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Xbox 360 price cut confirmed by more retail flyers?

Source: See below. What we heard: Enough already. After weeks of speculation and numerous retail leaks, snowballing rumors of an imminent Xbox 360 price cut have reached avalanche-sized proportions. Adding further weight is a scan sent to tech blog Engadget of a purported flyer from retailer...

Source: See below.

What we heard: Enough already. After weeks of speculation and numerous retail leaks, snowballing rumors of an imminent Xbox 360 price cut have reached avalanche-sized proportions. Adding further weight is a scan sent to tech blog Engadget of a purported flyer from retailer Target announcing both the 60GB Pro and 120GB Elite models will be discounted to $249, and $299, respectively. The ad was quickly followed by a subsequent photo reportedly from a Best Buy flyer sent to gaming blog Kotaku showing identical price drops.

The new ads come just days after Engadget posted another $299 Elite flyer, purportedly from Wal-Mart. That ad appeared to confirm the new Elites would not ship with either an HDMI or component video cable. The newer scans, though, do not indicate what is inside the Elite boxes but do say it will come with a free controller when purchased at Target.

None of the leaked flyers confirm rumors that the Pro will be discontinued. However, another image sent to Engadget appears to back up earlier reports that the Pro model has vanished from the Elite's new packaging, auguring its imminent demise.

The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." -- Microsoft spokesperson.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus. Though earlier flyers have been obvious fakes, the Target and Best Buy ads appear to be legit, and the sheer volume of leaks is only given further weight by Microsoft's stony silence on the subject. With the question of "if" all but answered, it is now a question of "when," with the timing of the flyers--typically included in Sunday newspapers--pointing to August 30.

210 Comments

  • Cheinei

    Posted Sep 16, 2009 11:03 am GMT

    Crap. I guess Ill be waiting LONGER for the price cut.

  • danchambos

    Posted Sep 13, 2009 1:45 pm GMT

    i like how he said Walmart when the Target logo is clearly visible.

  • xtremeflem2day

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 10:45 am GMT

    xbox 360 is great as long as it doesnt break, and you wont always have to pay for it. People freak at the E74 Error, but i rejoiced when i saw it, that means you dont have to pay to get it fixed.

  • Excedra

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 3:33 am GMT

    An xbox with no rrod, thats all i ask........

  • fleshimp91

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 12:29 am GMT

    @TevoxZI

    That is why Sony clever to ask Square Enix kindly to give them exclusivity in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII.

  • fleshimp91

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 12:27 am GMT

    @fahadsulman

    That may be so but with that I am thinking of getting a Xbox 360 Elite even though I have a launch model Japanese PS3 with 250GB of HDD Space. It's just nice to try new stuff. But I've always loved my Sony products. The NXE has made it look more... presentable and easier to navigate.

  • suicidalblues

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 7:20 pm GMT

    I'm with DarthChristian. Fix the damm rrod issues already. The only thing this'll do is give me a discount the next time I have to buy ANOTHER 360. I've always thought the sales figures are flawed, because they never ask anybody "is this your second 360, or your third?"

  • TevoxZi

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 12:34 pm GMT

    @fahadsul3man

    You hopefully do know that they're both coming down to the price of 299$. Because your statement is a fail. I truly do think that when the two consoles are both at 299, the person'll look what he'll get with the price; BluRay & Wi-Fi included & bigger specs console or RROD out of the box. PS3 Slim sold 150,000 in Japan in 3 days, which is more than Xbox 360 has sold in Japan in a year, even though Xbox 360 has never done "so well" in Japan, that is funny.

  • fahadsul3man

    Posted Sep 5, 2009 12:47 pm GMT

    xbox 360's price drop means another nail hammered in the coffin of ps3 . The sooner the price drop the better for xbox 360 enthusiasts .

  • DarthChristian

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 1:53 pm GMT

    gee a price cut, when are they gonna fix the !$@# red ring issue

  • 24k_Solid_Gold

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 6:48 am GMT

    I was going to get a 360 sooner, but I guess I really should just wait until the price cut. Argh, I don't like waiting.

  • BMWPro77

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 10:51 pm GMT

    None of this matters as I still will not buy one. Sorry Microsoft.

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 8:38 pm GMT

    @kackarat24, if you bought it at walmart and within 90 days. you can get a full cash refund. take it back now save the money till elite is 299.

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 8:34 pm GMT

    kill off all skus but the elite. and make the elite 250. then sell out like the wii did the past 2 years. thats what i would do. but im not greedy.and im also not in charge of ms lol

  • kackarat24

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 8:19 pm GMT

    Im trading in my current 360 which heats up like a champ and freezes in its tracks before the actual price drop. Then I will by an Elite!

  • kejigoto

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 7:29 pm GMT

    @ monson21502

    Actually if you pick up an Arcade and then buy the 60 gig bundle for only $100 you get the 60 gig hard drive, 3 months of Xbox Live Gold, Ethernet Cable, and a hand set which actually comes out being cheaper than the pro and gives you abit more than what you'd get just buying the Pro. However I do agree Microsoft needs to phase out the Arcade instead and just offer the Pro at the Arcade price, but isn't Microsoft making a good profit on each console sold at this point where as I know Sony isn't.

    My guess is we'll probably see the Arcade offered with a 20 gig hard drive (basically making it the old Pro) and then eventually the 60 gig hard drives at a later date.

    Edit: I also know a number of people who bought the Arcade then got the 60 gig hard drive or bought the 20 gig when Microsoft was offering it for $20 awhile back. Plus the Arcade comes with 512 mb of internal memory which works "ok" for just game saves, so if you are just looking to play some games and not bother with online or DLC that could be a fine option with a memory card to accent that.

  • Fed__X

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 6:42 pm GMT

    Sony is also a whole year behind in sales. I think 8 million isn't too far off since the console is now $299....

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 5:37 pm GMT

    no one buys the arcade. if you want what what comes in the box later it will cost you more then the pro 360. now if they killed the arcade and put the 60 gig pro at 199 then that woulda made ps3 price cut moot. but if these ads are true sony will gain ground. trust me....

  • kejigoto

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 5:11 pm GMT

    @ monson21502

    Microsoft has been able to undercut Sony again, with the arcade sitting at $200, the Pro sitting at $250, and the Elite now at $300 it would seem Microsoft still has the lower price point and could still play a redesign card this time next year.

    Sony seems to have backed themselves into a corner playing all their cards at once, not only offering a price cut but a redesign of their main two platforms (PSP Go! and PS3 Slim), if this doesn't work and turn sales around then nothing will beyond offering the console for a price next to the number free.

    Also let us not rejoice just yet, because Sony still needs to overcome an 8 million unit gap as well.

  • scarface_dm

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 4:53 pm GMT

    Everyone that was waiting for an xbox, go out and get it when this price drop hits stores

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 4:12 pm GMT

    ps3 and 360 at same price = sony sells more systems.

    best thing about waiting for a price drop on ms part was a chance to undercut sony. but if these ads turn out to be true. they wasted their chance to put a foothold on second place in sales.

    wonder if ms knows every ps3 has a blu-ray player? i dont count free online and wifi because they aint really that big of a deal.

  • Quezakolt

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 1:57 pm GMT

    i'll still try to get a PS3 Slim. Just not interested in Xbox360.. well.. having to choose.. i"ll go with new PS3..

  • Its_a_me_luigi

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 1:35 pm GMT

    @ Cabal23
    unkosolz said that Halo had the biggest following, not sold the most.

  • pp8226

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 1:31 pm GMT

    Elite £199.99 with 2 games on Friday @Game/Gamestation

  • Cabal23

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 11:46 am GMT

    @ unkosolz

    Where did you find that fact about Halo? Maybe if you had gone the extra step you would have learned....
    Top 2 360 games
    Halo 3 sold 8.1 million
    Gears of War sold 5 million

    Top 2 PS3 game
    Gran Turismo 5 sold 3.9 million
    Motorstorm 3.1 million

    and drum roll please......
    Top 3 Wii games
    WiiSport sold 47.6 million
    Wii play sold 22.1 million
    WiiFit 21.8 million
    and for the naysayers who don't consider those games may I also include...
    Mario Kart Wii 17.3 million
    Super Smash Brothers Brawl 8.3 million sold

    So what games are the best selling games? Learn how to gather and present empirical data.

  • robram9

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 9:34 am GMT

    @ Cl0ud and Bufta

    you both have spoken the words of a freaking fanboy... congratulations!!

  • Cl0ud

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 9:16 am GMT

    @ Bufta
    Are you dumb? The rumors of 360 getting a price cut(at least the legit ones) have been going around longer than ps3s slim and their price cut. Thats why people thought both announcements would happen during gamescom. Hardware..maybe stupid rrod.. but no way in software. Microsoft is a software company you idiot. Ps3 has like no good games,well like 4, and the online is better and the mutilplat games always sell more on 360.. ALWAYS. Even when one your great games come out it barely cracks NPDs top 10.. it will be like #9 will a great 360 game will be in the top spot or at least top 3. EXACTLY get your facts straight

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 8:39 am GMT

    Now they just need to slash the HDD prices by 20-40% so they are more reasonable for those of us who have the 20GB.

    It's not surprise to me that Microsoft is keeping hush on this. They don't want the public to know about the price drop until it hits the market. Otherwise they might lose sales for the week before the discount.

    It's the same reason Sony tried to keep the PS3 redesign quiet until their announcement.

    Shame that they may remove the HDMI and/or component cables from the box, but oh well. You can get a 3' HDMI cable from Walmart for $20 and longer for just a few dollars more.
    _

  • Linkman0714

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 7:51 am GMT

    i got my 42" philips at that same price at target and havent had a single problem games look amazing on it. i love it.

  • Linkman0714

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 7:49 am GMT

    just in time for my birthday...i already own i 360 with 20gig HD but i should just buy an elite

  • sparrowz

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 6:31 am GMT

    @ heytito
    I have both ps3 and x360, both are phenomenal imo, but I find it kind of idiotic that everyone promotes ps3 due to the blue ray, it's still an expensive media. When it comes to it hd downloads/streams are still above, seeing as both consoles have that, and xbox is pushing for pure digital content, kind of annoys me being an launch pro owner, and having to spend like 200 for a hard drive, and if my ps3 drive was too small, I could just go buy a 1tb laptop hard drive for about the same and not void any rights.

  • Harerazer

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 6:17 am GMT

    One correction tho, skip buying Westinghouse if you can. Quality is at par but the service after sale is non existant. They simply don't service or stand by their products.

  • Harerazer

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 6:02 am GMT

    There are also different types of HD TVs (LCD, plasma, DLP, etc) and each one is made differently so the costs vary. It has very little to do with the brand of TV, actually. I have 2 26inch and 1 33-inch LCDs and a 65 inch DLP (all different brands) and they all show well. TV's have to be at least 42 inches tho, I believe, to show full 1080P HD. That's probably why they have "full HD" printed there.

  • hassy94

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 2:56 am GMT

    @Simple_malk

    "Full HD" means 1080p. Early HD TVs came as just 720p/1080i, therefore not being considered "Full". But this TV is obviously this cheap for the reason you stated first of all. It's not a very good brand. It's cheap because it is cheap, it won't have as good quality parts going into it and probably made with worse equipment than the top brands, such as Sony, Samsung, Panasonic etc.

  • scphan

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 11:37 pm GMT

    ok ill take malk work for it no need to pm me thanks

  • Simple_malk

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 11:12 pm GMT

    Lots of TVs that cheap, the problem is that TV isn't a great brand it's Magnavox and it say's "Full" HD whatever that means it might not even be 720i.

  • scphan

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 11:08 pm GMT

    how can i get that TV, very cheap. Some on PM me if u know.
    thanks

  • SpearX

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 10:21 pm GMT

    OH WOW!

    That's a cheap TV!

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 8:00 pm GMT

    It has to be lower than the PS3 Microsoft... And yanking out the cords to make it able to connected to an HD TV is a complete fail without dropping the price down a lot more at that. Now, if you fail rate wasn't 40%+ then maybe I would have to take that back, but it is now isn't it? Get a life MS, your elite should be $250 tops... unless you pack in a few games with it.

  • Bucketoffish

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 7:26 pm GMT

    I've seen the flyers for Gamestop in their next week's Weekly Ad. 299.99 Elites, 249.99 Pro's. It's official.

  • VengenceZero

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 7:24 pm GMT

    They have to d something. But as a former salesman, 75% of console buyers are parents, so hardcore or simply informed gamers make up about 15 to 20 percent of the market. Parents rarely care about games, hence GTA IV sold to little johnny, but they care about price point and what that console actually does. Are you really that iggnorant to believe Wii sold 50 million plus based on games? No price point and innovation is what sold that system. microsoft needs this price point to stay on top of PS right now. Playstation is a bigger brand and more well known, and compared to Microsoft their better known by parents. Even though I like the 360, the ps3 is a better system games and hardware. I really think MS might be in above their head right now. Hell make the prices lower, I love the benefits!

  • Wings_008

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:56 pm GMT

    you can't imagine how happy i am for hearing the recent price cut, i am planing on buying a second 360 this Christmas and the timing couldn't be more convenient, thus and can spent less since am a poor college student

  • zyxomma100

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:44 pm GMT

    Good. Take the HDMI cable out of the box, discount for $50 or whatever, and then get your cable for dirt cheap at Monoprice/Amazon/online dealer of choice. I don't know why people pay $60-$100 for these things when you can get a longer, quality one for $5-10.

  • mrgoodbone

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:20 pm GMT

    lol Meathead...that is a hilariously unintelligible paragraph you got there. My favorite 'trobble' or trouble, and 'copping' or copying. Oh and your lack of periods also made my brain hurt...

  • meathead86 posted Aug 25, 2009 6:09 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    meathead86

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:09 pm GMT (hide)

    xbox is in trobble at the moment with ps3 giving so much more what do u do and now sony is copping there online avtars idea xbox has only got a few titles the ps3 is the best buy and u can hear your movie when u watch it is better than listing to the console making to much noise

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:02 pm GMT

    that's cool, hopefully sooner then later it happens. all I need is a bigger hard drive though

  • shawn7324

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 6:00 pm GMT

    Don't really care about price drop since I already have a Xbox 360, but why would they pull the cables? MS pulled the cable & hopes consumers will put up $50 for their HDMI cable making up for the price cut they placed on console.

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