Europe gets Xbox 360 price cut
Is now cheapest machine on the market.
Microsoft has officially announced it is cutting the price of Xbox 360 in Europe.
From Friday, the Arcade unit (which doesn't have a hard drive) will cost GBP 129.99 / EUR 179.
The 60GB model is also 30 quid cheaper at GBP 169.99 / EUR 239.99. The 120GB Xbox 360 Elite will now cost GBP 229.99 / EUR 299.99
That makes Xbox 360 the cheapest console on the market, what with the Wii retailing for GBP 179.99 and the 80GB PS3 for GBP 299.99.
It's all part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience with something for everyone, as it says on the press release, and make more money, as it doesn't.
"We're proud to be expanding the reach of Xbox as the first next-generation console to break the EUR 200 / GBP 150 barrier, making the platform up to EUR 200 / GBP 170 less expensive than competitors," said European Xboxman Chris Lewis.
"History shows that the majority of console sales happen after this price point has been breached, and we're well positioned to take advantage of this mass market pricing."
Lewis went on to remind us all that Xbox 360 was the first console to sell over 20 million units worldwide, before babbling on about "the ever-expanding ecosystem of Xbox" for a bit. There will be 90 titles released for the machine between now and Christmas, don't you know, not to mention the Xbox Live overhaul.
"Plus, with well over five million consoles sold to date the combination of the strongest games line up this Christmas, really innovative entertainment experiences and these groundbreaking new price points will ensure we continue to enjoy fantastic momentum in Europe," said Lewis. "Durn't ye think sur inspectah," he did not add.