Displaying stories with the tag "Price Cut". Subscribe to this URL for an RSS feed of this tag. Want more news? Click here for the Shacknews frontpage.The price cut takes effect September 27. Competitors Sony and Microsoft have both recently dropped the prices of their consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The advertisement--spotted by a Kotaku tipster--allegedly comes from Toys R Us, which pegs the new price at $199. The system has retailed for $249 since its launch in 2006.
The advertisement is supposedly due to hit the papers on the week of September 27.
Both Microsoft and Sony cut the price of their high-end consoles to $300 in August.
From September 1, the price of an Xbox 360 Arcade will rise by 30 GBP to 160 GBP--an increase of $50 to $260, roughly speaking. The Elite will become cheaper but only by 30 GBP ($50) to 200 GBP ($320-ish)--a 13% cut as opposed to the 33% the US received.
Increasing the Arcade's price and removing its XBLA game bundle will "offset exchange rate fluctuations and changes in local market conditions," a Microsoft rep told CVG.
As for the removal of the once-bundled HDMI cable from the Xbox 360 Elite model, Microsoft has given CVG a statement explaining that "In order to offer the Xbox Elite to consumers at a reduced price... we eliminated the inclusion of an HDMI cable. That said, we are confident that providing even better value for our premium console will allow people the flexibility to purchase the HDMI cable of their choice."
According to Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, the 120GB Elite version of the console will be marked down $100 to a total of $299, while the 60GB Pro will be drop to $250 until it is phased out.
Xbox 360 Elite (120GB HDD): $399.99 now $299.99
Xbox 360 Pro (60GB HDD): $299.99 now $249.99 (While supplies last)
Xbox 360 Arcade (256MB - 512MB internal storage): $199.99
Production of the Pro has already been halted, and only the 120GB Elite... Read more
Leaked images of this Sunday's Target, Walmart and Best Buy advertisements respectively acquired by Engadget, Joystiq and Kotaku show the now-$399 Xbox Elite model and its included 120GB hard disc drive going for $299, joining the Meijer catalog image that recently surfaced and shared the same new price for the Elite.
Meanwhile, the currently-$299 Pro and its 60GB HDD are shown at $249.99. The Elite is rumored to be entirely replacing the Pro model, as the latest packing for Elite and $199 HDD-less Arcade units only list the Arcade and Elite favors of Microsoft's console.
Competitor Sony recently slashed prices on the rival PlayStation 3, lowering its cost by $100--from $399 to $299 on the 80GB model, $499 to $399 on the 160GB version--and introducing a slimmer, 120GB model of the console that will sell for $299.
The new model, said to be one-third smaller, will sell at $299 USD and 299 euros. The included internal hard disc drive will be 120GB in capacity, and the system is billed as having the same functionality as the hardware currently in stores--meaning that you shouldn't expect backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2 games.
A price cut has gone into immediate effect for the PlayStation 3 hardware already on store shelves, with the existing 80GB model now at $299 (was $399) and... Read more
With Sony's GamesCom press conference less than an hour away, it appears that Kmart has jumped the gun on the expected announcement of a PlayStation 3 price drop and the so-heavily-rumored-that-it-is-all-but-confirmed PS3 Slim model.
Kmart lists the PS3 Slim at $299, with the retailer further specifying that the new model will pack a 120GB hard drive and will be available next Monday, August 24. It all sounds quite likely, minus the sudden release date, but we're bound to hear more soon.
At present, the cheapest version of the PlayStation 3 hardware sells for $399 and comes packed with an 80GB hard disc drive. Expect more details very, very shortly.
Indications are rising that Microsoft intends to phase out the Xbox 360's $299 Pro model and lower the price of the now-$399 Elite unit, which packs a much larger hard drive.
Rumors picked up steam last week when Kotaku received photographs from GameStop employees of new Xbox 360 Arcade boxes listing the 120GB-packing Elite model and drive-less Arcade as the only available flavors of Xbox, with no Pro in sight.
Now Kotaku has a purported snapshot of a Meijer catalog due out August 30, showing the Elite with a "New Lower Price" of $299.99--the 60GB Pro's current price.
Rumblings of price cuts emerged from the ever-reliable Ars Technica mole earlier this year, with the source also claiming that Sony would drop the PlayStation 3 price and introduce the heavily rumored PS3 Slim model. While the site had no timeframe for said events, rumors indicate they may happen during GamesCom next week.
Industry analyst EEDAR believes the price cut will help sustain PlayStation 2 software sales, which it estimates to be 21% of all home console software sales last quarter and predicted to drop to 16% this quarter--a figure EEDAR has now revised to 18%.
Sony also boast that the PlayStation 2's game library will reach over 1900 titles this year.
Many have been predicting Sony would reduce the PlayStation 3's price as part of the ongoing 'console wars,' where the PS3 lags behind Microsoft's Xbox 360. The cheapest PS3 model costs $399 while Microsoft's hard drive-less Xbox 360 Arcade is only $199.
Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, the respected analyst predicted that Sony will drop the PlayStation 3's price at the start of its next fiscal year, which kicks off in April.
At present, Sony sells two models of the PlayStation 3: a $399 80GB model, and a $499 unit that's bundled with a 160GB hard dive and a copy of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
Rival Microsoft slashed prices for its Xbox 360 hardware back in September, and the Xbox 360 has siginficantly outsold the PlayStation 3 in the United States since. The cheapest model, the hard drive-less Arcade sells for $199, while the 60GB Pro goes for $299 and the 120GB Elite edition carries a suggested retail price of $399.
The prediction coincides with earlier rumors that Sony would get "more competitive in price from March 2009 onwards." The rumors supposedly stemmed from an internal Sony briefing, and offered word on the first in-game God of War 3 and Uncharted 2 footage nearly a month before either trailer was released to the public.
"With [Sony CEO Howard] Stringer saying, 'We will be profitable,' you can't cut price [in this fiscal year]," explained Pachter. Sony had previously said that it would not drop the price as it "has a business to run" and has to "do the right thing" for shareholders.
As of today, prices for the Rock Band Special Edition in the US are as follows:
All Rock Band Special Editions come with a wired drum kit. While the PS2, Wii and PS3 bundles come with a wireless guitar, the Xbox 360 package includes a wired model.
Instruments from the original Rock Band are compatible with Rock Band 2 for their respective platforms, with owners of the PS3 and Xbox 360 original able to export 55 of the 58 songs from the first Rock Band into the sequel for $5.
The PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band hit last fall, with the Wii version arriving earlier this summer. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band 2 are already at retailers, with the PS2 and Wii editions due this year.
Rock Band 2 Special Edition bundles sell for $190, packing updated wireless drums and guitars, a wired microphone and, of course, the sequel itself.
Back in September, Microsoft slashed the prices of its three Xbox 360 models, dropping their prices from $50-80. The cheapest Xbox 360 model, the hard drive-less Arcade unit, now sells for $199--$50 lower than Nintendo's rival Wii console. The Xbox 360 Pro, often considered the standard Xbox 360 model, packs a 60GB hard drive for $299.
"We've obviously just reduced the price and that's because we can pass the costs reductions we have straight on to consumers," McGill explained. "I'm not going to speculate where [the price] might go in five or ten years time."
"It's great value," he added. "And I think the value not only comes from the price of the console but the content."
"We still urge Sony to consider a possible hardware price cut this holiday season," said Divinich according to Gamasutra. "If September hardware sales fall below our estimate (under 200,000 units), it could be an indication that the Xbox 360 price cut played a bigger role on hindering PS3 sales than what we originally expected."
With Sony banking on its lineup of exclusives such as Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet to entice new customers, Divinich points to an even stronger Microsoft software lineup and the prohibitive cost of a PlayStation 3 as reasons why the company may be making a mistake.
"The $399 price point is simply too steep to entice the casual and mainstream markets, regardless of how great Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet may be," he added, after noting that the Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 will likely be this holiday's top seller.
At $399, the cheapest version of the PlayStation 3 is the recently-upgraded 80GB SKU, with a $499 160GB model soon replacing the existing $499 80GB unit. Microsoft recently slashed prices on its Xbox 360 consoles, with the cheapest unit, the hard drive-less Arcade model, now priced at $199. Meanwhile, the 60GB Pro model now sells for an MSRP of $299. Post-price cut sales data has not yet been released for comparison.
Update: Sony has clarified that the price cut stems from Blockbluster itself, not Sony.
Original Story: Sony will be dropping the price of the discontinued 40GB PlayStation 3 hardware to $360 this weekend--a $40 cut--retailer Blockbluster has confirmed with Kotaku.
Back at E3, Sony announced that it would soon replace the formerly $400 40GB PS3 with a model that packed an 80GB HDD and the same functionality for the same price. Compared to the $500 model, the $400 PS3 only has two USB ports and is not backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 games.
As Sony has repeatedly vowed that it does not plan to drop the PS3's price this year, it is presumed that this cut is merely an effort to clear shelf space before the new model hits.
The company has also announced plans to replace the existing $500 80GB PlayStation 3 with a $500 160GB version in November, which will likely prompt another round of temporary price reductions as retailers clear out the previous model.
Along with larger hard drives, the revised PlayStation 3 SKUs will pack the updated DualShock 3 controllers instead of the vibration-less Sixaxis controllers.
In line with previous predictions, the new prices are as follows:
A $50 price cut for the Xbox 360 Pro and Elite models has been practically confirmed, with the drop expected to take effect on or around September 7. Whereas the two higher-end Xbox 360 models will drop by $50, the hard drive-less Arcade unit is said to see a reduction of $70, making it $199.
Sony previously stated that it would not drop the price of its various PlayStation 3 units this year. However, the company is introducing higher-capacity PS3 models--the $399 80GB and the $499 160GB bundle--that maintain the existing prices of PS3 hardware.
Rumors of a $50-80 slash on several Xbox 360 SKUs are appearing to prove true, as a new RadioShack flyer (pictured left) seems to confirm the earlier reports.
Joystiq notes that several contacts in the retail world have also indicated the reductions are a done deal.
The price cuts, apparently set to take place during the week of September 7, are as follows:
Following up on rumors of Xbox 360 price cuts in September, VGChartz claims to have obtained evidence of the drop in the form of an inventory listing from an unknown retailer.
According to the picture, the $279 Xbox 360 Arcade unit will drop to $199 on September 7.
The price point coincides with the rumors of September cuts that popped up last week:
If legitimate, and going by the open secret that was the last Xbox 360 price cut, expect confirmation via candid photos of advance retailer circulars in the coming weeks.
The site claims the information came from the same source that provided early details on last month's pseudo price cut, which saw Microsoft debut an Xbox 360 model with a 60GB HDD for $380, while the remaining supply of 20GB units were reduced to $300.
The rumored priced cuts, along with the curren hardware prices, follow:
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