Xbox 360, PS3 prices to fall this summer
Gaming will get cheaper, says analyst
The price structure of games consoles has been static for a record length of time and will begin to fall this summer in order to keep the gadgets flying off the shelves.
Analyst Michael Pachter with US investment house Wedbush said this week that current console prices have remained the same for 18 months. He predicts they will drop, with an immediate-effect Xbox 360 price cut expected to be announced at the E3 Expo in June, CVG reports.
Pachter believes that with Kinect's triumph over Sony's PS Move, Microsoft is in the driver's seat on pricing and may consider a cut to extend its monthly sales lead.
The analyst said it is clear that demand for the Wii is fading and he reckons that Move's lack of traction in the marketplace is due to the high price point for a system bundle.
But surely if that's the case, won't Sony be the one to lower prices first?
Kinect puts Microsoft in pole position, apparently
"A console price cut from Microsoft would almost certainly prompt its competitors to follow suit, and we are confident that by [Christmas] 2011, all three consoles will be at least $50 cheaper than they are today," Pachter professed.
Basically, us Brits may get 20 quid or so off our console bundles by the summer. Pfft, that's not even enough to pre-order a preowned title from Game. ®
COMMENTS
"Person not in the know speculates on something they have no influence over"
So this is not actually an announcement from Sony or Microsoft, simply some idle speculation from an analyst. Who does he think he is, Ray Kurzweil?
Move along now, nothing to see here...
'But surely if that's the case, won't Sony be the one to lower prices first?'
I don't think they can afford a price cut. Sony are further behind Microsoft in cost-reducing their console and paying off its development costs. At the moment, Xbox is setting the pace for the industry and Sony are playing catch up.
The really significant move will be which company is going to be first to announce the next generation console? This generation has been around for a comparatively long time now, but as yet, there's nothing solid about replacements.
and
someone needs to point out that globally the PS3 is outselling the Xbox month on month.
Of course some people like to ONLY talk about NPD and pretend it's the global picture. TS to name one...
price war
hum yep thease consoles will drop i can see it coming. my brother bought a kinnect for his xbox and he hasnt even used it waste of 130 quid i tell ya. me on the other hand love my ps3 it does everything i want it to do and its quiet. rumors that microsoft is planning there next console guess what so is sony haha. so if i were to choose my next console it would be a ps4 no way would i go back to microsoft and there rubbish.
Not you too?
C'mon El Reg, I'm disappointed, this Pachter bloke is the one constantly pimped by GameS**t, telling everyone what a bit of common sense will tell anyone!
Hmm, consumer goods will drop in price as they get older. What? Really? That's amazing mate, get off me show! Please don't give this twat any coverage. He's only good for telling annoying kids what to buy. If you think us commentards are bad, you should check out any article on GameS**t.
