The Lounge

Not only was the Microsoft Xbox 360 the first of the next-generation consoles; it's also about to become the cheapest, as the latest announcement from the technology giant confirms. At least, for the European market, that is - there have been no similar announcements for the North American market or anywhere else. 

Beginning March 14th 2008, the Xbox 360 can be bought at these new price points:

• Xbox 360 Elite, with 120GB hard drive - 370 euros ($568 US)
• Xbox 360 Premium, with 20GB hard drive - 270 euros ($414 US)
• Xbox 360 Arcade, no hard drive - 200 euros ($307 US)

All prices are a drop of 80 euros, and as a result sees the Xbox 360 Arcade version the cheapest next generation console on the market in Europe, beating both the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3. With Europe such a mass market for the company, Microsoft are looking to capitalize on their popularity.

To be honest, I'm surprised it's taken Microsoft (or any of the other 2 companies in the console market) this long to lower their prices. Although Europe has traditionally been the black sheep of the gaming world as far as console manufacturers have been concerned over the years, it's now arguably the most important in the industry. The Japanese market is dwindling, and the American games industry is also less vibrant than in the past. Europe can now lay claim to being one of THE major players in the video games market, and any company that doesn't treat European players as such could potentially miss a major chunk of gamers...

Of course, the fact that Blu-ray is now the format of choice for high-end DVD players could have influenced Microsoft's decision. With Sony's PlayStation 3 having the format as standard, and Microsoft having gone down the ill-fated HD-DVD route with their add-on adaptor, the Xbox 360 now needs every weapon it can muster in the console war. I think the price cut in Europe is just the start - it could be a very interesting summer ahead...