[Rangers]

A little closer to confirmation, the price cut appears slated for September 7

http://vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=36381

[-tkf-]

Originally Posted by Rangers

A little closer to confirmation, the price cut appears slated for September 7

http://vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=36381

Do i read that right, there hasn´t been a sale on this model for 14 days?

[Rangers]

Could be, the store the spy pics came from is a Fred Meyer, not exactly a hotbed of activity I'd imagine. As well as the Arcade being generally the least popular 360 sku currently. But as it now gets the larger price drop, it will become comparatively more attractive.

[joker454]

Originally Posted by Rangers

A little closer to confirmation, the price cut appears slated for September 7

Took them long enough, but it's finally priced where it should be. I wonder if they regret not dropping it to $199 for the GTA4 launch.

[aselto]

Originally Posted by joker454

Took them long enough, but it's finally priced where it should be. I wonder if they regret not dropping it to $199 for the GTA4 launch.

They weren't ready for that at the time. Price cut in Europe was more urgent and they did it in March, but it caused losses for thedivisionin the next quarter, when sales after GTA release were higher. I realise that with current exchange rate 360s in Europe were more axpensive then in the US, but still they bleeded in last quarter. Now, with Jaspers, they seem to finally take the price down in USA as well.

[quest55720]

Once the new model arcade units start to show up the ones with the 65nm GPU. I will get it to replace my old 20 gig unit.

[Rangers]

Originally Posted by aselto

They weren't ready for that at the time. Price cut in Europe was more urgent and they did it in March, but it caused losses for thedivisionin the next quarter, when sales after GTA release were higher. I realise that with current exchange rate 360s in Europe were more axpensive then in the US, but still they bleeded in last quarter. Now, with Jaspers, they seem to finally take the price down in USA as well.

I'm not so sure EDD losses are that closely tied to 360 anymore. I think last Q losses wasn't necessarily 360's fault.

But I'm sure this cut is tied into Jasper, yes.

I'm really curious to see if Arcade can catch fire at this price. I started thinking, 199 is about what Sega Genesis used to sell for ages ago, or what Super Nintendo debuted at (never mind inflation). This is a machine that can play Gears of War 2 for that price. You start figured years of inflation in, and this is equivalent to $160-170 in say, 2002.

[DrJay24]

Originally Posted by Rangers

This is a machine that can play Gears of War 2 for that price. You start figured years of inflation in, and this is equivalent to $160-170 in say, 2002.

I think you have the wrong demographic. I think the core is aimed at the casual Guitar Hero crowd. People who avoid violent shooters. Then again, the 60GB will still be the main seller because you need the HD if you want DLC.

I think the $199 ads will grab attention, but people will then contrast what you get with the 60GB and factor in things like Wi-fi, Live, etc. and see the $199 is not really $199.

I think a $299 60GB will be a much bigger seller this X-mas.

[RancidLunchmeat]

Originally Posted by DrJay24

I think you have the wrong demographic. I think the core is aimed at the casual Guitar Hero crowd. People who avoid violent shooters. Then again, the 60GB will still be the main seller because you need the HD if you want DLC.

I think you're nuts. The $199 arcade will attract all those people used to paying no more than $199 for a console. A console that previously never came with Wi-Fi or a HDD or the ability to access DLC or anything.

This entire generation has been a race to $199 and then to $149. The Core/Arcade was designed specifically for this purpose. The majority of the market does not care about Wi-Fi, they don't care about online access or DLC. Yes, they want to play guitar hero, but they also want to play Halo and Gears and GTA IV. They most certainly aren't limited to the party-game crowd.

Don't confuse the Wii's demographic to that of the PS1 and PS2's traditional territory that the 360 is moving to compete in.

[eastmen]

the arcade is great for people who don't believe they are interested in dlc or what live has to offer . However when they start playing games like rockband and scene it and what not and thy see the content offered they may want to upgrade for that stuff. The 60 gig hardrive bundle is a good way to get them to do that. For $100 bucks your brought up to the pro sku only lacking hd cables . then of course 20 gig drives will be cheap as many people will be upgrading to bigger drives as they start installing games. I wouldn't be surprised if you can start to find 20 gigs in the $40 range soon .

[aselto]

Originally Posted by Rangers

I'm not so sure EDD losses are that closely tied to 360 anymore. I think last Q losses wasn't necessarily 360's fault.

IIRC, the "reason" they gave for losses were increased R&D investment and 360 shipments.

Originally Posted by DrJay24

I think you have the wrong demographic. I think the core is aimed at the casual Guitar Hero crowd. People who avoid violent shooters. Then again, the 60GB will still be the main seller because you need the HD if you want DLC.

I think the $199 ads will grab attention, but people will then contrast what you get with the 60GB and factor in things like Wi-fi, Live, etc. and see the $199 is not really $199.

I think a $299 60GB will be a much bigger seller this X-mas.

You'd be surprised, but there still is a sizable market of those who haven't "jumped in" but find GoW2 and other hardcore games appealing. Still, those who aren't interested in this kind of games are a much bigger population and it's interesting if MS will ever be able to reach them (assuming that they have some interesting software for them in the first place )

[AlphaWolf]

There's no doubt that halo3, GTAIV, GoW and CoD4 aren't done selling copies yet. There will always be some renewed interest with sequels, pack ins and lower price points.

[eastmen]

Originally Posted by AlphaWolf

There's no doubt that halo3, GTAIV, GoW and CoD4 aren't done selling copies yet. There will always be some renewed interest with sequels, pack ins and lower price points.

large dlc packs also. the gta 4 stuff could make it a big seller this holiday if they get it out that is

[DrJay24]

Originally Posted by RancidLunchmeat

I think you're nuts. The $199 arcade will attract all those people used to paying no more than $199 for a console. A console that previously never came with Wi-Fi or a HDD or the ability to access DLC or anything.

How many is that? Sure sales will pick up, but most sales will be of the 60GB as has been the case for three years. The core is already the cheapest HD console on the market and cheaper than the Wii in Europe (I think), does that mean it's selling well?

There will always be a segment of the population that see "$199" and think it's a deal, but most people who spend $200 will do five minutes of research and find the other model(s) a better value, despite the price.

All this talk is very reminiscent of the core when it hit $279 and included the memory card.

[RancidLunchmeat]

Originally Posted by DrJay24

How many is that?

Take a look at the sales spikes for the Xbox and PS2 when they hit the $199 market and then the $149 market and then you'll have your answer. Don't expect me to do your homework for you.

There will always be a segment of the population that see "$199" and think it's a deal, but most people who spend $200 will do five minutes of research and find the other model(s) a better value, despite the price.

All this talk is very reminiscent of the core when it hit $279 and included the memory card.

You act as though this is the first generation that video game consoles have been on the market. I must have missed the talk that the $279 price point would spur Arcade sales because it was clear that was only a stepping stone. In fact, while a certain segment of fanboys have continually bemoaned the existence of the core/Arcade, others of us.. (most notably those on these forums), realized that the base model was meant to win the race to $199 and then to $149 which is where the majority of consoles have gotten their sales in the past.

There is a significant difference both practically and psychologically in $199 and $279 or $249. Value is meaningless, unless your Sony who likes to present bundles as 'price drops'.

If the net cost to the consumer doesn't drop, it isn't a price drop. Adding value is a way for manufacturers to maintain their price structure, but it doesn't provide much to any consumer who wasn't already looking to make the purchase.

The $199 Arcade will provide not only a superior value to the $199 PS2 (taking into account inflation) but also a superior value due to the inclusion of a memory card and number of included family-friend easily-accessible arcade games.

Your stated position would have us believe that there aren't people who want to play GTA IV but haven't done so yet because of the cost of entry. Or, that the significant majority of those people would require a HDD if they wanted to play online. The first isn't true and the second is questionable since GTA: SA had no online mode. The same is true for Gears, and a number of other games, even including Halo3 which (while noted for its great online play) is also noted for its rich campaign mode and once again should be noted that gained such a large fan base on the Xbox that had no online component at all.

I can tell you there are people who are very interested in playing GTA IV, Bioshock, Halo, etc.. that aren't interested in Live! or online and haven't been able to play because the cost of entry is simply too great. These games are going to continue to sell for quite some time, and will probably sell more copies from now until the next of the generation than they've sold in their lifetime up to this point. Those sales are going to come from people who couldn't afford to play them on $299 consoles.

[zed]

Take a look at the sales spikes for the Xbox and PS2 when they hit the $199 market and then the $149 market..
realized that the base model was meant to win the race to $199 ...

the wii priced at $250 has sold what? ~30million + still going strong, im guessing it will sell greater than 50million before a pricecut happens
now heres my impossibly crazy(according to some ppl here) prediction.
once the wii hits <$200 its average monthly sold (over say the first year) will actually be lower than it has averaged before the pricecut.

ala price is less important than desirability

[eastmen]

$200 is a big deal. Alot of my friends who are ps3 owners will jump in at that price point . They can buy 20 gig hardrives off us for cheap. Gamestop gives only $15 bucks for the 20 gig drive btw . I'm sure there will be alot of power users upgrading to hte 120 gig or 60 gig drives in the near future leaving alot of 20 gigs on the market

the wii priced at $250 has sold what? ~30million + still going strong, im guessing it will sell greater than 50million before a pricecut happens
now heres my impossibly crazy(according to some ppl here) prediction.
once the wii hits <$200 its average monthly sold (over say the first year) will actually be lower than it has averaged before the pricecut.

ala price is less important than desirability

the wii also comes with a game that is very popular. i wonder how the arcade unit with halo 3 would sell at $250 . of course at $200 it will sell better . Provided nintendo could provide more units than they could sell at any price point for any given month i'm sure you would see higher sales at $200 than $250

[eastmen]

Originally Posted by -tkf-

Is the arcade unit the RROD immune edition?

There is a thread at gaf checking the failure rates of each of the revisions and type of units . All falcon based units seem to be under the 10% number for xbox 360 owners there. Your more than welcome to go check it out. It seems to me that you have an equal chance of receiving a bad unit that will die on you no matter what system you buy now. However apparently in August jasper units will start leaving the factory , so by the holiday rrod should be well under the 5% margin.

I own a launch unit 20 gig and a brand new 60 gig unit. I can say that my 60 gig runs much much cooler than my old launch unit. I'm actually looking at buying a cheap temp gun to measure the heat output of different things. If you guys have any suggestions for one under $30 I would be thankful .

[22psi]

how much wattage does ur 60gb use?

is the powerbrick smaller?

[eastmen]

Originally Posted by 22psi

how much wattage does ur 60gb use?

is the powerbrick smaller?

Compared to what? Its a 175w on the brick. I don't know how much it draws. I don't have any tools to tell that. If you give me a link to a cheap device for that I will buy it and test it for you. The power brick is smaller and lighter than my launch unit.

[-tkf-]

Originally Posted by eastmen

Compared to what? Its a 175w on the brick. I don't know how much it draws. I don't have any tools to tell that. If you give me a link to a cheap device for that I will buy it and test it for you. The power brick is smaller and lighter than my launch unit.

Maybe checking the power brick is the easiest way to make sure you get a cool running version. Thanks.

[AlStrong]

Originally Posted by eastmen

If you give me a link to a cheap device for that I will buy it and test it for you.

Killawatt products are somewhat common for measuring power draw. Here's one product: http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation.../dp/B00009MDBU. You should be able to find something similar at any electronics shop. As you can see in one of the photos, it sits between the wall socket and the electrical device (360 in this case).

At the very least, you should measure power consumption while in the dashboard (idle) and in-game (load). You may also want to check a DVD movie or some miscellaneous media file. The important thing is to be consistent with the game/movie i.e. check for a peak power draw during a particular segment of replay in Halo 3 or Forza 2.

[Arwin]

And start testing from the same temperature - i.e. let them both be off for 24 hours before starting, or on the opposite end, let them both idle in the desktop for an hour.

[eastmen]

Originally Posted by -tkf-

Maybe checking the power brick is the easiest way to make sure you get a cool running version. Thanks.

I'd look for the newest manfucature date at this point. Mine is a 6/19/08 console. Considering I bought it at retail last week I don't think you can get much newer now. The elites may still have older zelphar (sp?) boards though.


Everyone else thanks for the information. I will look into local shops near me that might have the stuff and I will try and test this week.

[AzBat]

More $199 Arcade proof...



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Tommy McClain