(Credit: Microsoft)
This year has seen Microsoft's Xbox 360 drop in price globally, with the console's retail price cut in Asia, the UK, the US and Australia. It seems the price slashes aren't over for 2008 — at least not for Australia.
Less than six months after the last price drop down under, Microsoft has once again cut the cost of the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 Arcade unit — which was retailing for AU$349 — is now AU$299. The Pro bundle — which includes a 60GB hard drive — drops from AU$499 to AU$399. The 120GB Elite also gets AU$100 slashed off its price, coming down from AU$649 to AU$549.
Microsoft has also decided to throw in some free games with the cheaper consoles. People purchasing the Arcade will receive Sega Superstars Tennis plus five Xbox Live Arcade games (such as Pac-Man Championship Edition and UNO), while those buying the Pro and the Elite will get Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda.
This is the third time the Xbox 360 has had its price reduced in Australia, with the first cut having come in August 2007. In Australia, the 360 is now the cheapest next-gen console, with the Nintendo Wii the closest in price at AU$400.
In July this year, Jeremy Hinton, Xbox group product marketing manager for Australia and New Zealand, said that the 360 had an install base of 400,000 in Australia and New Zealand, putting it well behind the local console market leader, the Nintendo Wii. And according to industry tracker GfK Australia, of the 1.7 million consoles and handhelds sold in Australia in 2007, the Wii accounted for 21 percent of sales, with the PlayStation 3 accounting for 11 percent and the Xbox 360 10 percent.
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