guess times are bad at Microsoft. The 360 has been on the bottom of the sales charts for quite some time now. When you are not selling well, you have to lower the price. Nintendo has not had to lower prices once as they are selling like hotcakes.

Have they corrected the 30%+ failure rate of these things yet?

The 360 has been out much longer then the PS3 and they have also had price cuts so I guess you are impling that times are bad for them too. Nintendo did a great of appealing to much larger demographic so of course they are selling more. Isn't Nintendo also crushing Sony?

Not to mention the economy blows for everybody, and it's summer time so NOBODY wants a new console or can't afford it.

Why do you have to troll every post and say something about Sony? The article is about Microsoft and its 360.

Yes, Nintendo is beating Sony, although for many months now, Sony has been outselling the 360. The 360 is getting beat up, hence the price cut.

Because people always make comments about Nintendo kill MS which we all know yet fail to mention that the same thing is happening to Sony.

At this point I do not see MS or Sony ever catching Nintendo and I am happy for them. They have a great track record short of the virtual boy of making system that people like.

I also understand that the PS3 is outselling the 360 and so it should be since the 360 has been out longer so sales tend to drop off as time goes by. The one exception to that rule has been the PS2 that thing was on fire and never seemed to let up until the PS3 came out.

I see the nonSony cheer leaders can do what you mentioned but God forbid anyone else do it. I take note of that and remember that.

Funny how many others have mentioned the PS3 in this thread but that is ok.

Then there is the concept of you trolling with comments about failure rates and such when everyone knows about that and the fact that MS is addressing the problem.

Funny too how I mentioned that Sony has cut prices to so that is trolling. I don't think so. Production prices drop which makes price cutting an option so why not jump on it to catch the people that have been on the fence about buying your product. Nintendo on the other hand does not appear to have to many people sitting on the fence so they have no reason to drop prices. As long as finding a system is hard to do why in Nintendos right mind would they drop prices? Does that clear things up for you?

When prices of commodity components such as Hard drives and RAM drop, it makes sense to drop the price of entry into the market where the real profit to be made is on after market game sales!

That is IF you are able to still make a profit - something Sony has yet to figure out in either the PS3 or Blu-Ray.

360 and PS3 are top notch gaming consoles. I don't know what the hell Nintendo was thinking about their Wii console. The graphics look like utter sh*t!!! I believe the original XBOX has better graphics than a Wii. Hell I'll even go further that a PSONE system beats a Wii in graphics. 480P?!?!? and a console that doesn't play DVDs or CDs?? WTF was Nintendo thinking?? I think they wasted all their R&D on the motion sensing controllers than the graphics engine.. As soon as MS or Sony comes out with motion sensing controllers and games, Nintendo will be left in the dirt...

"I don't know what the hell Nintendo was thinking about their Wii console."

Obviously!

What were they thinking? Gee, maybe that a more reasonably priced console with good, but not photo realistic, graphics that actually engaged th user would do a better job of capturing the family market than a fancy overpriced platform offering bells and whistles that, why cute and pretty, did not necessarily add to the gaming experience, but most certainly add to the price!

What were they thinking? How about presenting a more compelling reason to buy than have either MS or Sony.

The fact that you haven't a clue simply indicates that you have no insight into market dynamics.

Yup, Nintendo is eating both of their lunches, and actually making a profit doing it!

or maybe they thought somebody other that raving idiot fanboys might like to sit around with there family and friends for some fun gaming that didn't evolve blowing people's heads off.

It can actually be fun when your not playing with a bunch on 12 year old idiots in halo.

I like your style wreckedchevy!

Having played a friend's Wii I can only agree that after a few drinks a genuinely intuitive 'pick-up-and-play' gaming set-up is such a laugh.

It has it's place just as much as any over-serious 'read-an-8" thick-instruction-booklet'......with 2 dozen keyboard overlays and a half dozen macros to input game does.

The Xbox 360 seems to be capable of adding the Nintendo approach to a more serious sort of game - and their on-line arrangements are 2nd to none.
These prices are just more and more attractive.....and their 3 yr guarantee is a class-leading feature none of the rest have bothered to emulate (which makes you wonder - if they are so reliable and well made - why not?
.....and the argument that they don't need to is laughable; they do, it's called at least matching the competition.)

I know many people love to see photo-realistic graphics but it's hardly the be-all and end-all of the matter.
Similarly a console that can do a lot of other stuff & which might stay current for a long time is nice too.

But the PS3 (now looking even more ridiculously over-priced - and costing Sony, at last reports, $3.3 Billion in losses) with a souped up Nvidia 7900GS is hardly that either.

As Nintendo's sales prove.

Very good.

Sometimes that's the best time b/c you can usually own their asses. :)

"As soon as MS or Sony comes out with motion sensing controllers and games, Nintendo will be left in the dirt..."

I love my xbox/ps3... but i have to disagree some, PS3 comes with motion sensing controllers already! :-)

"PS3 comes with motion sensing controllers already! :-)"

Lol...Problem is theirs sucks and makes the games just feel awkward.

"I don't know what the hell Nintendo was thinking about their Wii console."

Umm, maybe profitability?

Maybe you should monitor this site and play when the traffic is heavy here, as this is where they seem to live when they aren't busy playing.

I've also saw that Buy.com has 20gb 360's for $199 and free shipping. They are recertified though.

Do you call this cheap ????

Cheaper than the PS3. (No PS3 fanboys, you don't need Wifi and play and charge kits etc.)

Do they call you stupid?

Is this the non-RROD version/smaller/cooler CPU process version?

Why would I pay for failure and calling customer service?

Well, that's a good point. But seeing as the 360, PS3 and the Wii all reported faulty units at launch, there aren't any consoles that are error-free down the assembly line.

What should be important is in the event of a failure is how customer service handles it.

this is a pretty unfair comment though...because while yes all three consoles have had reports of failures...there is no way to sugarcoat the fact that the 360 had a MUCH higher percentage of failures than either of the other two consoles combined...

luckily my 360 has never had a problem...but the fact remains...the 360's failure rate is alarming...

supposedly it has gotten better though...the 65nm chips apparently bring the heat down enough...

It's unfair to comment that all of the current consoles had faulty units? And it's also unfair to comment that while they all have faulty units, consideration to be paid to how the manufacturer and customer service respond to the issue?

And who was sugarcoating the percentage of 360 failure rates? I wasn't. I didn't even bring up failure rates (which, there aren't concrete numbers available to me right now, but that's beside the point)? I was commenting that all 3 systems have produced faulty consoles. How did you possibly infer anything about any console's superiority out of that?

come on, lets be real...while i understand what you are saying and your comment is true...yes there is a chance with all 3 consoles that you will get a unit that fails...

but...your comment really implies that the chances are similar...when its pretty obvious that the chances of a failed xbox 360 are much higher....

now like i said the newer ones seem to be much better...but based on numbers since launch...its ugly...

even if the reported 33% failure numbers were exaggerated, it was serious enough for MS to eat over $1 BILLION with a B in losses to fix them...and i have not seen any reports about the PS3 or Wii that indicate failure rates above the industry standard 3%...

No, my comment did not imply the chances are similar. That's what you inferred, and you were mistaken.

The original post asked why pay for failure and having to deal with customer service? I acknoweldged that was a good argument, but stated that none of the available consoles were error free, and that a decision should be based on the responses of those who have reported faulty units.

I never said the chances were similar. I said all three companies were known to produce faulty units.

Do not put words in my mouth, it's awfully hypocritcal, as you have accused others of doing the same to you just further down this same page.

I know this would be the 65 nm cpu but im not sure about the gpu.

I have been reading that the 65nm CPU & GPU version is in production now and due in stores this autumn/fall.

Next year comes the 45nm SoC (which may or may not be a tweaked & revised mk2 XBox 360......tbh I'm surprised they haven't used the more efficient smaller CPU & GPU to give a little speed boost).

Reports indicate that they have already got reliability significantly up (if not totally perfected) with the 65nm CPU alone.
The 65nm CPU & GPU ought to see that improve further (and given so many claim the issue was largely a GPU matter that ought to be a marked improvement).

The 45nm SoC (Solution-on-Chip.....an all-on-one-chip) should see the problems down to a class leading level.
That one ought to be very power efficient, cool running & very quiet (providing the can do something about shutting up the drives).

wouldn't even get one if they were giving them away for free

Spoken like a true mindless fanboy.

You'd be the fist one drooling over them.

Hopefully they'll be dropping UK & European prices soon.

The new 65nm CPU & GPU models are looking tempting at those kind of prices.

I'm not a gamer, but will now consider a 360 as a Media Center extender.

Before you do keep in mind the Xbox Media Extender does not play Flash or Quicktime movies. I know. I've tried to remedy that...especially if you want to stream online channels through TV Tonic or any other RSS feeder software..and most channels now will only release RSS feeds as Quicktime files nowadays. Shame really. Otherwise it works pretty well.

It would be sweet if they dropped the price of the Elite by $50.

not really, id be really pissed... since I just bought one 2 months ago to acompany my ps3.

Dont think it would sway me back over :)
Still quite happy with the wii and my pc in general.

In your case, i would be pissed too.

good news for MS...should cause a nice spike in sales...but i doubt it will have any effect on slowing down Wii sales....Nintendo is just going to continue to pull away this generation....unfortunately for MS the 360 is just not really an option for most gamers outside of the North American market...its getting trounced nearly everywhere else...

From a target demographic standpoint, they aren't competing with the Wii at all.

What a surprise that a troll has entered the room.

Maybe that should be Dark_purple_Helmet?

On 2nd thoughts make that Tiny_Dark_purple_Helmet-Fetishist.

come on...show me how what i said is trolling?...

is it because i said this should cause a spike in 360 sales?...

is it because i said this won't slow down Wii sales?...

is it because i said MS is getting trounced in sales outside of the US?...

come on what is it??

Hocus....are you still upset that Warner went Blu-ray exclusive?

You have a history of doing just that and your comment is fishing.

Everyone knows that the Wii is doing well and not even your loved PS3 will change that.

Some of us unlike you move on with our lives.

see the problem is you're wrong...lol...had HD-DVD won...would i have been here still all sour grapes about it? nope...would have bought an HD-DVD player and enjoyed high def movies...

most people here on the other hand...still cry themselves to sleep at night over the format war....

but...but...but...

give it a rest...i said nothing that could even be considered trolling...

and did i even bring my "loved PS3" into the argument nope...

of course i also love my 360...but thats another story...

That is a steaming pile of BS. You believe that if it makes you sleep better at night.

rrriiiiggghhhttt....because you know what i would have done lol....heck...i'd STILL buy an HD-DVD player today if i could find a Toshiba XA-2 for a really good price...they are great for upscaling DVD's...and you can find HD-DVD's on the cheap...

well yes, this i agree with....the Wii is targeting an entirely different demographic than the 360 or PS3...but the fact is...money is all that matters...

You can get some refurbished ones for $299 with a warranty.

$299 isn't going to cut it...not when i have a Blu-ray player...since all studios are now making Blu-rays i will wait for them to come out on BD...

now if i saw an XA2 with a warranty for $150 i'd be all over it

Then if you agree with the statement that the Wii and 360 are not competing for the same demographic, why even mention that a decrease in 360 unit prices, in your opinion, would not hamper the sales of the Wii?

It was a bummer but the fall of Blu-ray is amusing me no end.

All that heat & noise and not even the silly cheap pricing to benefit from.

Those extremely cheap prices had me laughing all the way to the bank...... so no, it's not something I'm arsed about at all.

You should get in before it's too late, as supplies are drying up some retailers are s***ing prices up again.

I have expanded my high def collection to over 100 movies and a 2nd player in case of breakdowns or accidents for pennies.

I am looking forward to Blu-ray falling flat on it's face too......I might even jump in when I can get a load of BD movies for
b*gger-all dosh.

Unlike some, and whilst it's true I would far rather have seen an HD DVD win, I am far more concerned with the outcome.
The outcome here is that I have a very satisfying high def (largely classic) movie collection for very little outlay.

Nothing to be upset about there at all.

.....althought if I were a game console fanboy I suppose it might bug me that Spiderman 8 or whatever isn't going to appear on the format, but then I'm not.

Well if you are like some of the PS3/Blu-ray fanboys I've encountered their advice would be to change name & pretend that you 'supported' HD DVD all along.

The thing is some folks invest far too much emotion in CE goods.

The fanboy stupidity.

This clouds some people's judgement and blinds them from rational debate about the reduction in consumer control and the whole surveillance agenda
(of which Blu-ray is undoubtedly a part......and if you're really so partisan about this as to need a balancing Microsoft example then the DoDs involvement with Vista ought to be another warning of exactly where things are headed).

Still, if people wish to be willfully one-eyed about it.....their loss.

"i said nothing that could even be considered trolling"

Actually you were fishing like sgd mentions

because Nintendo is carving themselves out a HUGE piece of the gaming market....the Wii is not a fad that non-hardcore gamers are buying...this thing is changing the gaming industry and sadly MS and Sony are going to be left behind...

the only thing is at the $299 price point the money saving for buying HD-DVD's on the cheap is lost...i could just wait for them to get rolled out on BD and save the 300 beans...i mean i could pick up a lesser HD-DVD player on the cheap, but if im going to grab one it might as well be the best one available...

Either buy and shut up or don't and shut up.

So that means you finally realize that the ps3 sucks? :P

shaking in my boots.....

SGD told me to shut up....

$299 for an XA-2!?

You do realise this compares to the new Oppo 983 @ $399
(which, obviously has zero HD DVD capability & therefore no access to using those lovely & very inexpensive HD DVD movies)?

Even the Pioneer DV600 is around $200.

You'd have to be buying only about 2 movies NOT to benefit from the cheap HD DVD deals about now.

Your loss.

Are you actually arguing against arguing for your point? Because you're not making any sense.

First you say that the 360 price reduction won't take anything away from the Wii. Then I pointed out the difference in target demographics and that they're not shooting for the same audience, thus it's not expected that the 360 would detract from the Wii's customer base. Then you agree, and now you bring in some philosophical hype behind the console that really has nothing to do with the discussion at hand.

Awesome. My roommate has been teetering on the idea of getting a 360. This is just the incentive he needs. If they do another holiday bundle like last year, he'll definitely snag one.

Great news.