I already wasn't planning on buying an X-Box but this seals it for me. The price is too high and I don't like Microsoft's tactics.

So the hard drive is completely useless. Can't you at least save games on it and download content off the internet? It would be a huge ripoff if you couldn't.

That seems like a step backwards to me-- downloadable additional content from XBLive is going to go...where, now? No more extra maps, then? No patches possible? Back to buying these cards to store game progress? Or is that done inside the new controllers? I don't know much about that aspect of it.

At any rate, to take the hard drive out of the equation for new games for the XB360 seems ass-backwards.

i hate microsnot... they're so frickin' sleazy... they are gonna lose this system war with mean tactics like this... well, i hope they lose... i would love nothing more for christmas than low sales for the xBox...

I think they are jealous of Apple with their iPod. Selling the hardware quite cheap and then tons of accessories for loads of money..

"The Xbox 360 ... Only $299!"

Of course they will use that line. They are smart.

Money money money!

Hehehe. Yesterday I saw this yesterday (sorry, I had too). I wonder if this will work. From what I have heard it seems that only a few of the best selling xbox games will be playable, which is silly. I would hardly call this system backwards compatable. What about all of the downloadble content microsoft was talking about? Guess it sucks to be a cheap gamer.

This is so evil it's beyond good and evil. It's money.

This is why I always buy Nintendo!

Hey, fake gaming steve, yeah, the one that just posted, how about you get you head out of your ass. Get your facts straight. Steve is not 350 lbs, does not waste time, and as a matter of fact, has a wife. You probably dont even have a girlfriend. You just post this crap because your a loser with no life. Go home.

Thanks "Anti". Don't worry about it, I always delete those posts and then ban the IP address from the site. But thanks for getting my back!

lol, who says they only come out at night?

Anyway, I imagine the 360's drive WILL be usable for saving games and downloadable content, otherwise its just a nice paperweight/XBOX emulator.

The Gamespy editors thought it was hilarious how much more all the 360 add-ons cost if you cherry-pick them with the core system than if you jsut buy the total package. Gotta say it just goes with the theme. Say what you will about Bill Gates' Empire but it can sure as heck sell itself.

Microsoft's tactic for the Xbox 360 is... not really sleazy, not underhanded, it's marketing. This kind of stuff happens all the time and in every different medium. People are just getting really upset at MS because they realize that the *real* 360 is the $399 one and that, more or less, consumers who purchase the $299 version are completely getting the shaft. It's merely a bare-bones console that has no advantage over a current console except it has more processing power and other hardware features, but any of the content that MS has been all but promising from the beginning is gone. Ever since E3 when they've been showing it off, telling about all it's features they've been saying that it has a 20 gig hard drive, it would be backwards compatible, it would be wireless, it would be HD, and that it would cost $299 (maybe they haven't stated that it would be that, but it's always been the price that is alluded to and crawling around all the rumors sites as well as credible gaming report sites which makes it as good as promised as far as I'm concerned). So now we see that there *is* a $299 version, but that has next to NONE of the features that were promised from MS from the start. Their tactic is good marketing, there's nothing wrong with having 2 different versions because some people don't have an Xbox or any games, perhaps don't have much of a drive to play classic Xbox games, don't particularly care about downloading marketplace stuff, don't care about wireless controllers (and the battery recharging that entails, there's nothing more annoying than your controller dying in the middle of a very important boss battle), etc. There are also those who will go crazy and get the $399 version and all the extras they can get so that they're "hardcore" and whatever else, but the fact of the matter is that MS almost blatantly lied to the consumers, saying that you will get ALL THIS STUFF for $299. It did seem too good to be true and they've just proven that it is. Suddenly the "outrageous" $399 price tag for the PS3 seems like nothing, considering it looks like it has a much better GPU (which I read games will be based upon for the next few years until programmers begin to utilize multi-core CPUs), has bluetooth and supports more peripherals, wi-fi internet capability, multiple memory card formats, hard drive, etc, etc. Granted, we haven't had an official price released for PS3 yet so for all we know it could be $499, however I don't believe Sony honestly thinks that anyone and I mean ANYONE would shell out $500 for a system. Hardcore, dedicated fans, maybe, but they are going to completely chop out an incredible market share by doing so. And I'm spent.

_>

Internet.

:(

Typical, but I guess this is why new companies appear learning what others had failed at... marketing this is a big mistake for Microsoft, price wise, definitly not buying the 360 or the cheap brand, nor will I be buying the PS3 especially from how I saw SOE treats its customers. So anything sony internet wise is bogus and microsoft is finally getting greedier', didnt think the day would come lmao

This is actually very bad. Sony came out at E3 with a great looking system but it seemed (and was later confirmed) to be sugar coated in lies. That gave MS the edge because people were finally getting a bit annoyed by Sony's tactics and MS looked to be the "honest" one.

Well, it turns out you cant trust the Xbox folks either because all the little things that made the 360 look interesting are now "upgrades".

I wasnt going to buy a 360 or PS3 at launch anyway so it doesnt effect me. But MS's new tactics definitely make it easy for someone to "wait and see" both offerings before making their decision.

No problem, Steve ;-)

$400 IS NOT THAT MUCH MONEY. It's 2005! If little jimmy wants a $500 gift for christmas, he's going to have it! Microsoft would be idiots to charge anything less than $400 for a new system. This is NOT a mistake. ever heard of inflation?

I personally can't afford to spend $500 on a console, I'm just saying, little jimmy's middle-class parents can, and little jimmy will get his $500 gift. It's rediculous to think consoles will cost $299 forever. Anyone dumb enough to buy the 'core' system will be nickle&dimed to DEATH.

Looking at history, I think you are right. The developers will certainly optimize for the cheap version and if you bought the more expensive one you can count on it that if there would have been a perf. benefit from the HDD, it is not going to be there. Except if MS has some book of rules for developers that games must utilize the HDD for benefit if it is there - very much doubt this.

My personal wish is that the Xbox 360 will have something like this (which I own and it's great!): http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/akasa_sata/index.shtml

With that you can hot plug-in those cheap 3.5 hdd's straight to the front or back of your case very cheaply and no screws involved.

Well, I'm not surprised Microsoft is doing this. I guess they are actually trying to make money this round. Non the less I will be getting the "Real Gamer" Package.

BTW, if you think this is expensive wait till the PS3!! :P

First off, this is the first amercian company to enter what iiwas recently a japanese market battle - since when? Say.. the last what, twenty years?

So yes, amercian 'sleaze' tatics are getting to gamers (who only had japanese advert's perviously), but to people who follow other markets, it's 'same ol', same ol' ameriwankmarketing.

Really.. are you SUPRISED?

it's the fault of the gaming world.

Espically the GRAND reviews of Halo and Crimson Skies at E3 2002? Or was it 2003?

If you put things into perspective, at $399 this is still cheaper than some of the newest, top-of-the-line video cards.

Though it would've been nice if Microsoft played off the 360 name and priced accordingly. EG Buy the "real gamer" package for $360 bucks.

I would gladly buy a core version and skip out on the wireless controllers and back compatibility. The thing that gets me is that when you buy the core version you still need a place to save your data, and therefore you must pay 99$ to add on a hd or 50$ to get a memory card!. A core system will not save game data (no point in playing games if it doesnt) unless you make the price 350$ to get a memory card with your system. I understand that i just repeated the point of this article, but what i stress is this: If MS wants to make a lesser version a shaft of a deal in order to sell more 399$ bundles, they can at the VERY LEAST make the core version function as it comes! It cant even save data!. Pathetic.

Look here halo lovers this new marketing ploy is clever...too clever.
Yesterday, I went to Gamestop and saw the clerk there telling me to reserve 360s that are $299!! Wow what good is that when the core has no HARDRIVE meaning you virutally can't play any games. Now I'm just going to buy the ripoff $399 version with the useless chrome details and faceplates...

I am disapointed in you microsoft. Bill Gates is rich enough, give the gamers a break.

I was looking forward to getting my 360 today but found that everywhere was sold out. I later found out MS cut down on the shipments to send more overseas to japan. Stores in my area i was told was given only 20-90 360s only able to last them an hour before being sold out. hope its not a total ripoff

really great marketing tactics MS,
greedy bastards

how can you complain about the price of the xbox or ps3? You get a gaming console, HD compatibility, HD-DVD (ps3) playback, cd player, hard drive, and the list goes on... Price that stuff out individually and you WILL pay more the than price of these next generation consoles. I remember when sega and super nintendo came out with a 200 dollar price tag, and guess what those consoles couldn't do? We're all damn lucky as gamers that the price tag isn't more!

i disagree..i bought an xbox 360 for $299 and it was able to play halo ,and halo 2 . i think xbox 360 will win the system battle what other system has dead rising,gears of war, and best of all...HALO 3!!! not ps3 and not nintendo wii!!! shoot ill still buy a ps3 for kingdom hearts 3 when that comes out, and nintendo for the new legend of zelda, new super smash bros. and all those other cool games there planning on making but still...i stand up for the xbox 360 theres nothing better then the 360!!