Xbox 360 Arcade system confirmed?

  • By thorsen-ink, GameSpot
  • Posted Oct 2, 2007 7:30 pm PT

Source: See below. What we heard: In August, rumors ran amok that Microsoft would be discontinuing its hard-drive-less Core Xbox 360. According to unconfirmed screens unearthed by Kotaku, the baseline model would be replaced by the Xbox 360 Arcade System before the year's end. For the same...

Source: See below.

What we heard: In August, rumors ran amok that Microsoft would be discontinuing its hard-drive-less Core Xbox 360. According to unconfirmed screens unearthed by Kotaku, the baseline model would be replaced by the Xbox 360 Arcade System before the year's end. For the same $279 price point, the Arcade System would come with a wireless controller, a 256MB memory card, and five free Xbox Live titles.

Speculation that the Core's days were numbered increased last week, when top game specialty retailer GameStop reportedly removed the Core 360 SKU from its database. When queried by GameSpot, Microsoft issued the following denial: "We are still manufacturing the console included in the Core SKU. We believe $279 is a great entry point for next-generation gaming and a SKU at that price will remain an important member of the Xbox 360 family of consoles."

Though seemingly categorical, Microsoft's carefully worded response left open the possibility of a repackaged version of the Core console going on sale. Now, two major online retailers--Toys 'R' Us and Amazon.com--have posted product listings for a "Microsoft Xbox 360: Arcade System." Though the pages are blank, they do share two important facts--an October 23 release date and a $279 price tag, same as the Core.

The official story: As of press time, Microsoft had not commented on either product page.

Bogus or not bogus?: Though retailers can be wrong, this double-shot of evidence is compelling. A $279 360 with five arcade games could prove a solid competitor to the $249 Wii, especially when Nintendo has publicly warned its console will remain in short supply through next year.

147 Comments

  • xfeg

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 9:51 am PT

    The arcade games that it comes with are Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship, and Uno. It is apparently out in some stores. Ive seen pictures of it in a Target store online. Also there is one on ebay. It seems like a really good replacement for the core but since it has an HDMI port (no cable) it seems like its threatening the elite to an extent.

  • joshphillips

    Posted Oct 9, 2007 9:14 am PT

    Will it have HDMI?

  • MadGamer132

    Posted Oct 8, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    i don't care. if it is Core or Arcade.

  • SOLIDUS_SN4K3

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 6:02 pm PT

    hopefully at least 1 or 2 800 point games. I would like to see Street Fighter 2, MK3 Ultimate, Bomberman Live, and Castlevania as choices. Then the Core could compete with the Wii. We can only wish for the best...

    -_-

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    So many choices

    its dumb

  • banodyne

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 12:14 pm PT

    I thought the Core was a broken concept but the Arcade bundle makes a lot more sense. Especially if you know someone who doesn't care about the media stuff and just wants to play 360 games like Halo 3 and Bioshock.

  • Poshkidney

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:14 am PT

    why can't they have the hard drive with wired controller

  • paranoiasurviva

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 6:26 am PT

    Nice pricepoint

  • Irve

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:27 am PT

    why not 10 XBLA games ? Why not a couple of retail games ? the core is still a poor choice !!

  • brianpoetzel

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:21 am PT

    That would be a good entry level system for people. My biggest complaint with the core was no HDD. So people were forced to buy an HDD or mem card otherwise they couldn't even save their games. It's good to see the core get a wireless controller too.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 1:07 am PT

    I don't see the advantage of having the Xbox Live Arcade games already on the core system. Are the games preprogramed into the system itself or are the games merely files loaded onto the memory card that comes with it? Just wondering since it has no hard drive. I recommend to anyone looking into buying an Xbox 360 to invest in either the Premium or the Elite package.

  • wizo59mt

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:43 pm PT

    lol, wont be long till sony's new 400 dollar ps3 option coming out this year will dominate the peanuts that microsoft is trying to push off on people with that joke, come on folks. NO hard drive with xbox 360 in any form is garbage. Halo is here and im already losing my thrill with it, just more addictive level creations. Sony is currently at the xbox 360's concave form on its sides. xbox 360 designer described it it looks like its about to explode. PS3 is about o do just that.

  • franky111

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:20 pm PT

    I don't seeing it making a big diffrence in sales for Microsoft.

  • franky111

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:19 pm PT

    It dosen't really make a diffrence. The same 4 people who would by a core console and haven't yet aren't going to go out and buy this one any quicker.

  • Tycerion

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:02 pm PT

    Interesting to say the least, though I still think their main sales will come from Pro and Elite packages. I for one am saving for an Elite, so this really doesn't benefit me at all.

    The interesting thing to me is the fact that they're putting it on the Wii's playing field to add competition where the Wii's had full reign for a while. Very smart from the businesses side of things.

  • okassar

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 5:07 pm PT

    Not bad at all,personally,I don't see any reason not to buy the Xbox 360 Elite if you have the money,but the Arcade bundel is definitely more attractive that the core system.Especially that this time,the controller is wireless,the price is $279,a memory card(which I don't believe the Core system bundel came with),and 5 arcade games,great attraction for casual gamers and kids alike.This,along with all the new games and the fact that Xbox 360 is the main attraction for hardcore gamers and that is going to be more said this ULTIMATE Fall,the 360 will win the holiday season and rank supreme.

  • MSG-Deathscythe

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:45 pm PT

    another ms trap to ignorant buyers. it's so sad and pathetic how ms do business. those who will buy this version will be those who are hard on cash like teens who save their lunch money for a while or those who work after school for minimum wage and then will later find out that this unit will not be sufficient to play future games. can't believe ms can get away with such stunts.

  • skyvader

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:20 pm PT

    It is the Core. Unless they retooled it enough to remove all abilities to add a hdd to the unit. Why couldnt core users just get the hdd and voila..it is now a premium.

    I read that it will have the same board as all the new premiums which means revamped chipset cooling and hdmi.

  • markevens

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:28 pm PT

    It still doen't come with a HD DVD player. With last gen games already filling up a DVD, I think M$ made a bad move by NOT including either a hard drive or a HD DVD. This is a step in the right direction.

    The 360 still has all the games right now. PS3 doesn't have squat, and all the good ones have been pushed back beyond the holiday season. That hits sony real hard, as all the holiday shoppers will only buy 360's because it actually has a decent library.

  • Windblade91

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    it wont beat the 400 buck PS3...honestly only the 400 version of the 360 sells...

  • ChickenHounk911

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 1:30 pm PT

    I just did my math.... $279 for this "arcade 360" comes with wireless, memory card and 5 arcade games. Shell out $120 more for a 120 GB Hard Drvie and what do we have? $279 + $120 = $399! YOu guessed it, $399 for an elite xbox 360 without HDMI input. Ta daa! Take THAT $400 - 40 GB PS3! Is this confusing yet? 4 differnt types of PS3's and 5 different types of Xbox 360's. weird huh?

  • jameeler91

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    propably 400 point games maybe one 800 point

  • DragoDracini

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 12:20 pm PT

    Wow, now that's a great idea!

  • club-sandwich

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 12:10 pm PT

    well this is a better deal than the core, so this is good stuf for the people who just want to have fun without online.

  • zgreenwell

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 11:04 am PT

    I love the idea of the Xbox Arcade console. There a lot of people who would really enjoy the games on the Xbox Live Arcade and this would be an easy way for them to jump into it. Now if they could only make navigating to the arcade menu and downloading the games easier for non-gamers.

  • BadSushi

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 10:56 am PT

    I dont know what to think... its a nice price and deal and all but its probably going to be games that are already free like Aegis Wing and Hexic, along with a couple not full versions of something like Lumines and Bomberman and then they would add a full game like Sonic or Geometry Wars...

  • spelledarn

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 10:38 am PT

    Why not include a hard-drive and a next gen dvd system? A 256 mb memory stick is just plain cheap.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 10:07 am PT

    oh well same thing .... just a few more games and a mem stick, still no HDD .... which you really do need.

  • Jegs41x

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:49 am PT

    cool.. but im going to buy Elite... 250MB its a litle low

  • mjk_1

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:48 am PT

    i think the wii would still outsell it.

  • WillT12345

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:44 am PT

    This would be a good system to purchase and then if it turns out you enjoy live and the downloads get the 120GB HD seperate.

  • Megavideogamer

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:31 am PT

    Well I guess The Core lives, I'm surprised that they didn't just throw in a 64MB memory card Instead, to get rid of the tiny cards. 256MB is quite an offer MS. Five Xbox live arcade games I guess that means "XBox Arcade live Vol 1. " Or does that mean XBLA Vol 2.

  • styphin

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:31 am PT

    Interesting. I'd say it's a smart move on Microsoft's part. I mean, Xbox 360 is still selling well but compared to Wii sales, they need to do something like this to compete.

  • qiwihead

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:30 am PT

    Microsoft is still clueless about how to market the Core system. How can you call something the Arcade System when it doesn't come with a HDD? All Arcade games are downloads, so obviously you need more than the puny 256MB card. At the very least they should have packed in the new 512MB card, especially since they recently increased the maximum size of Arcade titles to 150MB. Even at the old max of 50MB, you can only fit 5 Arcade games on the 256 card, and in truth probably only 4 because you need space for system files, save game files, and game profiles. This also gives you no space at all to download Marketplace items like demos and videos. If anything, Microsoft should call this the Anti-Arcade System, since of the three existing 360 SKUs this is actually the least Arcade-friendly. They really need to give up on the HDD-less 360 idea already, it's counterintuitive and not in any way "next gen."

  • slavedheart

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:26 am PT

    This could easily be the first and only 360 I would ever buy. Honestly, I would hold off on the HDD till I decided on it's place in the house, and then only if it were to include HDMI output, AND I was allowed to pick my live games... I already have media servers, and since the majority of XB games run from disk anyway, what is the point of the HDD except for game saves (and isn't that what the 256 card is for?). Maybe I'm MS biased (have YOU ever tried to squeeze a network driver into upper mem holes on windows 3.11? No? Then my opinion is more valid... LOL) but this seems to be a poor choice if their games Require a HDD, and if not, this is a great wii-placement for the holidays!

  • ewmgreendawg

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:25 am PT

    smart move. put more pressure on the wii right before/during the holiday season. wait did i just say put more pressure on the wii? hahahehehehehe.

  • lrsp

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:18 am PT

    That's pretty cool. Wired controllers suck. People want to be liberated!

  • 1357900

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 9:01 am PT

    That's a nice re-pakage. I especially like the wireless controllers being included. Now, I'm even more interested in the 360 than I already was, prior to this. I'm certainly intrigued. This is good news.

  • lacrimosamo

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:59 am PT

    It makes sense that they would launch this new SKU since it will allow them to have a competitive system with the Wii.

  • Warfust

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:57 am PT

    This could be good news for them. Though I won't buy a system like that without an HDMI port and a hard drive.

  • Tom-Abc

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:52 am PT

    Thats abit weird like but oh well ive got the premium an thats just a better one anyway.

  • gunshotx

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:48 am PT

    This is great!!! The Arcade pack is a great idea, BUT... How bout packing in a 512MB or 1GB Memory Card? Those are not expensive, a 1GB SD card goes for less than 19.99USD. GO 360!!!!!

    Now only if someone releases an XBLA HD reprise of Taito's Arkanoid!! Not some cheesy clone!

  • sophospeare

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:36 am PT

    Great move for MS. This will create a Core system that can use Live Gold out of the box. Still no BC or downloading extras and movies, but it can use the full capabilities of gaming online. And it will be able to swoop in and maybe sway a couple of those looking for, but not finding, a Wii that maybe they want a 360 instead. It won't compete real heavily with the Wii though as there is a reason Nintendo doesn't have any stock...they keep selling it.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:32 am PT

    any 360 without an hdd is a waste of money and i hope consumers realize this and pass it up. Microsoft needs to bite the bullet and get rid of any non hdd 360s. the price they charge for an hdd is even rediculous. i swear. when i bought my 120 gig one i wanted to throw a brick through the microsoft building near me. then i would be even with them considering i could get a 120 hdd for my pc for basically nothing.

  • CodyTG

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:31 am PT

    Good price for what you get. But I love how people still try and say Microsoft (or M$ as you other fanboys like to say) is only out to get your moneys.

    Wireless controller and 5 Arcade games for $280? That's a steal if you ask me.

  • eViL_kA

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:21 am PT

    I wonder how many of the five games offered will actually be good. I suppose, even if it's 1 game out of 5, you're still getting a deal with that 256MB memory card included.

  • northArrow

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:10 am PT

    This is excellent news and it's finally going to push me into buying a next-gen console. I have no interest in X-Box Live, music, HD-DVD's or any of the other crap console makers throw into their products as an excuse to jack up the price. All I want to do is play a couple next-gen games. I don't need a hard drive on my console, I own a PC.

    This is what the "core" 360 should have been at release.

  • Doug-Thompson

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:10 am PT

    I'd have to buy a new processor for my PC to play "Bioshock" or "World in Conflict." This would require a new motherboard. If I buy a new motherboard, it's going to have PCI Express, which means I'll need a new video card to replace my AGP card. So we're basically talking about a whole new machine here. I'd proabably get faster memory, too, and more of it so I could run Vista.

    Or I can now buy an Xbox360 for $279.

    That's about the same price or less of any of the three components (besides memory) I'd need for a PC upgrade.

    This is a good deal. A hard drive can come later. Xbox for Xmas, hard drive for a birthday. Not bad.

  • SemiMaster

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:08 am PT

    Except for the gimp hard drive, I would like that offer. Ugh... maybe I shouldn't be an early adopter next generation, and get all these deals and stuff.

  • XanderZane

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:06 am PT

    Is it going to come with a HDD, that's the big question? Will you still be able to play XBox 360 games on it? If not, why charge $279 for it. This is just stupid. They need to just discontinue this model completely. If they want to make the Premium XBox 360 a HOT item this holiday, include the 256MB and 5 FREE Arcare Games in that bundle for $349. You don't need 3 SKU for this system. Two is enough.
    ****************************************
    The Core has been $279 for over a month now. There isn't a price cut. This is still "The Core" system, but they are adding 5 Free Arcade games and a 256MB Memory card. So you're getting about $65-$70 worth of stuff for FREE. It's not a bad deal, but you'll still have to buy a HDD for $100. _____________________________
    mixhawkeye Holy price cuts batman did they say $279?!?!

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