty bad with money.
 

Hoo-doo

Banned
Why the hell would it launch at 499 when it effectively hses the same damn hardware as the PS4Pro that launched at 399 last year?

The power increase through the overclock and RAM upgrade are benefits of launching a year later. It's ridiculous to think that it would actually be 100$ more expensive to produce.

If it were a Zen/Vega system I could have seen 499. But this is a Jaguar/Polaris system. It won't be a penny over 399$.
 
My thoughts from another thread.

TLDR: Maybe it 'should' cost $499. They have to hit $399 for reasons...

Ive no idea how much this will cost to make. I've no idea if MS will get a good ROI on the box.

I just do not see a scenarios where they announce $499 price.

This is for a few reasons.

1. Phil Spencer had the unenviable task of announcing the price in 2013. Forget all the Kinect, TV TV TV, and DRM nonsense. $499 did not wash. Remember his reaction? And the crowds? Watch here: https://youtu.be/B2zslQ9PWPQ

2. The One S is currently RRP $249 with a bundled game. It will likely, closer to Scoprio launch and the holidays, drop to at least $229 RRP. Maybe even lower. The Scorpio plays the same games, uses the same accessories. Can they 'sell' a 4k upgrade for potentially double the price?

3. The competition. The PS4 Pro RRP is $399. You can expect a bundled game and/or a a price drop approaching Holiday 2017 to say $349. At $499, Scorpio would be 25-43% more expensive. It would not wash.

So, putting aside how much this 'should' cost... I can not see a price higher than $399.
 

yurinka

Member
Not realistic but needs to be $299 or cheaper to stay competitive versus PS4.

$399 or more means total sales failure and game over for xbox, nobody is going to buy it considering it won't have exclusive games and that for this price a PC will have the same + extra games.
 

WiseguyMVP

Member
So the consensus is, most think it'll be priced at $399.

Some think it'll be priced at $499 or above based upon how much parts cost from spec analysis and Phil Spencer's "premium" comments.

And a few people, like myself, want to see MS price it at $299 like the Xbox 360 and original Xbox launch, so they can shake up the market.

Xbox division peeps! We know you read Gaf. Don't let me down!

:)
 

Bl@de

Member
Looking at the PS4 Pro is a good baseline for what we can expect the Scorpio to cost, because they are both Polaris APUs we can see the following features Scorpio has over PS4 Pro:

1. The APU Chip is similar architecture, but bigger to accommodate 4 more cores. ~25% extra cost.

2. The memory is of a higher quality and there's 12 GB vs. 9 GB. ~30-50% extra cost.

3. Clock rates are much higher on Scorpio, so the cooling system has to be a lot more expensive. I would venture to say upwards of 100% more costly.

4. Bigger power supply required. ~30-50% extra cost.

5. Motherboard complexity. ~25% extra cost.

6. UHD Drive vs. Blu-Ray drive. I believe the reason Sony didn't go this route is because it added about $20-30 extra.

That's not how you calculate costs :/ That's just random percentages
 

RedRum

Banned
Why the hell would it launch at 499 when it effectively hses the same damn hardware as the PS4Pro that launched at 399 last year?

The power increase through the overclock and RAM upgrade are benefits of launching a year later. It's ridiculous to think that it would actually be 100$ more expensive to produce.

If it were a Zen/Vega system I could have seen 499. But this is a Jaguar/Polaris system. It won't be a penny over 399$.

Faster CPU, better GPU, more memory, 4K UHD Blu-ray drive.. I mean.. upgrades cost money, right??
 

Mattenth

Member
I'd go as high as $599.

I think it'd be a mistake to go that high, but so far, Microsoft has been pushing a brand of "premium, aspirational product." I think they're going to choose a price point that reflects that to start with. They're using consistent phrasing: "enthusiast product." I think that means a higher price.
 
Not realistic but needs to be $299 or cheaper to stay competitive versus PS4.

$399 or more means total sales failure and game over for xbox, nobody is going to buy it considering it won't have exclusive games and that for this price a PC will have the same + extra games.

LOL.
 
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