LA Times reports X360 pricing (accurate?)

[jvd]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10841

Gameindustry biz is now quoteing la times for hte pricing . However the page doesn't load up

The LA Times has broken news of Microsoft's pricing plans for the Xbox 360 console, revealing that the a basic version of the next-generation system will launch at $299, with a premium version shipping at $399. [read more]

 

[EPe9686518]

I doubt that there'd be a model that would be labelled (overtly or not!) as "non Live". That was the whole point of the silver and gold stuff surely.

After the success for this gen's Live, MS would be monumentally stupi.... Wait, I won't finish that sentence because it's so absurd!

You do not need a HDD to play on XBL on 360. It comes with live built in and you simply need a memory card to save your use profile. If you want to download content then you would obviously need a HDD, but to just get on and play games on XBL you would not need one.


I would like to also point out that this lists the quote from P.J. McNealey. That guy did the report released last week on the Xbox 360 price, this was just his guess at what the price might be. He is an analyst that released a report regarding what he thinks based on his own views of Xbox 360 and MS.

It appears to me that the LA time is simply late on posting this news, and they worded the news story wrong so it appears that it is offical. They are using a direct quote from this guys report released a week ago which just like all the other reports by analysts released over the past few weeks and months, this is just a guess and nothing more.

Notice they don't give any release date, which is the other major news and a huge part of the story as well.

 

[jpr27]

Ok this has me confused as well.

I thought (althought still rumor) that the xbox 360 whether priced at $299 (for system & a controller) or say $399 would include a small package deal with extra controller, DVD controller headset etc? Now the xbox 360 I preorder and paid for might not include a HD or I need to buy a "Packaged deal" that might cost me another $100 to get the HD?

I was at my local gamestore and (so take this with a grain of salt) the store manager informed me that the "current rumor" about this was all the initial preorders that were made (which I did) would include the HD but if you didnt reserve it and plan on buying it on or after the release date then you will end up with the package deal scenerio or paying extra for the HD. The $299 probably wont include a HD after the initial launch (again this is from a store wanting to get reserves so take it with a grain of salt)

I honestly hope this is really not the case because the last thing MS needs is a notion that its been "misleading or changing package deals" it customers that preordered the Xbox 360 only to say sorry but the Xbox 360 with a HD will cost you $399. The $299 model does not come with a HD. If this is the case they should of clarified it before they allowed preorders for it. (Then again with the way marketing is these days would be too suprised) So now Im left with "is my Xbox 360 Paid in full or am I getting it without a HD? Or will I have to fork out another few hundred for a package deal to include one?

I think jvd made a point about a developer (Oblivion) who said they would be using it and for obvious reasons. Just doesnt make sense for MS to push developers away from using it especially since they will offer larger capacity HD options in the future as well.

 

[V3]

Thanks. So wireless isn't standard ?

I always thought wireless as standard, but you can wired the wireless controller, if you wish to do so. It seems I was mistaken.

 

[jvd]

V3 no clue whats going on . Ms had said many times wireless would come stnadard with double aa pack not rechargable pack.


Also everyone on the net is quoting la times online but no one can point to another source or even ms saying this themsleves .


It could be as EPe9686518 and this is just old info thats late and worded badly .

I know at gamestop we got in press info from ms in a binder with the price at 299$ with a wireless controller and a 20 gig hardrive packed in . So i don't know whats going on

 

[Bjorn]

we'll see . Goes against what we have at the store poor move on ms's part if true

I don't know. I mean, MS probably want's to build up a very large userbase before the PS3 arrives and lowering the price is a good way of getting there. I know that i'm in favour of different versions. F.e DVI and a "the winning format of HDDVD/BR" player, when/if that happens. That one could actually be without a HD, as long as it could use the HD space of the MCE 2005 HTPC that i plan to connect it to.

 

[jvd]

I don't know. I mean, MS probably want's to build up a very large userbase before the PS3 arrives and lowering the price is a good way of getting there. I know that i'm in favour if different versions. F.e DVI and a "the winning format of HDDVD/BR" player.

I'm all in favor for diffrent versions as long as the hdd was standard .

Now it looks like there are no consoles out there that meets my needs . I rather spend 400$ on a new video card .

 

[slider]

You do not need a HDD to play on XBL on 360. It comes with live built in and you simply need a memory card to save your use profile. If you want to download content then you would obviously need a HDD, but to just get on and play games on XBL you would not need one.


I would like to also point out that this lists the quote from P.J. McNealey. That guy did the report released last week on the Xbox 360 price, this was just his guess at what the price might be. He is an analyst that released a report regarding what he thinks based on his own views of Xbox 360 and MS.

It appears to me that the LA time is simply late on posting this news, and they worded the news story wrong so it appears that it is offical. They are using a direct quote from this guys report released a week ago which just like all the other reports by analysts released over the past few weeks and months, this is just a guess and nothing more.

Notice they don't give any release date, which is the other major news and a huge part of the story as well.

Yeah, I know that but thanks anyway. I was just picking up an earlier point when someone hinted about a non Live enabled 360.

Good point about the recycling of news though. Until these machines are launched it's a case of keep your thinking faces on and don't believe everything you read: what do they say about filling news vacuums...

 

[V3]

I'm all in favor for diffrent versions as long as the hdd was standard .

Now it looks like there are no consoles out there that meets my needs . I rather spend 400$ on a new video card .

Why do you need the Hdd as standard ?

 

[Hardknock]

I'm sorry, but these pricings are beyond retarded.

 

[jvd]

Why do you need the Hdd as standard ?

1) Don't want to pay more

2) Want to play live adn download maps and other things

3) Games that will make maps , mmorpgs or other things will now be less than if it was stnadard

 

[V3]

1) Don't want to pay more

2) Want to play live adn download maps and other things

3) Games that will make maps , mmorpgs or other things will now be less than if it was stnadard

That's fair enough, lets hope someone responsible at MS knows it.

 

[Hardknock]

It would be funny if MS is playing Sony's game. Have the LA Times report this, so that when they OFFICIALLY announce that everything is included at $299. Everyone goes APE SHIT.

 

[EPe9686518]

I think jvd made a point about a developer (Oblivion) who said they would be using it and for obvious reasons. Just doesnt make sense for MS to push developers away from using it especially since they will offer larger capacity HD options in the future as well

Well the developer has stated they are using the HDD, but MS has said publicly and its in the Xbox 360 SDK docs for "Developers should not assume the HDD will always be there". It's no secerate that MS plans to release different versions of 360 in the future. The last thing I saw about the HDD was that developers could make use of it for caching like Xbox 1, but I think J Allard said this exactly: Xbox 360 games do NOT require the HDD to play.

Now this could mean a few different things. Some Xbox 360 games could only run with a HDD, such as MMORPGs and other large scale games that would work much better with a HDD. In fact I don't really see how some games could work at all with out a HDD. This is what I belive to be true.

The other possablitly is that developers can use the HDD for caching and other game rendering enhancments, but they would still have to make their games be able to work with out a HDD present too. While this theory is possable, I don't find it likely due to the fact that it would put a huge strain on developers who wanted to fully use the HDD for their games. As a developer, they would want to build their game engine from the ground up to efficently use a HDD to stream data in real time to ram or the GPU. This could cut down or completely get rid of load times. But if they also had to code their engines to work fully without a HDD, this would take a lot more time and they would have to cut some features (depending on the game) for the version without HDD support. Also it would make the HDD useless in most games as most developers would not waste their time building their engines around a HDD to take full advantage of it if they also had to build a version that would scale to a Xbox 360 that did not have one present. Most developers would simply use the HDD in limited ways that really wouldent do a whole lot for games.


I don't think MS would do that. I am sure some games will require a HDD to play much like PS2, while others could take advantges of a HDD with extra features, but do not need one to play, while still yet other games would not change with or without a HDD present. Thats my theory.

 

[jvd]

That's fair enough, lets hope someone responsible at MS knows it.

Also


1) Don't want to have to upgrde a console , I have enough of that on my pc and at least there its cool upgrades

Anyway rumors are going around that they had an interview with this anylist last week and its only now going to print

 

[jvd]

http://www.talkxbox.com/article1356.html

another site quoting la times .

If this went out over the news wire wouldn't they be quoting that instead

 

[deathstar121]

IF this is true then 360 can wait, I have been wanting a to upgrade my PC, but i also wanted to get 360, MS just made it easy for me.

 

[rabidrabbit]

It would be funny if MS is playing Sony's game. Have the LA Times report this, so that when they OFFICIALLY announce that everything is included at $299. Everyone goes APE SHIT.

That's not what Sony's playing
That's not how PR works, in real life, only in fb fantasies

 

[Azrael]

IF this is true then 360 can wait, I have been wanting a to upgrade my PC, but i also wanted to get 360, MS just made it easy for me.

I with you. If this is true, I have lost every ounce of excitement I ever had for the 360. If this is true, the 360 pre-order goes back and it will be PC upgrades for me instead. That said, I really hope it's not true.

 

[goonergaz]

hmmm...you have to wonder how anyone can preorder something that they don't know what they're getting (if you see what I mean). Also very strange they're leaving so much so late (to reveal the FINAL specs AND price!).