How can MS do better in Europe?

[function]

Depending where you look. You can find it for about a tenner cheaper. The price difference certainly isn't enough to totally sway buyers though, and it clearly the systems that they're buying. That is, a £50 XB360 wouldn't outsell a £150 Wii, because the market for the Wii just won't buy a 360.

I was really just trying to answer the question about Core pricing - it's been months since I've seen the Core (new) in shops, though I've seen them lingering around like the "bad kids from the council houses" online.

As you say, I don't think people who exclusively want a Wii will be swayed at any price (although those that want both may jump for the 360 first if it was cheaper). For the most part, a cheaper 360 Arcade would only appeal to people who wanted a PS2 or Xbox successor, but who didn't want to spend £200, and certainly didn't want to spend £200 (probably more than they paid for their PS2 or Xbox) on a functionality reduced 360.*

*I'd guess this covers most people that this generation has yet to reach!

 

[PARANOiA]

Why on earth would MS sell the 360 at such a high price in Europe? Their game prices are lower that the competition, which has been explained by the exchange rate benefits... why would this not be carried over to the hardware.

For reference, in Australia the PS3 Value Pack is $700 with an extra controller and RCA cables (ie, you need to buy cabling and a game before leaving the store). The Pro 360 is $580 with component cables and two games. I thought we were supposed to be in the same market as Europe.

Sometimes MS's stupidity really knocks me out... possibly this is part of each territory having its own power to set price and strategy *shrug*

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Sony's selling the PS3 just as more expensive. The 40GB model is about $460-$500 here.

 

[pipo]

Why on earth would MS sell the 360 at such a high price in Europe?

It's never been different. No matter what console you'd like to buy.

USD = EUR.

DS: 129 USD, 129-149 EUR
PS3: 399 USD, 399 EUR
PSP: 169 USD, 169 EUR

Wii is still at 249 too... Boy do they make some cash over there at Nintendo HQ.

Sure, when you look around you can spot a deal here or there, but those are the 'normal' going prices.

 

[goonergaz]

This is a great example of how MS's problem is perception, rather than reality. For example, the statement "where are the X360 party games" is ridiculous: if you had any notion of the software releases of the past holiday season, you'd never have written it. I'll not be the one to initiate a "list war" on B3D, but everything you wrote in this quote is refutable.

OK, maybe I should rephrase that to:

"Where's the eye toy games and singstar on X360...let alone LBP?"

Is that better? I serisously cannot think of anything the X360 has that makes it more desirable than PS3 on the party games front, but feel free to try convince me I'm wrong!

 

[Arwin]

The question right there is whether or not it needs to be 1. less desirable (a few is enough for mainstream), 2. equally desirable (doesn't matter which one you buy) or 3. more desirable (you really want a 360 for this, or the consumer really needs some extra convincing because under equal circumstances brand name of both the hardware and the software is going to sway the consumer towards PS3)

Personally, I'm not too convinced of the 360 as a party game machine right now ... The only thing I can personally think of is Scene It, which didn't rate that well, which isn't as good as PS2's Buzz, and when PS3 Buzz comes out will be seriously outclassed. Vision is a serious letdown, so far. There's no SingStar, and the other music games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band) are multi-platform. There are some more titles on 360 (wasn't there a DDR out already?), but nothing really big that stands out, right?

I think it's 1 now, and needs to be 3 to make a difference.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

OK, maybe I should rephrase that to:

"Where's the eye toy games and singstar on X360...let alone LBP?"

Is that better? I serisously cannot think of anything the X360 has that makes it more desirable than PS3 on the party games front, but feel free to try convince me I'm wrong!

Scene It! is pretty awesome and so is Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The X360 has plenty of party games.

 

[goonergaz]

Scene It! is pretty awesome and so is Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The X360 has plenty of party games.

But as stated, PS3 has Buzz coming and already has Band/Hero!

So even then you still have Eye & Singstar over and above X360...unless you think Scene It outclasses those!?

 

[Zassk]

So you are saying that multiplatform games like Rock Band automatically favor the PS3 in Europe? Scene It is dismissed in Europe because there will one day be a competing product?

In the past year the 360 also had VP Party Animals, DDR Universe, and Fusion Frenzy 2 (admittedly tanked, but the franchise is well known). The PS3 has more/better party games than these?

 

[Arwin]

So you are saying that multiplatform games like Rock Band automatically favor the PS3 in Europe? Scene It is dismissed in Europe because there will one day be a competing product?

Rock Band isn't even out here yet. Singstar is. The reverse is true in the U.S., which just goes to show that again, PS3 is better in Europe, and 360 is weaker in Europe.

In the past year the 360 also had VP Party Animals, DDR Universe, and Fusion Frenzy 2 (admittedly tanked, but the franchise is well known). The PS3 has more/better party games than these?

Especially for someone coming from PS2, there's no question. But even if you aren't, I think so. A lot of the PSN titles are pretty good at it, for instance.

 

[goonergaz]

Quite - Calling all Cars is a blast and Sky Diving looks fun too...you just know that Sony will utilise the eyetoy (unlike MS) as well.