XBox 360 price drops it like it's hot

First, a quick congratulatory message.



Blog: The Video Game is now 100 posts old. Congratulations, old chap. You've certainly made the internet a much more valuable place. Feel free to take a moment to appreciate your favorite post. Ahh, that's my favorite too.

Now, to the matter at hand.



Today, the XBox 360 sees a price drop of around $50 across the board. The systems now sell for:

Elite - $449
Premium - $349
Core - $279
Limited Edition Halo 360 (not yet released) - $399

This price drop, according to Aaron Greenberg, the group project manager for the console, has been in the works for a while, and was purposefully executed so closely to the release of Madden 2008 (which comes out the 14th, next Tuesday.)

Their sneaky plan is to snatch up all the PS2 owners who come in to pick up Madden 08, and see that a next-gen system is somewhat more affordable.

Greenberg also noted that the system has remained the same price for 21 months, the longest that any console retained their launch value.

From an MSoft Press Release:

"The fact that we have been able to keep our launch price longer than any other console while retaining our leadership position demonstrates that consumers believe in the value of Xbox 360," said Mitch Koch, corporate vice president, Global Retail Sales and Marketing Group, Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.. "On the eve of the best holiday games lineup ever and the launch of 'Madden NFL 08,' there has never been a better time to jump into Xbox 360."

I'd like to make some snarky comment here about how they could have dropped the price further, or how maybe retaining your launch price for so long might not be such a good thing, but the man is right. In my opinion, the 360 is in a league of its own right now, and with dozens of amazing titles coming out for it by the end of the year, it's time to get on the bus, if you haven't already.