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Xbox One is back at $399. Lineup for crow pie => thataway
- Thread starter Deadly Joker
- Start date
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As expected, this was "desperation" pricedrop that boosted holiday sales.
Regular permanent pricedrops for both consoles will come with arrival of cheaper hardware. MS waits sub 28nm chips, with Sony can also give pricedrop when 1GB DDR5 chips arrive [currently they use 16x 512MB].
The Unity bundle I bought didn't have a sleeve. It was an actual Unity box, and interestingly enough the Xbox One exhibited none of the coil whine (reduced or otherwise) that all the Xbox Ones in the green boxes have. Perhaps they've finally addressed the issue with more than just a weak band-aid.
RedAssedApe
Banned
probably just an old commercial airing. 1/3/15 was the last day for this pricing.
Even if it was clear to everyone, dropping it and then going back up right after the drop starts taking effect is not going to help them in the long run. Ultimately, it is just killing what is proving to be effective and it likely will not have the same effect by the time both systems drop in price. They need to jump start an advantage now, not later.
Still 329.99 at Amazon. Now I wonder how much retailers stocked up on these bundles and if MS is keeping the retailers cut based on the old price - (weird sure) BUT this could create incentives at some retailers to throw in additional deals (without lowering the price).
It's just like a "limited time offer" kind of thing. Marketing does marketing.
It's just like a "limited time offer" kind of thing. Marketing does marketing.
DarkoMaledictus
Tier Whore
Some exclusives, racing games... Halo. Same as a ps4 really.
binarymelon
Member
Maybe, it might give them a little shot of momentum when a larger chunk are thinking about moving to the new consoles. Although I think who ever can generate the most momentum this coming summer will be able to ride it all the way to the bank.
Hawaii Jeff
Member
Yup.
They raised the price again so they can have another PR blitz when they lower it again.
And then Sony drops the price on the PS4 at the same time, thereby, neutralizing the effect it could continue to have right now.
RedAssedApe
Banned
which makes no sense. if they are going to do it anyways they should do it now instead of letting sony potentially regain that lost us market share between now and e3. waiting also allows sony to counter with a price drop of their own.
Ol No Bones
Banned
If they can get a new SKU out at 299 they could push Sony to a price drop in NA I think. I hope that happens I could use a second PS4 or Xbox.
We'll see. GameCube hit $99 in 2003, but that didn't stop the PS2 from being one of the longest lasting consoles. The PS2 hit that price in 2009.
gigantor21
Member
But the issue is that they only gained momentum back by severely undercutting the PS4 at great cost. Even when they axed Kinect in June, Sony still beat them handily month after month until November. MS hasn't proven the Xone is worth as much as Sony's box yet, and that perception will persist if they can only stay in the mix with crazy deals.
If the numbers for January and the months to come revert back to pre-holiday levels, with Sony staying comfortably ahead and eroding their Nov/Dec gains, then the Christmastime push was an expensive waste.
If your family didn't care enough to buy one during the two months of insane sales, why would they care enough now to text you? That's weird.
Thats what i'm thinking. Sony will drop the price at E3 or Gamescom (Probably Gamescom) so MS would have to go 300$ or deeper to see any good effects.
Yep,back to 399 up here in Canada,even on Amazon.ca...bah,no biggie for now for me,the exclusive that will make me buy one is Quantum Break or Tomb Raider(timed I know),whatever comes first,and those are still far away,maybe it will be back to 350 by then,and no refurbish bullshit please... 
Yeah but by that time(if it is at e3) it could also be time for Sony to drop the price of the ps4. If done right, it would take the wind out of Microsoft's sails
ShemhazaiX
Member
There are laws against it in some countries, dunno about the US. In the UK you need to sell something at full price for a certain amount of time before you can have another sale claiming things like "Limited time sale" otherwise you have to advertise it as it being the actual price (that is, you can't advertise something as "limited time only, £x instead of £y" without again selling it at £y for a specified length of time).
Can't remember the exact length of time though.
3rdamention
Member
Lol, just because "hundreds of people who predicted it wouldn't" weren't right, doesn't mean their thinking was wrong. Anyone in their right mind could tell that dropping the price, and the $349 price, was the sweet spot to move Xbox Ones.
Hell, the first month of this price drop, and maybe the second, it beat the PS4 for the first time in North America in nearly a year. It will be interesting to see what happens now.
What?
Calm down. Some people don't realize these things are temporary. Some people were busy during the holidays and would just get to using their Christmas bonus now. Some people will wait for their tax return.
You not being able to take perspectice is the weird thing here.
Final Verdict
Member
Could be. Could also be that they are waiting until later to make one big permanent price drop to $299.
Also, I don't think Sony will have to bundle anything with X1 at $400, and no big exclusives, it will sell good.
If they do bundle anything, it will probabally be like a $430 bundle or something like that instead of $400 deal where the game is essentially a free pack in.
Umm... You're glad they raised the price back? I suppose your pretty angry at MS for reversing their word on always online DRM, useless hard copy games, required big brother Kinect, and BS treatment of indie developers. I'm probably missing a few things.
MS has done a great job so far in 180ing all those decisions to appeal to the consumer. Yeah, it's marketed as a sale, but it doesn't matter what they say when so many consumers just assumed it was a price drop. Instead of this feeling like the price went back to normal, it feels like it's a price hike and definitely, no matter how you put it, not consumer friendly.
Maybe MS is making gaming and marketing history here though. No doubt they spent a lot of money to get the best minds on this. Lol, it's probably one of those "it's so crazy it might just work" schemes.
DeathByBacklog
Member
Wow. That's a bold move. Where's the motivation to buy it at that price when people know, it'll eventually come down again. Sales on the x1 are going to be scarce. And with PS4's exclusives set to take over 2015...
vpance
Member
PS2 gen was something else. It dictated the pace of everything since it outsold everyone by so much. If Sony does cut to $299 this year I'm sure a huge part of that decision will come from Xbone's incredible performance with the fire sale. Let's see if this game of chicken begins.
Final Verdict
Member
The most sales are always during the holidays, so it makes sense to put the most effort there.
Also, they are trying to maintain the console's sense of value among consumers. They wanted it to only be temporary to get all those sales, while getting the consumer to think that it is still 'worth' $400.
Whether that strategy will have worked or not with the general public remains to be seen, but I will not be surprised when they announce a permanent price drop at E3.
It would be the best time to do it because they will have a really strong game lineup from E3 going forward, and a price drop + big exclusives will give them a big enough spur to make up for lackluster sales in the first half of the year.
AgentP
Thinks mods influence posters politics. Promoted to QAnon Editor.
Lol, summer?
Waylon Drums
Member
It's...not that funny? Although given the fact that they had an end date in mind from the beginning, it shouldn't be even a little surprising. I still think it's a bad move, though...
Well next November should be a good time to buy one then. I expect $299 with 3-4 games to be pretty standard after getting beat in sales by PS4 for another 10 months.
Seems like a really strange decisions as the console has already been devalued in so many minds. After seeing it for $329 with 4 games I know I won't buy it until it is at least that cheap.
Seems like a really strange decisions as the console has already been devalued in so many minds. After seeing it for $329 with 4 games I know I won't buy it until it is at least that cheap.
Paracelsus
Member
Won't this alert people who will go into "ok, I didn't buy one now, I'll see you next November when you once again repeat the pricecut"?
Yep at this point anyone who buys it before the next holiday is dumb and pissing money away.
Don't count on it. Tomb Raider bundles for sure but just like MCC, they want Halo 5 to stand on its own.
vpance
Member
Yes, but MS rationale is that they move more than half their yearly sales in #Primetime. So if they sell at worst, 50% less than PS4 in pre-season, they can make up for a lot of it if not more in Nov and Dec. Essentially their strategy may be to sell at break even cost the most of the year, and then go and eat $100-150 per unit on 2.5 to 3 million sales.
Supposedly/Officially I guess.
I think any price below $399 is the retailers themselves trying to clear stock and taking a hit on their own profits.
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