14 DAY TRIAL // Sources inside Microsoft have suggested that the company's video game division is getting ready to announce and launch a new bundle combining the Xbox 360 home console and the Kinect motion tracking system for the initial price of 99 dollars (75.3 Euro) and a two-year subscription plan that will see customers pay 15 dollars (11.4 Euro) per month for two years.
It seems that the new bundle is at the moment only planned for launch on the United States market, although Microsoft might also introduce a European version at a later date.
The new bundle will include a 4 GB hard drive version of the Xbox 360 and the Kinect peripheral, and for the monthly subscription gamers will get the Xbox Live Gold membership as well as access to undisclosed content from a number of cable and sports content providers.
It seems that all those who cancel the contract with Microsoft before the end of the two-year period will be charged a hefty fee and will be able to keep the hardware they have bought.
The model that Microsoft plans to use on the new Xbox 360 bundle is very close to that used by mobile phone companies, who are often losing money on the sale of the hardware but then make up the cost by linking customers with long-term deals.
The move also makes sense given Microsoft’s recent strategy of positioning the Xbox 360 more as an entertainment hub rather than a simple gaming console, encouraging gamers to use it to stream video and audio content with their family.
The Xbox 360 has lead the NPD Group sales chart for the United States market for more than one year, and rumors have suggested that Microsoft is still interested in selling the platform and is holding off on the announcement of a next-generation console in order to take advantage of the good period.