14 DAY TRIAL // In numerous reports, Microsoft's officials have been quoted hinting at an Xbox 360 price cut. All the clues are there, no doubt about it, but not one of them has even said once anything of the sort... directly. Recently however, there is more reason to believe that a price reduction is in order than ever before. Microsoft officials and analysts are bombarding the media with rumors and possibilities.
"If we don't make that move, make it early and expand our demographic, we will wind up in the same place as with Xbox 1, a solid business with 25 million people. What I need is a solid business with 90 million people,'' said Moore, corporate VP of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, in an interview, talking about Microsoft's future steps. But again, nothing indicated a price cut for the Xbox 360.
Albert Penello, director of Xbox global platform marketing, feels that Xbox needs to move away from its roots and offer more family friendly content, as NextGeneration reports: "If you don't start building that content and reputation it never comes," he said. "I don't want to be pigeonholed as a hard-core machine.'"
Software analyst Bellini believes that Microsoft will have to emulate the success of Nintendo's Wii and respectively cut the price of the Xbox 360 in order to boost game sales, the same site posts. Not only that, but she also believes that this could happen as early as September. Hey, that's just in the same period Halo 3 will be released! Hum...
"If they really are going to have a good Christmas games lineup, then they just have to have the largest number of boxes out there so that they sell the largest number of games," said Bellini, while David Hufford, a director of Xbox product management, says that a core 360 retailing for $300, could be more attractive, although he didn't exactly specify a price cut for the Xbox 360.
What do you think, are we going to see a price cut by Christmas? Probably yes, but I don't see Microsoft wanting to do that, given that the machine still sells good and sports an amazing array of titles. And keep in mind, the most anticipated title of all the 360's titles is yet to be released. My guess is that those who desperately want to get a glimpse at Halo 3 and don't own a 360, will get one no matter the price.