Pachter: Xbox 360 Needs a Price Cut

[jamesworkshop]

The 360 doesn't need a price drop. It's selling poorly because MOST OF THE GAME BUYING WORLD IS STILL IN A DAMN RECESSION. Of course, this was Michael Pachter talking, and he's always wrong.

Escapist, why do you keep posting about this guy?

P.S. No thanks until you stop posting about Pachter

Do you actually read what you write?

How is dropping the price of a product a bad thing in a recession?

Reinvigorating a product in a slump by dropping the price is a standard sales tactic especially when people don't have that much money.

I'm really struggling to see the disconect between a recession and a market analyst telling a company to drop it's prices because the consumers think it's too expensive.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

It is STILL a SLIMMED down xbox 360, and that is what it is, Microsoft could call it the babadee boopie extrodenaire and it would still be a Slimmed down 360, It's not like he's calling the sky green and stating it as fact, he's just calling something the most logical name you would call it, that is still correct in terms of description and function. He's not claiming to know something he obviously doesn't know about, because he is still technically correct. Heck I don't know anyone that's ever used the expression S XBOX360 S.
And what does that S stand for do you think? Oh yes SLIM. Yaaaay *clap....clap....clap*

Well of course no one's ever called it "S Xbox 360 S" as it's the "Xbox 360 S [http://media.bestofmicro.com/K/3/252147/original/ports.jpg]." And yes, that is what I originally said, pay attention to periods (fullstops to you I guess because you're British). I didn't correct you the first time because I thought it was a typo.

Anyway, if you don't like calling it the "360S" you could always do what Microsoft's PR is doing and call it the "new 360."

I think S stands for "small," "short," or "super." If you actually compare the new and old the S is only marginally slimmer while it's significantly shorter and smaller. Super just means better so that would also work.

 

[Buizel91]

1.Cut the price of Kinect 99$ is pushing it
2.Put a better 360 in the bundle, like more memory

What? 250g is NOT enough?!?!?!

I agree with a guy a few posts up, why does the NEW 360 need a price drop? it's 250g and the PS3 is about the same price with 120g, it's 300 cause you get Kinect with it, does anyone acctualy think new products are going to be cheap? =S I doubt their will be a price drop until about November time to be honest, but 300 for an Xbox, Kinect a controller and possible a mic is fair price i say.

*Hides behind Fire proof material*

 

[Fidelias]

Wait, we're talking about the 360 slim here? The one that just came out about a month ago with built-in wi-fi and cut the ONLY hardware problem with the 360's to somewhere under a 5% chance.

Sure, totally, $300 dollars is WAY too much for this...
/sarcasm

I mean, sure, I wouldn't want to replace my 360 for it, there's no point in buying something I already have. But it's not that much for people who are looking to buy their first 360.

I am not saying that I don't want a price cut, just reminding people to be a little more realistic.

 

[migo]

Either that or Highly of Banjo Kazooie. Sorry you didn't get into like I did. The vehicle customization is very nearly all I need in life.

If it weren't incredibly tedious to get to the customisation point in the first place, I might agree.

 

[migo]

Wait, we're talking about the 360 slim here? The one that just came out about a month ago with built-in wi-fi and cut the ONLY hardware problem with the 360's to somewhere under a 5% chance.

It still has the proprietary hard drive crap, and their solution to the RRoD doesn't inspire confidence, nor does the reduction from 3 year to 1 year warranty. On top of that, they want to charge for Xbox Live Gold. Given all the additional costs, both guaranteed and potential it does need to be cheaper. The PS3 is the same price but no hidden costs or surprises.

 

[_Cake_]

1.Cut the price of Kinect 99$ is pushing it
2.Put a better 360 in the bundle, like more memory

What? 250g is NOT enough?!?!?!

I agree with a guy a few posts up, why does the NEW 360 need a price drop? it's 250g and the PS3 is about the same price with 120g, it's 300 cause you get Kinect with it, does anyone acctualy think new products are going to be cheap? =S I doubt their will be a price drop until about November time to be honest, but 300 for an Xbox, Kinect a controller and possible a mic is fair price i say.

*Hides behind Fire proof material*

250 GB would be great, unfortunately the one in the bundle is only 4GB >_>

 

[Buizel91]

1.Cut the price of Kinect 99$ is pushing it
2.Put a better 360 in the bundle, like more memory

What? 250g is NOT enough?!?!?!

I agree with a guy a few posts up, why does the NEW 360 need a price drop? it's 250g and the PS3 is about the same price with 120g, it's 300 cause you get Kinect with it, does anyone acctualy think new products are going to be cheap? =S I doubt their will be a price drop until about November time to be honest, but 300 for an Xbox, Kinect a controller and possible a mic is fair price i say.

*Hides behind Fire proof material*

250 GB would be great, unfortunately the one in the bundle is only 4GB >_>

Ahh yeh =\ my bad but still even with 4GB and the rest of bundle i'd say it's pretty much worth it

 

[Buizel91]

Wait, we're talking about the 360 slim here? The one that just came out about a month ago with built-in wi-fi and cut the ONLY hardware problem with the 360's to somewhere under a 5% chance.

It still has the proprietary hard drive crap, and their solution to the RRoD doesn't inspire confidence, nor does the reduction from 3 year to 1 year warranty. On top of that, they want to charge for Xbox Live Gold. Given all the additional costs, both guaranteed and potential it does need to be cheaper. The PS3 is the same price but no hidden costs or surprises.

But just like the original Xbox 360, if loads of people complain about 1 problem, the warranty will shoot up, and you have always had to pay for Xbox live, and even then getting it is optional, not everyone plays online, and if you do, you get a decent service =S

 

[_Cake_]

1.Cut the price of Kinect 99$ is pushing it
2.Put a better 360 in the bundle, like more memory

What? 250g is NOT enough?!?!?!

I agree with a guy a few posts up, why does the NEW 360 need a price drop? it's 250g and the PS3 is about the same price with 120g, it's 300 cause you get Kinect with it, does anyone acctualy think new products are going to be cheap? =S I doubt their will be a price drop until about November time to be honest, but 300 for an Xbox, Kinect a controller and possible a mic is fair price i say.

*Hides behind Fire proof material*

250 GB would be great, unfortunately the one in the bundle is only 4GB >_>

Ahh yeh =\ my bad but still even with 4GB and the rest of bundle i'd say it's pretty much worth it

Yeah but if it had say it had at least 30BG I really think you could get gamers switching to or adding a 360. 4GB is really only good enough for casual gamers, like they only want the wii's audience.

 

[Buizel91]

1.Cut the price of Kinect 99$ is pushing it
2.Put a better 360 in the bundle, like more memory

What? 250g is NOT enough?!?!?!

I agree with a guy a few posts up, why does the NEW 360 need a price drop? it's 250g and the PS3 is about the same price with 120g, it's 300 cause you get Kinect with it, does anyone acctualy think new products are going to be cheap? =S I doubt their will be a price drop until about November time to be honest, but 300 for an Xbox, Kinect a controller and possible a mic is fair price i say.

*Hides behind Fire proof material*

250 GB would be great, unfortunately the one in the bundle is only 4GB >_>

Ahh yeh =\ my bad but still even with 4GB and the rest of bundle i'd say it's pretty much worth it

Yeah but if it had say it had at least 30BG I really think you could get gamers switching to or adding a 360. 4GB is really only good enough for casual gamers, like they only want the wii's audience.

it would be hard getting PS3 gamers over to 360, considering they practically hate each other unless they know each other personally, then it's just friendly banter, the Wii's audience is pretty easy to convince to switch.

 

[squid5580]

So I can get 120 gb PS3 for 299. Or I can get a 250 gb 360 for 299. But the 360 needs a price drop? Really? I guess that extra 120 gbs is valued in the negatives.

Compared to Blu Ray, Free online play and having some exclusives it is. The PS3 is running rampant over the 360 in terms of value for money right now.

Well the exclusives pretty much even out. Might be free online play but you gotta pay for things like party chat (or know someone who does pay) which MS gives for free. So it really comes down to blu ray vs 130gb. And for a person who can't see the difference between a blu ray movie or a regular movie played in HD so for an average non technophile Joe the 360 should be the better deal. And they will save 10 bucks per movie to boot.

 

[Xiorell]

Boo-friggin-hoo.

Do you know what 300US is in Australian dollars?

AU$336.35

Do you know what the RRP is for the 360S in Australia? AU$450.

Unless you live in a country where the cost for games is similar to what we have to pay, you don't get the right to complain about prices.

I kind of agree with this. But in a slightly different way.
I just think, if you think it's to expensive... don't fucking buy it !!! It's not like we "need" these machine to live like food and water.
I know this is a bit off topic, and sure, a price drop might well boost sales somewhat, but for now it costs what it costs, buy it, find it cheaper/second hand, or don't buy it if you think it's to rich.
I like cars, I can't afford a Pagani Zonda, so I don't whinge about it and drive something else. Same thing.

 

[migo]

But just like the original Xbox 360, if loads of people complain about 1 problem, the warranty will shoot up, and you have always had to pay for Xbox live, and even then getting it is optional, not everyone plays online, and if you do, you get a decent service =S

Still, hidden costs are hidden costs. PS3 the price you see is what you pay. 360 the price you see is quite a bit smaller than what you pay. Yes, you don't have to pay for Gold, but then you're getting much less as well.

 

[Fidelias]

Wait, we're talking about the 360 slim here? The one that just came out about a month ago with built-in wi-fi and cut the ONLY hardware problem with the 360's to somewhere under a 5% chance.

It still has the proprietary hard drive crap, and their solution to the RRoD doesn't inspire confidence, nor does the reduction from 3 year to 1 year warranty. On top of that, they want to charge for Xbox Live Gold. Given all the additional costs, both guaranteed and potential it does need to be cheaper. The PS3 is the same price but no hidden costs or surprises.

The only problem I ever had with the 360 was with the RRoD, and they always fixed it for free even though my warranty ran out years ago. Xbox live gold has ALWAYS been an optional item you have to pay for.

And yes, I AM an xbox fanboy, but only because I have both the 360 AND the PS3 and the 360 has been better in every regard so far.

 

[Angerwing]

Boo-friggin-hoo.

Do you know what 300US is in Australian dollars?

AU$336.35

Do you know what the RRP is for the 360S in Australia? AU$450.

Unless you live in a country where the cost for games is similar to what we have to pay, you don't get the right to complain about prices.

I kind of agree with this. But in a slightly different way.
I just think, if you think it's to expensive... don't fucking buy it !!! It's not like we "need" these machine to live like food and water.
I know this is a bit off topic, and sure, a price drop might well boost sales somewhat, but for now it costs what it costs, buy it, find it cheaper/second hand, or don't buy it if you think it's to rich.
I like cars, I can't afford a Pagani Zonda, so I don't whinge about it and drive something else. Same thing.

Great way to put it! It's not a necessity, it's merely an upgraded version of what we already have. Just buy an Arcade or something for half the price.

 

[migo]

The only problem I ever had with the 360 was with the RRoD, and they always fixed it for free even though my warranty ran out years ago. Xbox live gold has ALWAYS been an optional item you have to pay for.

And yes, I AM an xbox fanboy, but only because I have both the 360 AND the PS3 and the 360 has been better in every regard so far.

Anyone who wants to upgrade their hard drive will run into the problem of the proprietary interface and having to pay a massive premium. Anyone who doesn't want the hassle of swapping out batteries has to pay extra for play and charge kits. Anyone who wants access to WiFi (up until the S model) has to pay an exorbitant fee for it, and anyone who wants to be able to play online, even just occasionally has to pay a rather ridiculous fee given it's just a P2P service.

For $300 with the PS3 you get a cheap and easy to upgrade hard drive, integrated charging support for controllers, and free online play. With the 360S you currently can't upgrade, and when you can you know it'll be really expensive, integrated charging support costs extra, and Xbox Live Gold costs $60/year. Given the reliability of a 360 you can expect it to last about 4 years, so you've got an extra $240 on top, along with a premium for hard drive upgrades and any other accessory you might like. The 360 has always been full of hidden costs. It can be a good deal, but you always have hassles.

 

[Covarr]

The 360 doesn't need a price drop. It's selling poorly because MOST OF THE GAME BUYING WORLD IS STILL IN A DAMN RECESSION. Of course, this was Michael Pachter talking, and he's always wrong.

Escapist, why do you keep posting about this guy?

P.S. No thanks until you stop posting about Pachter

Do you actually read what you write?

How is dropping the price of a product a bad thing in a recession?

Reinvigorating a product in a slump by dropping the price is a standard sales tactic especially when people don't have that much money.

I'm really struggling to see the disconect between a recession and a market analyst telling a company to drop it's prices because the consumers think it's too expensive.

You have a point. However, Pachter was implying that the reason sales were dropping is because it's been at the same price for quite a while, outright ignoring the recession.

Besides, sales haven't dropped enough to be a problem, or else Microsoft would already have dropped the price. They're wise to keep it where it is as long as they can get away with, so that if the recession ends soon enough, they win. At this point, it IS too early for a price drop.

P.S. Thanks

 

[jamesworkshop]

The 360 doesn't need a price drop. It's selling poorly because MOST OF THE GAME BUYING WORLD IS STILL IN A DAMN RECESSION. Of course, this was Michael Pachter talking, and he's always wrong.

Escapist, why do you keep posting about this guy?

P.S. No thanks until you stop posting about Pachter

Do you actually read what you write?

How is dropping the price of a product a bad thing in a recession?

Reinvigorating a product in a slump by dropping the price is a standard sales tactic especially when people don't have that much money.

I'm really struggling to see the disconect between a recession and a market analyst telling a company to drop it's prices because the consumers think it's too expensive.

You have a point. However, Pachter was implying that the reason sales were dropping is because it's been at the same price for quite a while, outright ignoring the recession.

Besides, sales haven't dropped enough to be a problem, or else Microsoft would already have dropped the price. They're wise to keep it where it is as long as they can get away with, so that if the recession ends soon enough, they win. At this point, it IS too early for a price drop.

P.S. Thanks

He didn't think that sales had dropped to a point that would compel Microsoft to make the 360 cheaper yet, but said that it would happen eventually: "I don't think that this is a problem for them, as long as sales remain near current levels," he said. "When they drop by more than 10 - 20%, we'll see a price cut to spur sales."

 

[Buizel91]

But just like the original Xbox 360, if loads of people complain about 1 problem, the warranty will shoot up, and you have always had to pay for Xbox live, and even then getting it is optional, not everyone plays online, and if you do, you get a decent service =S

Still, hidden costs are hidden costs. PS3 the price you see is what you pay. 360 the price you see is quite a bit smaller than what you pay. Yes, you don't have to pay for Gold, but then you're getting much less as well.

Mehh, It's a good service, at least it aint a rip off like most online service's. I see what you mean about the PS3 though.