14 DAY TRIAL // The video game industry is a big business where new things and marketing strategies are being thought of every day. That is why the companies involved try to keep their big announcements and surprises a secret until they are ready to reveal them to the world.
But leaks happen all the time and moles carry out precious secrets to major outlets every day. While Sony was almost always the victim of such leaks, and still is if we consider that it will announce the PlayStation 3 Slim in the following weeks, Microsoft has now also been affected by clumsy retailers.
As you might remember, a few months ago a mole told technology website ArsTechnica about the fact that the PlayStation 3 would indeed receive a Slim model and that the Xbox 360 Elite version would get a price cut and replace the Pro model of the console this fall.
Now, a scan of a retailer catalog has surfaced on the Internet, thanks to gaming website Kotaku, which tells of a new price for the Xbox 360 Elite, namely $299, which is currently the price of a Pro model for the Microsoft console. All of the Elite signs are there, in the form of a black case and a 120 GB hard drive capable of storing a lot of data and games.
This new move in the market will leave players with two choices in regard to the Xbox 360, either the hard drive-less Arcade model, which, considering the fact that multiple service will be implemented on Xbox Live, might see its storage capacity strained, or this new Elite model, which won't be as exclusive as it once was.
When reached for comment, Microsoft delivered the classic response of: “Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.” This means that there might be some seed of truth in the report, but don't get your hopes too high just yet.