14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Microsoft in charge of the Xbox One is announcing that it is once again cutting the price of the home consoles by 50 dollars, which is about 45 Euro although the promotion is only offered in North America, starting from today and until December 26.
This offer, which allows players to pick up the platform for 299 dollars (250 Euro), is only available for those who are interested in picking one of the bundles, including the ones featuring the 1 TB hard drive, Halo 5: Guardians or Gears of War and the Rare game package.
Apparently, the price cut does not mean that more packages featuring the Xbox One will be manufactured, which means that gamers who are interested should move fast to secure one before they are gone.
The official announcement on the blog of Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, the leading community liaison for the Xbox One, explains that the company is also launching a major Countdown digital game sale that will enable fans to get access to some of the biggest titles of the moment.
From December 22, gamers will be able to get access to a wide range of video games, with discounts for more than 200 popular experiences that will be available until January 7.
The company adds, "In addition to the wide variety of console bundles and game deals, Xbox One owners can play their favorite Xbox 360 games on Xbox One at no additional cost with Backward Compatibility, made possible by the fastest and most social Xbox experience ever. There’s truly never been a better time to pick up an Xbox One."
The price cuts for both hardware and software are designed as a shrewd business move but also as a thank you to those who have made the Xbox One a solid seller during the Black Friday period.
Microsoft is aiming for better performance in 2016
The Xbox One has managed to sell better than the PlayStation 4 from Sony in North America during the week of October, but it is still lagging behind on a worldwide level when it comes to total units moved during its lifetime.
The coming Christmas sale will deliver another boost for the platform, and Microsoft has been highlighting the number of big titles that it plans to deliver during next year, including the long-awaited Gears of War 4 and the long-delayed Quantum Break.
The problem with the price cut that ran for Black Friday and is now being re-enacted is that it makes it harder for the company to sell the Xbox One for its normal price in the future and that it puts more pressure on the company to slash the cost on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile, Sony is also aiming to make its PlayStation 4 more attractive and is promoting a bundle that includes the recently launched Uncharted re-mastered package.
The company is also talking about the extra value that its platform is offering when gamers engage with recent high-profile launches like Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Star Wars Battlefront.