• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Xbox Scorpio Pricing Discussion

JaffeLion

Banned
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.

FOwZ77O.gif
 
PC equivalent Scorpio. What do you guys think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/link9933/saved/#view=phrf7P

The only way I can see this being less than $499, is that MS eats the costs. In my mind I'm thinking paying for Live can offset HW costs.That's even if money can be allocated like that.

Not sure if you can really compare it like that though, since MS is getting these chips at a much larger scale, the prices become considerably lower. It's not going to cost them that much to manufacture the console as those off the shelf PC parts you just thrown together.
 
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 joke post?
 

_13500

Neo Member
If the console includes an elite controller and the price is $450, just the scorpio costs $300? Don't think so.

If it is really the xbox premium experience, it has to include an elite controller, and the pack would cost $550
 

RedRum

Banned
Not sure if you can really compare it like that though, since MS is getting these chips at a much larger scale, the prices become considerably lower. It's not going to cost them that much to manufacture the console as those off the shelf PC parts you just thrown together.

Maybe they get better deals than you do on pc parts picker.

LoL. I mean, it would be great if MS sold this thing at manufacturing price. It really would. Let's be realistic here.
 
PC equivalent Scorpio. What do you guys think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/link9933/saved/#view=phrf7P

The only way I can see this being less than $499, is that MS eats the costs. In my mind I'm thinking paying for Live can offset HW costs.That's even if money can be allocated like that.

Making comparisons like this is pointless IMO. Im sure MS gets all sorts of manufacturing deals based on the quantity they buy. For example,I could buy 1 chocolate for a dollar with 10 individual chocolate bars being 10 dollars, but if i buy a box of 10 chocolate bars i get them for 5 dollars because i bought in bulk, saving 5 dollars.
 

El_Chino

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.
giphy.gif
 

oti

Banned
$399 - Instabuy
$449 - Grudgingly buy
$499 - Agonizing choice
>$500 - DOA

Would you be content if they sweetened the deal with subscriptions to their services? Like a month of EA Access, Game Pass and Xbox Live? Would that make 450 or even 500 more ok?
 

RedRum

Banned
Would you be content if they sweetened the deal with subscriptions to their services? Like a month of EA Access, Game Pass and Xbox Live? Would that make 450 or even 500 more ok?

No more than $500 for me, but $500 would be a-ok in my book. Especially with trading my S in.
 
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.

...only to slow down Xbox one sales even further, by this announcement, and give PS a bigger gap until Scorpios release.

$350 PS4 pro bundle with RDR2 and voucher for Horizon. $250 PS4 bundle with RDR2 and voucher for Horizon. Star Wars, GT: Sport, Destiny 2 all bundle, worldwide.

It's gonna be a tough time for those guys no matter what the price is. You are talking to console gamers. Screaming out, jaguar, ram, DX12 is gonna sound like Cantonese to them.

The absolute best chance / bet for MS to gain ground this year is to stop the bleeding in the first 5 minutes of e3. Let em know what the recent update has done for the os and such and introduce a permanent price drop for Xbone; $250 with MC and 3months live and free month game pass.

Make announcement after announcement with short demos of exclusives with Scorpio and explain how it makes remasters out games you already own. My guess, TW3 upgrade, FO4: vr and end it with $400/$500 and a trade in deal for launch.

That way, it'll keep them competitive till Scorpio and the price drop is a great indicator that the price will indeed be $400 for Scorpio. The price difference between the 2 boxes are also equally important, imo, and should be kept down as much as possible. Even if it is $400, you wouldn't want to drop the Xbone price at $200, because of the difference. It'll make it seem more expensive than it really is, but it could work if done right.
 

zephry

Member
It's a Premium product, like Surface. Surface costs significantly more than a standard tablet (and has sold really well).

It hits all the right notes... performance, form factor, etc. Only thing left is for MS to announce some exclusive games.
 

Sony

Nintendo
PC equivalent Scorpio. What do you guys think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/link9933/saved/#view=phrf7P

The only way I can see this being less than $499, is that MS eats the costs. In my mind I'm thinking paying for Live can offset HW costs.That's even if money can be allocated like that.

If a PC equivalent made from off the shelve parts is 550, it gives me more hope that Scorpio will be 399. The PC equivalent's separate parts have their own separate costs (distribution, packaging etc.) and profit margins.
 

zephry

Member
I take premium as marketing of the product, moreso than suggestive that its going to be very expensive compared to its competitors 'premium' product. The Xbox slim is very likely to be $199 this holiday season. So by comparison,$399 is 'premium'. That said I'd be surprised if it actually is $399, because as the huge underdog this gen MS IMHO doesn't really have the cache to ask for $499. I can see something in-between that from $429 to $469, but $499 becomes $550ish with taxes and without a single piece of software, and I think that's a tale order even for the hardcore.

I actually think it's a smart way of marketing it. If they market it right, ie this is the state of the art console, I can see a lot of owners who never owned a Xbox1 purchase one. Ultimately I believe they will set the price at $499 because it just seems reasonable. As much as I would like to see $399 and up the competition I find that rather unlikely. But even at $499 first timers will eat it up. Previous owners... I am not so sure at $499.
 
PC equivalent Scorpio. What do you guys think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/link9933/saved/#view=phrf7P

The only way I can see this being less than $499, is that MS eats the costs. In my mind I'm thinking paying for Live can offset HW costs.That's even if money can be allocated like that.

Console manufacturers pay substantially less then consumers do for their parts. You're paying retail prices whereas Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo do not.
 

Shiggy

Member
If it's 399€ or even more in continental Europe, they don't really need to bother launching the system here this year.
 

Freeman76

Member
Regardless of the system's target or their expectations, anything above $399 will be pretty bad for MS.

It would be a clear display of how out touch they still are.

They are really trying to get back in the game, but the people who settle on pricing arent the same wizards behind the tech.

The tech people at MS are pushing the envelope in order to get back in the game, not sure the financial bods are as 'in touch' though. I would not be shocked if this is a premium console at a premium price.
 
I would guess it costs somewhere around $50 more than the PSPro to manufacture. It's a UHD drive (already in the XB1S), 4 CU's more silicon, and 4GB RAM. Plus higher build quality all round (already in both the XB1). Oh and a 'fancy' cooling system which sounds better than it is.

Those add up but aren't anything mega. Sony are no doubt in profit at $399 so yeah, $399 with maybe a small loss at launch. Then make some back with some $499 bundles (see XB1S launch SKU's).

Higher than $399 defeats the purpose of the system ie to "really move Xbox forward". (see Xbox reveal video!)
 
Not sure there is any reason for Microsoft to go for a "lower" price point. Let's be honest, the Xbox One is not exactly the hottest commodity in the console space. A new Xbox One releasing at the end of 2017 costing 400 bucks is not going to set sales charts on fire. So if you're aiming for the enthusiast market, might as well get the most out of every unit sold.
 

zephry

Member
They are really trying to get back in the game, but the people who settle on pricing arent the same wizards behind the tech.

The tech people at MS are pushing the envelope in order to get back in the game, not sure the financial bods are as 'in touch' though. I would not be shocked if this is a premium console at a premium price.

I am sure Phil would make the right call if the price is outrageous. I shudder to think that I once bought a launch PS3. Never paying that much again.
 

zephry

Member
I would guess it costs somewhere around $50 more than the PSPro to manufacture. It's a UHD drive (already in the XB1S), 4 CU's more silicon, and 4GB RAM. Plus higher build quality all round (already in both the XB1). Oh and a 'fancy' cooling system which sounds better than it is.

Those add up but aren't anything mega. Sony are no doubt in profit at $399 so yeah, $399 with maybe a small loss at launch. Then make some back with some $499 bundles (see XB1S launch SKU's).

Higher than $399 defeats the purpose of the system ie to "really move Xbox forward". (see Xbox reveal video!)

I think MS is betting on the third party games. In that case Scorpion would be the go to console for premium experience. I think that would move the Xbox forward.
 

Hoo-doo

Banned
I would guess it costs somewhere around $50 more than the PSPro to manufacture. It's a UHD drive (already in the XB1S), 4 CU's more silicon, and 4GB RAM. Plus higher build quality all round (already in both the XB1). Oh and a 'fancy' cooling system which sounds better than it is.

Those add up but aren't anything mega. Sony are no doubt in profit at $399 so yeah, $399 with maybe a small loss at launch. Then make some back with some $499 bundles (see XB1S launch SKU's).

Higher than $399 defeats the purpose of the system ie to "really move Xbox forward". (see Xbox reveal video!)

Basically this. But I don't expect them to be eating an actual loss if they launch it at 399$.

Microsoft isn't in this to earn back a trickle of profit by selling a niche 500$ box to people. They are trying to blow themselves out of the slump they've found themselves in with the XB1. They got to make a splash, and a 499$ console that uses mostly the same parts as the 399$ box the competition launched last year is certainly not going to cut it.
 

zephry

Member
Not sure there is any reason for Microsoft to go for a "lower" price point. Let's be honest, the Xbox One is not exactly the hottest commodity in the console space. A new Xbox One releasing at the end of 2017 costing 400 bucks is not going to set sales charts on fire. So if you're aiming for the enthusiast market, might as well get the most out of every unit sold.

Amount of consoles they can move at $399 vs $499 would be substantial. At the same time I can't see them taking a hit on each unit sold.
 
I think MS is betting on the third party games. In that case Scorpion would be the go to console for premium experience. I think that would move the Xbox forward.

Absolutely they are. But they wont pull people in if they have to pay an extra $100-150 for the privilege.

The Scorpio isn't going to dramatically turn the tides at any price. But it does have the potential to pull several million people away from PlayStation, mainly the ones who were on 360 before the mass exodus. Or anyone who somehow hasn't bought a console yet. Plus of course all the Xbox fans.
 

zephry

Member
Absolutely they are. But they wont pull people in if they have to pay an extra $100-150 for the privilege.

The Scorpio isn't going to dramatically turn the tides at any price. But it does have the potential to pull several million people away from PlayStation, mainly the ones who were on 360 before the mass exodus.

Bingo. Scorpion is an awesome purchase for people who has been on the fence.
 
I don't think Microsoft is eager to become a loss leader, just to get a leg up over the PlayStation 4, they're hoping that winning the spec race (and hopefully a good lineup of exclusives) will push them ahead instead.

Neither company (nor Nintendo) repeated Sony's PS3 mistake that ate up years of potential profit. Sony didn't even lower the price of the PlayStation VR headset to give it more momentum out of the gate.

I think Microsoft will price the console with a slim profit margin, like they did with the One and One S. $500 is the absolute ceiling though, and even that might be too high.

Any higher than that and the system is too niche to compete with the PS4 Pro, and Sony wins the spec race by default because Scorpio isn't effectively in the conversation at all with such a high price
 

EGM1966

Member
I don't think Microsoft is eager to become a loss leader, just to get a leg up over the PlayStation 4, they're hoping that winning the spec race (and hopefully a good lineup of exclusives) will push them ahead instead.

Neither company (nor Nintendo) repeated Sony's PS3 mistake that ate up years of potential profit. Sony didn't even lower the price of the PlayStation VR headset to give it more momentum out of the gate.

I think Microsoft will price the console with a slim profit margin, like they did with the One and One S. $500 is the absolute ceiling though, and even that might be too high.

Any higher than that and the system is too niche to compete with the PS4 Pro, and Sony wins the spec race by default because Scorpio isn't effectively in the conversation at all with such a high price
I think $499 has to be ceiling for price unless MS seriouslay believe there's a large chunk of addressable market looking for a premium console vs high end PC.

More than $499 means they're not targeting existing mass market console audience.

Like you say whether they drop much below that while depend on their margin goals, true cost per console and how much they seriously think they can lure third party AAA crowd this late in the game (after all across PS4/Xbox versions already out there must be well over 75 million already and I doubt majority are looking to upgrade).

The price - more than the specs - is the real point of interest for me as that will clearly signal MS true gals and target audience plus reveal how it will sling with Slim.
 

Rolf NB

Member
Basically this. But I don't expect them to be eating an actual loss if they launch it at 399$.

Microsoft isn't in this to earn back a trickle of profit by selling a niche 500$ box to people. They are trying to blow themselves out of the slump they've found themselves in with the XB1. They got to make a splash, and a 499$ console that uses mostly the same parts as the 399$ box the competition launched last year is certainly not going to cut it.
If that's perceived as a problem, they can still cancel it.
 

EGM1966

Member
Basically this. But I don't expect them to be eating an actual loss if they launch it at 399$.

Microsoft isn't in this to earn back a trickle of profit by selling a niche 500$ box to people. They are trying to blow themselves out of the slump they've found themselves in with the XB1. They got to make a splash, and a 499$ console that uses mostly the same parts as the 399$ box the competition launched last year is certainly not going to cut it.
Don't forget that if the console is $399 retail that has to include retailer cut. MS will be selling the console to the retailer for less thus for them to make a profit the cost of the console has to be even less than the cost price to the retailer.
 

wapplew

Member
Why would Scorpio price any higher than $399?
The spec is nature 1 year tech advancement of Pro, the price should be the same unless MS pull a Titan X move to charge extra because they can.
 

KevinG

Member
Just watched back through their E3 2013 announcement of the price and cannot fathom them announcing it at any higher than $399.

It would be huge for them to come out swiinging with this.
 

Ricky_R

Member
They are really trying to get back in the game, but the people who settle on pricing arent the same wizards behind the tech.

The tech people at MS are pushing the envelope in order to get back in the game, not sure the financial bods are as 'in touch' though. I would not be shocked if this is a premium console at a premium price.

Yeah, I was talking more about the decision makers, not the people who actually developed the console.
 

FinalAres

Member
Quote from Kotaku article which collects industry quotes together:

QUOTE | “I estimate the basic hardware will cost around $650, so if Microsoft wants any kind of margin at all, Scorpio will have to retail for $700 or more.” - IDC analyst Lewis Ward is bracing for a bit of sticker shock on Project Scorpio.

Make me give away 10 NES games and 10 GBA games if old.
 

Hoo-doo

Banned
Quote from Kotaku article which collects industry quotes together:

QUOTE | “I estimate the basic hardware will cost around $650, so if Microsoft wants any kind of margin at all, Scorpio will have to retail for $700 or more.” - IDC analyst Lewis Ward is bracing for a bit of sticker shock on Project Scorpio.

Make me give away 10 NES games and 10 GBA games if old.

Dude's living in an alternate reality. Please point out the parts of the device that warrant such a price. Ridiculous.
 

zephry

Member
Quote from Kotaku article which collects industry quotes together:

QUOTE | “I estimate the basic hardware will cost around $650, so if Microsoft wants any kind of margin at all, Scorpio will have to retail for $700 or more.” - IDC analyst Lewis Ward is bracing for a bit of sticker shock on Project Scorpio.

Make me give away 10 NES games and 10 GBA games if old.

Is that you Pachter?!
 

Kaako

Felium Defensor
It'll be $399.98. Sorry cause I know how many of you love that $499 price for some reason lol.
 
$650+ lol.

MS have made this to be the multiplat king again. It's pointless winning all the Digital Foundry face offs if nobody buys it.
 

cilonen

Member
I used to think that people thinking this thing would be $399 were crazy optimistic, but now we know what the hardware actually is I can't see how they can get away with charging more.

It absolutely should be $399 and the messaging and hype on here during E3 will be "OMG! A premium Xbox experience for only $399!", completely ignoring the fact that that's all the specs justify and it won't be anything to shout about for either good or bad.
 

KageMaru

Member
I used to think that people thinking this thing would be $399 were crazy optimistic, but now we know what the hardware actually is I can't see how they can get away with charging more.

It absolutely should be $399 and the messaging and hype on here during E3 will be "OMG! A premium Xbox experience for only $399!", completely ignoring the fact that that's all the specs justify and it won't be anything to shout about for either good or bad.

The specs do not indicate a $399 price point makes sense. I've seen people claim this but not explain how or why.
 
Thinking about the question of pricing some more, I believe it will depend on what Microsoft's actual goal with the Scorpio is. Why does this machine exist? If its purpose is to reclaim the performance crown and bring back core gamers to the Xbox ecosystem before the next generation starts, then it has to be $399. If it's supposed to turn a tidy profit by getting existing Xbox users to upgrade to a more expensive machine then it might be $449 or even $499. My prediction is still $399.
 

KingBroly

Banned
I think $399

Remember that Xbox One launched at $499 WITH Kinect.

This will not have Kinect. Launching at $499 while PS4 Pro is $399 (or $349, depending on what Sony does, which is probably cut the price), it'd be terrible. A year late and $100 too much
 
LoL. I mean, it would be great if MS sold this thing at manufacturing price. It really would. Let's be realistic here.

I'm being very realistic, I didn't say they were gonna sell it at manufacturing cost. I was simply implying that you cannot compare what MS pays for parts to normal consumers buying off the shelf parts.