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Free Xbox Live Arcade? That Sounds Nice...

If Microsoft considers it, we may just witness the Xbox 360's second launch

May 16, 2007 09:55 GMT  ·  By
Come to think of it, this could sell quite a few 360s
   Come to think of it, this could sell quite a few 360s

Think the 360 is doing good? Think again. Halo 3 alone can't keep it on top of the competition, thus GameDaily.biz's James Brightman points out some of the aspects that Microsoft needs to speculate in order to pull away from the console wars this holiday season. I took the liberty of highlighting and commenting on some of them, so you can connect the dots more easily:

First things first - Brightman suggests a slash in price.

And he makes a good point too, saying that nothing beats a low price, which is the reason for the Wii's winning figures today. Well, that and motion sensitive control of course. He suggests Microsoft should implement a $100 price cut for all three SKUs. As a result the Core system would drop down to $199 enabling it to compete with the Wii, while the Pro system would have a $299 price tag stamped on it, lowering the Elite's price at an affordable $379. If this figures to become a reality, I have to say (with all my loyalty towards Sony) that the PS3 is a goner.

The second suggestion however, I found a little "off the graph," if I may say so.

A special limited edition of Halo 3 360 SKUs for the holiday doesn't seem that much of a bomb for the gaming market. Yeah sure Halo 3 sells a lot of 360s, but a special limited edition model coming in Halo 3-inspired packaging won't exactly be a thrill. Chances are some won't even like it. Some people just want their consoles plain and simple with no stickers or drawings on them. A Halo 3 case-mod isn't the answer.

Number three in the what-Microsoft-should-do lineup sounds much more appealing: Free Xbox Live Arcade.

Although this suggestion is the most far-fetched of all, it should be the winner. XBLA provides more content than PlayStation Network and Virtual Console together, so making it a free service would practically launch the Xbox 360 once again.

The truth is, if Microsoft takes a look and considers making just one of these aspects a reality, the Xbox 360 is going to have a well set future. I hope it's XBLA-for-free they consider though.