scooby_dooby
Legend
Is it 2 HD-DVD's of your choice?
360 HD-DVD Drive to be 199 GBP
- Thread starter Hardknock
- Start date
Is it 2 HD-DVD's of your choice?
scooby_dooby
Legend
I guess we shouldn't be surprised given MS's peripheral pricing across the board.
I wish they'd just get a clue here, the hits just keep coming, Shitty 64mb card for $40, small 20gb HDD for $100, $25 play and charge kits, HD-DVD add on for $300, seriously give us a fuckin break here you blood suckers!
/rant
I wonder if they (MS) is catching a deal by bundling in two movies with the addon or something. Not sure what the strategy is here by pricing it (possibly) at the cores price point....
You must be delirious from having MS sucking too much of your blood. Not just fair price, but VERY fair price? That's pure loonyness. What if I don't like the movies on offer, smile and just let my wallet take it up the backside from Uncle Bill?
A US price of $300 for a standalone drive is a ripoff AND a joke, in euroland it'd be even more crazy expensive than that. A $600 PS3 suddenly appears to be a good deal in comparison with a premium 360 and this huge standalone player, if the price is correct.
No, it is furthering on the "suck all the cash we can out of our 360 buyers in shortest time possible" paradigm.
If they're smart, they dump the 2 movies and reduce the price instead. The next gen standalone Toshiba is going to be $399 from all indication (you can already get the HD-A1 for $400 or lower) so it's a no brainer. Get the standalone player.
I think it comes down to a subsidy issue. I have my doubts that MS would actually want to subsidize something they don't really have a vested interest in (even if BR wins MS stands to gain a lot since VC-1 will still likely be used quite a bit and is in the spec -- they win either way on that front). Toshiba looks to be subsidizing those HD-DVD players a bit at this point.
I'd have loved a $200 price point, and I likely would purchase one at that price... but $300 sounds a bit more realistic when you consider MS's position. Sucks though, regardless.
I'd have loved a $200 price point, and I likely would purchase one at that price... but $300 sounds a bit more realistic when you consider MS's position. Sucks though, regardless.
scooby_dooby
Legend
And isn't there the possibility of cheaper 3rd party HD-DVD players by this holiday?
btw: the A1 is like $700 in canada, we're totally getting the shaft, so I'll pass on that bad boy.
How much do you think Blue Laser devices cost to make. In case you hadn't heard there's a shortage of diodes and prices aren't cheap
Get one from the US. They're region free anyways so who cares where it comes from?
scooby_dooby
Legend
Hmm, good point! I'm in no rush though, so I'll just wait. If I'm gonna spend that kind of money I should probably just get a PS3 for $550.
Ironically, the Xbox360 Core is cheap here. I could pick one up today for less than $190 + VAT from one warehouse chain, and for $215 + VAT incl. one game from another (the cheapest premium around have stayed at $375+VAT since launch). Most accessories aren't all that expensive compared to the US either; $42+VAT for a wireless controller and $95+VAT for the HD. All prices, exept the first, from a chain owned by Dixons, who are charging notably more than that in the UK.
Granted, there probably is an element of 'local' competition between the chains impacting the prices I state above, but (as you say) I don't think the UK is representative for how much Europe is getting stiffed my MS in general on the 360. I can't really see them selling a single HD-DVD add-on here if it's the equivalent of $310 + VAT.First of all, remember that European prices include the VAT. Plus, yes we Euros get screwed all the time, especially the Brits - But they deserve that for sticking with pints, miles, stones and the BP.
DeathKnight
Regular
Regardless, I guarantee it doesn't cost them $300 for the parts and manufacturing of the device. Basically you've got the enclosure, the drive itself, and the circuitry. I would find it rather hard to believe that the HD-DVD drive in let's say the Toshiba HD-A1 takes up a significant portion of the cost given all of the other hardware that's inside of one of those.How much do you think Blue Laser devices cost to make. In case you hadn't heard there's a shortage of diodes and prices aren't cheap
At a $300US pricepoint they're making too much profit.They'll see very little adoption of the device at that price, so why even bother releasing it?
scooby_dooby
Legend
Not to mention, it validates Sony's inclusion of BR and makes the PS3 look like a better deal than 360, I would not release it for $300 if I were MS, it would probably do more harm then good when consumers are making their comparisons.
Edit - Actually I think we're overlooking something here. THey are planning on bundling the HD-DVD w. premium for 375 pounds, the regular premium is 280. So that's only an icrease of 30%. If they follow that in the US, we are looking at a premium bundle + HD-DVD for around $500.
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Generally no. However there's a quote somewhere on this forum saying that if anyone wants a Blue diode, they'll have to pay $175+ for it. I don't know what sort of deals the HDDVD player companies have, but they won't be cheap. I also don't know what sort of prices the head assmeblies will cmoe to. There's some very high precision motors in those things. This is cutting edge technology, and that's never cheap until it's been around a while (and stopped being cutting edge
)The rest are standard PC components, and not top-end ones. I doubt they amount to much of the total. It's also in Toshiba's interests to sell their platform without a profit as they want to establish their format.
I think you underestimate the costs. I think many people do, me included. The analysts all along were saying these BRDs would cost a lot. I think a lot of us were thinking 'it's just a DVD with a different laser head' but obviously the technical difficulties in creating the parts is keeping parts rare, and thus expensive. I expect MS want a profit on the hardware, but the incentive of a piece of the HD market pie might be atttractive. If BRD dies, or at least if there's lots of HDDVD sales, MS get royalities for codec use and their interface software. The more XB360 HDDVD drives sold, the stronger the HDDVD format, the more standalone players will be sold, the more license fees they get. I wouldn't hazard a guess how much money MS are or are not making at $300. They could be making $100, and could be selling it at cost, given the margin inherant with our lack of insght.
scooby_dooby
Legend
Actually the internal components like CPU and RAM make up the majority of the A1 cost based on the one breakdown that was done. I don't have a link, but that was the case, it pegged it around $700 to make btw.
Arrrgghh!!
What are they doing? I don't get the strategy here.
They have a significant advantage bieng priced 100-200 usd below PS3. It might be more by the time PS3s are readily available.
WHY realease a product that does nothing but validate the PS3's price premium?? It's crazy. Please anyone, If I am missing somethign here, clue me in.
The only possible conclusion I can come to - and call me crazy- is that they know they may need to grandfather in HDDVD support for future games. And why not? Sure the market is different no than it was back then. Maybe they can make it work?
It's frustrating. MS should be dropping the hammer on Sony right now by positioning the 360 as an unpretentious alternative to the PS3, druming up a Dreamcast like vibe. Instead they're updating the effin dashboard and offerning overpriced addons to "build your own ps3". It's so backwards and it's so Microsoft. There is so much ptoential being squandered.
I'm ranting I'll stop ranting.
What are they doing? I don't get the strategy here.
They have a significant advantage bieng priced 100-200 usd below PS3. It might be more by the time PS3s are readily available.
WHY realease a product that does nothing but validate the PS3's price premium?? It's crazy. Please anyone, If I am missing somethign here, clue me in.
The only possible conclusion I can come to - and call me crazy- is that they know they may need to grandfather in HDDVD support for future games. And why not? Sure the market is different no than it was back then. Maybe they can make it work?
It's frustrating. MS should be dropping the hammer on Sony right now by positioning the 360 as an unpretentious alternative to the PS3, druming up a Dreamcast like vibe. Instead they're updating the effin dashboard and offerning overpriced addons to "build your own ps3". It's so backwards and it's so Microsoft. There is so much ptoential being squandered.
I'm ranting I'll stop ranting.
scooby_dooby
Legend
Just makes you wish Ed Fries was still running the show.
