£40-£50 saving on 20GB, Elite and Arcade consoles
Microsoft has confirmed that it is lowering the estimated retail price (ERP) of the Xbox 360 from Friday 14th March.All three versions of the Xbox 360 will be affected. The Xbox 360 Elite, which sports a 120 GB hard drive will now have an ERP of £259.99 - a saving of £40.
The 20GB Xbox 360 will now retail at £199.99, offering a saving of £50. And finally, the entry-level console, the Xbox 360 Arcade Version, will now retail at £159.99 – a price cut of £40.
According to statistics, Xbox 360 owns 42% of the market in terms of life-to-date revenue and enjoys the highest software attach rate of any game console in Europe with more than 7.0 games sold per console (PS3: 3.8; Wii 3.5) after 26 months on the market.
“Xbox 360 is now mass market in Europe,” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Europe. “We have reached and surpassed several key milestones that form part of our long term strategic plan to achieve critical mass in Europe; and our portfolio now offers the kind of mainstream entertainment experiences that secure wider appeal for Xbox 360. These factors allow us to execute on our strategy to widen the market for Xbox 360, as planned.
“We continue to offer intense, immersive gaming experiences for gamers – but now we’re priced in a way that will allow new consumers to find out for themselves why Xbox 360 is the ultimate in high-definition entertainment.” said Lewis. “History shows that £159.99 is the price point where a console’s audience begins to expand, and with these new ERPs in place we’re ready to bring more consumers into the Xbox 360 world.”
