Microsoft has announced that, between September 22 and October 5, it will be offering rebates worth 50 dollars for all those who buy an Xbox 360 gaming console. This is, basically, another price cut, albeit one that will only last for two weeks, bringing the most complete of the versions of the Microsoft home console to an actual price of just 249 dollars. Microsoft is saying that the rebate system will work by mail and that it is working to put up a special website that will allow buyers to get all the details and track the progress of their rebate claim.

The official line from Microsoft is, “Not only does Xbox 360 play the best games and provide quality entertainment, but now you can sign up for a mail-in rebate for even greater savings.” It's quite an interesting move for two reasons. First, there was no sign that Microsoft was prepared to further cut the price of the Xbox 360 Elite, which already dropped at the end of August. Secondly, the offer is only present for a limited time, which suggests that Microsoft might be looking for a temporary boost in sales for the last period of September.

It just might be that the new and price-reduced PlayStation 3 Slim is selling so well during the month, that Microsoft feels that a further boost is needed to make sure that the Xbox 360 manages to perform relatively well.

The battle of the home consoles seems to be heating up, as the crucial holiday shopping season is getting near. Sony made its move first, by unveiling its new console, which is smaller and consumes less energy, while costing 299 dollars. Microsoft followed, by announcing that it was phasing out the Xbox 360 Pro and reducing the price asked for the Elite. Nintendo is expected to follow, by selling the Wii console for just 199 dollars beginning with October.