Xbox 360 gets UK price cut

Microsoft announces a £30 drop in recommended retail price for 360; Elite pricing set at £299.99.

There have been rumours for some time that the Xbox 360 was due for a price cut in Europe. And now, following on the heels of the US price reduction and the recent Australian announcement, Microsoft UK has revealed that UK and European consumers will be paying less for the Xbox 360 from Friday, and will also be able to get their hands on the Elite edition.

The retail price of an Xbox 360 Pro in the UK will go down to £249.99 ($495) from Friday, August 24, which represents a cut of £30. The Core console, which does not have a hard drive, will be reduced by £20 to £179.99 ($355). In Europe, the Pro console will be cut to 349.99 euros, and the Core will be reduced to 279.99 euros.

At a press event in London, Dan Cornelius, UK marketing manager, Xbox 360 console and accessories, told journalists that the new price point of the Core--which is the same as the Nintendo Wii in the UK--was intended to "open the door to consumers" and to "gain mindshare with parents and families" in time for the holiday season.

Sony's PlayStation 3 currently retails in the UK for around £399 ($790) (in a bundle with an extra controller and games), and the Nintendo Wii at £179 ($355).

Microsoft also announced that Xbox 360 Elite, which launches in the UK this Friday, will have an "estimated" retail price of £299.99 ($595). The Elite edition of the console, which will retail for 449.99 euros in Europe, has a 120GB hard drive and an HDMI port, and comes with a black finish, which Microsoft says "marks the Xbox 360 Elite as...the 'luxury' option for seasoned gamers."

A range of Xbox 360 accessories is also being released in the UK. These include a detachable 120GB hard drive, to enable Xbox 360 owners to increase their consoles' storage capacity, which is estimated to retail at £129.99 ($260). A black wireless controller will also be available, with a price tag of £32.99 ($65), as will a black rechargeable battery pack, priced at £9.99 ($20). A hard-drive migration kit, which performs a one-time transfer of content from a 20GB hard drive to the Elite's hard drive, will be available free of charge at www.xbox.com.

For more on the Xbox 360 Elite, read the GameSpot rundown on what you need to know about the new console.

231 Comments

  • Gallardo980

    Posted Feb 17, 2008 8:27 am PT

    MY XBOX 360 LIVE ACCOUNT IS Scorpion_X3

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 6:58 pm PT

    Finally Europe gets it.

  • Shinedown220

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    Glad I don't live there, their prices are outrageous.

  • packernation31

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 1:18 pm PT

    It's ridiculous how much they charge in the u.k.

  • PolkaStripe

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 1:16 am PT

    In the Uk wages are higher than USA's so prices are higher.. those prices arn't really expensive but they are in USA.

  • NeoNavarro

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 12:13 am PT

    Nice to hear that the UK is also getting the sweet deal Microsoft gave the USA.

  • ctg867

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 9:56 pm PT

    I feel bad for Europe, they always get screwed when it comes to gaming. Maybe games would sell more in Europe if they weren't so expensive. Sony and Microsoft need to get some production factories in there to lower the prices.

  • LorenaLarue

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 9:38 pm PT

    Minimum wage in the UK is around £11,000 per year for people 22 years and over. So if you use 2 months worth of savings minus living expenses it should be affordable.

    I don't know how much people in the USA have to save though.

  • nintendorocks

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 9:34 pm PT

    Damn, that's a lot of money. Poor UK.

  • xcollector

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 8:41 pm PT

    Does the average (middle class) UK person earn more then the average American? I was just thinking if this is the case then it all balances out. If not then UK people do pay more.

  • goldeneye_basic

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 7:06 pm PT

    GamerzVoice, "Wow, I thought th Xbox 360 was expensive here. Poor british."

    It's more expensive because of the exchange rate. Everything over there is more expensive than it is here. A typical $10 meal here would cost $20 over there, and that is like that in most of Europe. Europeans get a great deal when they vacation in the USA, because everthing seems so cheap.

  • kashim26

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 6:41 pm PT

    I'm trading my premium console for an elite...I don't HAVE to but I really want it bad.

  • 03James

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 5:18 pm PT

    Well I'm pleased about this, I just pre-ordered an Elite yesterday so it's good to know I'll be paying less for it!

  • GamerzVoice

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 3:49 pm PT

    Wow, I thought th Xbox 360 was expensive here. Poor british.

  • zero-G1080

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    i would say its about time but i already have a 360.....
    DAMM U MICROSOFT!!!!!

  • daveg1

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 3:15 pm PT

    i'l only get an elite if they can migrate my gamertag over to the new console in store at the time of purchase..or i'l just wait for the prem 360 with the hdmi out put and slap on my own hdd..

  • Daytona_178

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 3:03 pm PT

    us poor british!

  • acu02151

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:53 pm PT

    I just don't get the price difference sure you got 17.5% Vat but that doesn't even come close to explaining it.

  • TheWakeUpCall

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:48 pm PT

    And the PS3 is $850 US. Shows you how expensive stuff in the UK is. You American's think you get this stuff expensive, but you don't know what expensive is

  • rkirkyboy2

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:41 pm PT

    Really tempted to get an Elite just because....well just because it's there! Going to resist it and stick with my old white box for the moment.

    You never know, Santa Claus might be good to me!

  • theNexus

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:26 pm PT

    Hello US folk, welcome to rip off Britain, we are used to it you know, from cars to games consoles it has been going on for so long now we are oddly use to it.
    But I am emigrating so meh, lol

    £30 off the elite I had on preorder is a nice thing stil, but really the price is still insane compared to every where else

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:07 pm PT

    That is still pretty damn expensive. I feel sorry for those in the UK.

  • 00697man

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    holy crap it's still 500$

    wow... And i thought canadians had to pay a lot for games and consoles.

  • Freestyle_20

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    n3ck shut up man

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    Game Over Whatever you say dude

    Whatever you say........................

  • JakBXbox360

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:43 pm PT

    Yet another nail in the coffin for PS3.

  • beedouk

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:42 pm PT

    too late now but i got my 360 hooked up through VGA so it will do me

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:38 pm PT

    I'll watch the trailer later then okay. That link you put up doesn't prove much either, developers always big up there titles to try and impress people, they say heavenly sword couldn't run on a 360 but I heavily doubt that as Ninja gaiden 2 will beat it and watching the game it looks nothing special. Much like they said Half life 2 couldn't be done on consoles it was done. Don't try and insult me with pokemon, I don't play it but I find nothing wrong with others playing and liking it no matter the age. The reason Crysis doesn't impress me is becuase there are many image that look good and many that look crap. http://www.incrysis.com/wiki/index.php/Crysis_Graphics
    Look at the interacive flora picture, the plant looks like rubber.
    look at the Day and night cycle picture, the colours (when brought up big) look too rich and unrealistic in my opinion (but the lighting is good despite the overly dark shadows). Look at the parallax mapping pic, an illusion is never as good as the real thing as can be seen on the floor, initially it looks good but looking at every bit there are many points that break the illusion and you can see it is flat. Look at the 3D ocean technology pic, the rock at the front and the land underneath him look so artificial because they are too straight.

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    Anywayz I didnt come here 2 curse the console I have got...I aint no fanboy....Well if I am ill shoot meself as I am so Anti fanboys...Got a PC a 360 and 1 day.....A PS3 really good games on there mainly adventure which you dont really get on the 360..no I aint gone wait till Ninja Gaiden 2 lol....Heavenly Sword example is a very nice game so is lair...WHY DID I BUY A 360 2 MONTHS AGO DAMMIT

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    So go to gametrailers and watch it on HD then....the game play is like that...


    http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=79736


    well anywayz as more and more 64 bits PC are getting there...well still way of....it will be common within 2 years to be able 2 play this game....

    Basciall yI was saying 2 N3ck who doesn't know what hes on about...bit like you....so if Crysis doesn't amaze you what does....Pokemon coliseum blue?

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:18 pm PT

    I've seeen that pic before and thats not gonna impress me by itself, I'd prefer to play the game before finally judging it. Graphically it's impressive but I'd need to buy a whole new PC just to play that thing (or atleast upgrade my graphics card) and I don't want to spend £400 for one FPS.

    Yeah I know FPS, I've played counter strike source, Half life 1 and 2, the quake series, the unreal series, Far cry, Tom clancy's Rainbow six series, Halo's, Killzone, Call of duty's, perfect dark's and more.

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:16 pm PT

    Sorry like I sayd Crysis will look like that as it needs 1 RAM of GRAPHICS CARD ....dont believe me? google it...no wonder they sayd it aint gone work on the PS3 and 360 as they only got 512 Graphics card

  • mcbride69

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:12 pm PT

    Ali_G1986 : That is a rendered image duh!! theres no way in hell the actual gameplay is going to look like that!!
    Xbox360 rocks just as much as the PC

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:11 pm PT

    One time transfer is just so stupid

    Happy for the UK, anyways though.

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:10 pm PT

    Yo dude listen go anw watch then talk okay? I got a console myself a 360... 90% of the 360 community are the same ones who play BF2 and CS ect ect? makes sense how similar they are e.g LOT OF FPS games...Nintendo? who are they? CRYSIS okay? so you havent seen it gameplay then right?

    check this out then you can talk

    http://www3.incrysis.com/screenshots/crysis-render-black-guy.jpg

    BTW got BF2 on 360 nowhere near as good as the PC version...do you even know any FPS games? "looks at his picture" man....

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:02 pm PT

    To Ali_G1986: 1. No one cares who started it, if Nintendo was the first console maker I still wouldn't get a Wii.
    2. I don't care for old (or even new) games based on old wars becuase I find them boring. 3. Crysis looks okay but it's made by the guys who made Farcry, a very poor game in my opinion so I believe the grahpics will be good but the game play will be somewhat impressive but nothing great.

    And it really depends on opinion whether you find those games interesting. Crysis could easily be done on a console it would just have to be slightly changed but thats normal since it was built from the ground up to be a PC game.

  • beechyz

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:00 pm PT

    i'm Happy that microsoft have lowered the price on these bad boy's
    I herd a rumour that the elite was goin to be £399.99 retail so im happy to see the price at £299.99

    Let's not let this become a PC/Xbox fanboy war Pc,xbox,wii,ps2 etc etc all have Pro's and Con's

    I would have thought the massive popularity of the Wii, even though it has a Laughable spec would have tought you that?

  • Ali_G1986

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:53 pm PT

    1. PC started everything..FPS..stragety ect
    2.Online still best on PC e.g Battlefield 2 and you will understand...if not? dont bother...64 people much better hey? loner lol you sure?



    3. CRYSIS KING OF ALL FPS AN ANYTHING ELSE
    FOR ATLEAST 2-3 YEARS

    IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME? CHECK THIS OUT
    http://www3.incrysis.com/screenshots/crysis-render-black-guy.jpg

  • SuperGogeta24

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:47 pm PT

    its seems to me that many people have broken caps lock buttons
    nice, cheap but controller is bit too steep
    wow rhyming

  • odpr

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:35 pm PT

    death ,
    u have no Idea what you are talking about, and I guess that your understanding in computers and CPU design is very limited.
    that is true that PS3 and XBox contain cpu inside. so?
    does it contain the same cpu u can buy in the store ?
    answer :
    NO.

    PS3 cpu was designed specially for games, the same goes to Xbox,
    your computer won't be able to run any game , year from now.
    while the ps3 and the xbox can , and will, run games 4 years from now.

    what do u think a better investmant? one time pay for 300$ , play games for 5 years, not to worry about upgrade, not to worry about drvers, cards, joystick not recognise by the system,. monitor that doesn't support proper resolution m,sudden crashes, because Vista, or Xp doesn't like the game code, how about not be able to play with more people ? online, yes, only if u tuned the computer proprely, even then most of the time it doesn't work.
    how about video card, that won;t have enough memory in a year to run the opening screen of a the game , or some stuiped codec that u forgot to install? I think I made myself quite clear, why :
    enter CD press on power and play , is much better.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:28 pm PT

    More good news for Europe
    PAL Xbox Elite - Aggressive Pricing On HD Movie Downloads

    Microsoft assured SPOnG earlier today that the pricing for 360's HD movie download service in the UK - still on schedule for a pre-Christmas 07 launch - will be similar to the current pricing over in the US (where it costs $5 (£2.50) to download the latest HD movies for a fourteen-day rental period) with more details on the exact movies and other content to also soon be revealed.

    However, if the pricing is set anywhere near that level, then a quick comparison with my local Blockbusters, that charges me £4 per night for a Blu-ray or top twenty DVD rental, shows that 360 HD movie downloads could soon be providing traditional high street DVD rental stores with some serious competition.

    http://news.spong.com/article/13533

  • themush72

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:26 pm PT

    £129.99 is a joke for a 120 gig hard-drive, you can get an external 500 GB western digital HD for £80 for a pc.

  • harm0n1ca

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 12:00 pm PT

    Its sickens me that I'm paying nearly half the price of an elite to get an upgrade that should have been included with the original package, but what sickens me more is that I'm going to moan about it now like a helpless baby, then begrudgingly accept my financial shafting and go get the damn 120 gb hdd. Ah well, such is the way of the consumer market...

  • death1505921

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:59 am PT

    ROFL @ N3ck, I can build a £400 computer that would kill a 360. That's right now, and I wouldn't have to update for like a year or so. If you bought a £2000 computer, and your 360 runs games smoother, you got scammed. Was it a Dell by any chance? Without computers you wouldn't have a games console. Games consoles are made from the same parts PCs are made from, only they have fewer parts and a different form of OS. PCs were gaming online light years before the consoles were. I own a 360 and a PC, my PC does suck, but that's 'cause its 3 years old. I'm building a new one atm, and it'll cost about the same price as a PS3 does. It'll own it. Consoles are for people who are less technicologicly sound. They either don't a computer, or can't build a computer. Most are the latter. And split screen is horrible, why would you want your friends all hunched up around a t.v. trying to play with a miniscule screen that you can barly aim properly with? Just get online. Y'know like PCs have been doing for the last 5 years? Unless you have a 55"+ tv, split screen blows. Btw, WHY THE HELL DOESN'T PARAGRAPHING WORK ON THIS THING!?

  • n3ck

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:59 am PT

    Lozzo87 xboxlive movies coming to UK soon, Elite has HDMI that supports 1080p but most UK homes have 720P hi def ready tvs so not a big problem at the moment as standard 360 displays 720P which for most tv's under 42" is perfect.

  • n3ck

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:55 am PT

    PC'S ARE FOR WORK, games are a secondary function. the primary function of a console is games, the PS3 and 360 were set up and designed around gaming.....U see? And i struggle to get my mates round my PC even with multiplayer games. MY girl will play on a Wii but never on a PC .....WHY? PC''s are not inviting to gamers, you need to know your stuff to enjoy PC's. Getting a game to work proper then setting it up does my head in and makes me go mad sometimes. the best thing about consoles is ease of use, u put the disk in and thats it.

  • Lozzo87

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 11:50 am PT

    Waste of money in my opinion. UK users of XBL don't even have access to HD feature length movies yet, so in turn, no point in having a HDD bigger than 20gb. Most UK users also do not have HD TVs that support 1080p resolution that the HDMI cable will enable. However, the black console looks awesome.

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