Microsoft?s New Deal
- Thread starter Dennis Scimeca
- Start date
The price is not too high at all so I don't know why anyone is concerned about that. If you don't want everything in the bundle it can seem too high but for what you're getting, the price is fine.
360 plus Kinect = $300
2 years of Live Gold = $120
That's $420 cash upfront or $460 if you want to finance it. No problems here.
As for buying hardware that will be obsolete. People are still buying PS2's and DS's and they will still be buying 360's, PS3's and Wii's well into the next gen. That argument makes absolutely no sense at all.
My main fear is that we are seeing a shift to a rent to own based model for game consoles. Next gen you will have the option to buy or make payments but what about the generation after that? Will we see $1000-$1500 consoles that only the rich could buy outright? Will most of us be forced down the path of rent to own?
360 plus Kinect = $300
2 years of Live Gold = $120
That's $420 cash upfront or $460 if you want to finance it. No problems here.
As for buying hardware that will be obsolete. People are still buying PS2's and DS's and they will still be buying 360's, PS3's and Wii's well into the next gen. That argument makes absolutely no sense at all.
My main fear is that we are seeing a shift to a rent to own based model for game consoles. Next gen you will have the option to buy or make payments but what about the generation after that? Will we see $1000-$1500 consoles that only the rich could buy outright? Will most of us be forced down the path of rent to own?
More Immediately: The big slap in the face is the "mandatory" Kinect.
Kinect has proven to be little more than a gimmick when it comes to gaming. The game selection for it is...lacking.
So, if you aren't planning on using the Kinect, pass on this deal entirely.
Long term: I'd recommend an alternative. You can find refurbished 360s for cheaper, and the cost of risk is outweighed by the money you saved on the Kinect (make sure you can get a return policy for units that don't work, and get it up-front. Don't deal with anyone who says no or otherwise sidesteps the question).
Just be careful who you buy from, and know that you may need to nab a new Hard Drive in case the refurbed unit's is banned from XBL or such.
And if you don't encounter problems, hey, you saved yourself some money and potential headaches that come with contracts.
Kinect has proven to be little more than a gimmick when it comes to gaming. The game selection for it is...lacking.
So, if you aren't planning on using the Kinect, pass on this deal entirely.
Long term: I'd recommend an alternative. You can find refurbished 360s for cheaper, and the cost of risk is outweighed by the money you saved on the Kinect (make sure you can get a return policy for units that don't work, and get it up-front. Don't deal with anyone who says no or otherwise sidesteps the question).
Just be careful who you buy from, and know that you may need to nab a new Hard Drive in case the refurbed unit's is banned from XBL or such.
And if you don't encounter problems, hey, you saved yourself some money and potential headaches that come with contracts.
How up-front is the service contract, though?
That's been one of the large points of contention with many people.
That's been one of the large points of contention with many people.
Good arguments overall, Dennis. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Once again MS is losing money on Gaming (entertainment division?) so covering the financing on an XBox for $10/month while selling them a Kinect is an novel solution. Now the decision to do this has to been made before this last quarter was a loss. Comparing to using a credit card (which one will HAVE to have anyway) assuming 18% interest $20 payments will cover the balance but cost an additional $48. Standard CC solution cost $100 down + payments of ($20*19) = $480.
With each month the game industry bemoans how much the business has slumped so selling a game+Xbox-Kinect could be a reasonable method to get more people buying games. Amazon has COD:MW3 @ $40, COD:BO2 @ $60 and B3 @ $40. Consoles get ~$10 tax per game compared to PC versions so that should count somewhere.
My other questions are why is the business in such a slump? What direction are Indie games pulling the business? Do iOS/Android games effect the slump? How do Casual gamers (including iOS?) effect the curve? Finally how does MS lose money in the XBox division when they are making money on the console and the Kinect? It is harder to track now that they shuffled the accounting around a couple of years ago. Personally I am caring less and less. The publishers and the console makers are less then stellar people so if they sink it won't bother me. I have Steam.
Time will tell.
Once again MS is losing money on Gaming (entertainment division?) so covering the financing on an XBox for $10/month while selling them a Kinect is an novel solution. Now the decision to do this has to been made before this last quarter was a loss. Comparing to using a credit card (which one will HAVE to have anyway) assuming 18% interest $20 payments will cover the balance but cost an additional $48. Standard CC solution cost $100 down + payments of ($20*19) = $480.
With each month the game industry bemoans how much the business has slumped so selling a game+Xbox-Kinect could be a reasonable method to get more people buying games. Amazon has COD:MW3 @ $40, COD:BO2 @ $60 and B3 @ $40. Consoles get ~$10 tax per game compared to PC versions so that should count somewhere.
My other questions are why is the business in such a slump? What direction are Indie games pulling the business? Do iOS/Android games effect the slump? How do Casual gamers (including iOS?) effect the curve? Finally how does MS lose money in the XBox division when they are making money on the console and the Kinect? It is harder to track now that they shuffled the accounting around a couple of years ago. Personally I am caring less and less. The publishers and the console makers are less then stellar people so if they sink it won't bother me. I have Steam.
Time will tell.
Microsoft has said that E3 is going to be more about services than games. Link here, go to 18 minutes:http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/bonusround/604Atmos Duality said:
I get the feeling that Microsoft cares more about being a TV box than a game console these days. So I expect to hear everyone who bitched at Nintendo for ignoring core gamers to do the same with Microsoft.
They have forced a Kinect friendly dashboard on everyone, they are forcing all kinds of services into Live Gold and the price went up a year and a half ago to pay for those services and now I read that they are finally adding an internet browser but it is meant for Kinect. Like the dashboard you don't have to use the Kinect but it is more Kinect friendly than controller friendly.
At first I wondered why they weren't bundling a 360 with a bigger HDD but then I realized that they are going after the services crowd, not gamers who would buy games from the Marketplace.
But of course! Services, DRM and legal entrapment are the way of the future!Crono1973 said:
What customer can resist?
Kinect is a farce. I see the uses for it outside of gaming (no, really, I've seen some very cool applications for it already), but on the 360? Practically nobody is developing for it for a reason.
The reason Microsoft got into the game industry in the first place was to take over the living room. THIS has been their plan all along. They were afraid that Sony was going to take over the living room when they announced a DVD player in the PS2.Atmos Duality said:
Ok, what I have to ask. if this seems to be a questionable value for anyone that your contemplating if the difference of 60$ more over the course of two years justifies the lower point of entry is at all obliterated by the fact that it is NEVER hard to find 1 year XBL offers for 35$ a year, thus making the offer not 60$ more expensive but 110$ more expensive over the life of the service agreement.
Something saddens me that as gaming becomes more 'culturally' acceptable, the less I enjoy it. Perhaps it's the way it's obtaining this acceptance, through family oriented games and commercials of stereotypical, beautiful people sitting around flinging their arms at the screen.
Did Microsoft mandate two years up-front purchasing?Crono1973 said:
Because as far as I can tell, all that's mandated is the XBox. Even Live Gold doesn't need to be purchased immediately, and Kinect certainly isn't necessary. So that's 200 dollars up front vs 99 dollars up front with a mandatory schedule for Live Gold, meaning you can't even choose when that starts. That means, in the end, 420 cash if you finance vs 460 cash if you finance.
If you want Live immediately, 260 is more than 100, yes. But it's not as astronomic an "up-front" cost.
Let's be fair.
No, you really can't. Regular prices are consistent and the regular price of Live Gold is $60. Sure you can get it on sale but you can get a 360 on sale too. I don't see you saying "well, since you can get a 360 4 GB for $150...."Zachary Amaranth said:
You aren't being fair. You need to compare everything in the bundle with the regular retail price of everything separately.Zachary Amaranth said:
If you don't want Kinect or two years of Live Gold, then don't buy this bundle. Doesn't mean you can't draw a comparison here.
