Tuesday, September 22

Microsoft fears a PS3 overtake, Slashes price of 360 from $299 to $249


Microsoft is not happy with the recent hardware sales data that shows the PS3 leaving the Xbox 360 in its dust. The weekly hardware charts from September 12th - 19th showed PS3 sales was double that of its main rival, with Sony selling 306,794 consoles, compared to Microsoft shipping 146,914 units. So what's Microsoft's response? Slash the price of the Xbox 360 Elite by offering a $50 mail in rebate till October 5th. You may take this lightly, but what they're really doing is, testing the waters to see if $249 would be the deal that'd sway back consumers in their console's direction.

Back in 2005 when the Xbox 360 was launched, Microsoft proclaimed that they had only one goal, and that goal was to beat Sony in this current generation. Sure they had a great head start (minus the RROD), in fact, they have a lead of about 6 to 7million consoles ahead of Sony. But the Software giant knows that when it comes to hardware, Sony is King, and unless they don't keep on extending the value of their Box, Sony has a real chance of overtaking.

The recent Price cut and redesigned PS3 does not make it any easier. Since it relaunched in September, the PS3 Slim has been dominating hardware sales charts across the globe, it's almost like the world has found a fresh new flare for the company they used to love, or it could be that the price is finally right, and after years of seating on the fence, they've made the leap of faith? If the latter is the case, there's no need to worry, because with the stellar lineup the PS3 has going into the holiday season, consumers will be rewarded, for taking that leap of faith.

09/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

32 comments:

  1. Wow, they are DESPERATE!!! LOLZ!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think that the time of the X360 is gone, 2009
    show that Sony dominated the games releases
    scenarie..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Er, while I'm with you all the way on this story (woohoo PS3) there's no data for 12-19 September at the link or the site linked to (vgchartz.com).

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have both consoles so either way I win unless I get the infamous yellow light on the PS3 or the Red Ring of Death on the 360. It would be just my luck.

    ReplyDelete
  5. another price drop in few weeks..ms ready to leaving gaming industry...please this is the door... >>>

    ReplyDelete
  6. get lost M$, we don't need or want you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The link works, try it again. And yeah, Microsoft must being seeing disappointing results from internal numbers.

    But hey, it's a win-win situation. Price cuts are good for the industry, and great for consumers.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Quick! Beat the horse some more before it gets up! (i.e. It ain't dead!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Besides the price cut M$'s gotta re-design that xbox 360 and throw a little open architecture when it comes to accessories (100 U$$ for a wireless adapter, 150 for a 120gb hd, that's rip off !!!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. ps3 is still rising in popularity, its getting bigger and bigger and everyone is always talking about it. meanwhile xbox is just kinda sitting there... not getting too much attention, just kinda fading away. its only a matter of time until the total hardware sales represent this trend. Microsoft are putting to much faith in project natal to be the big rebirth of the 360, but i don't think it will have nearly enough impact. the 360 ain't dead, but its dying.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sony needs a new controller I cant handle that tiny boomerang god. I have a ps3 and 360 get all my multiplatform shooters on the 360 because of its amazing controller. PLEAS SONY NEW CONTROLLER were not all Asians with tiny hand.

    ReplyDelete
  14. No swearing here please. Let's be civil. Any and all such posts will be deleted by admin. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have never consider MS "M$" and SONY the real gaming realist, both are companies and they are in the market for the money. Thus I do not have any bias opinion towards anyone company. For me it is all about the software, and 360 software its mostly computer games and a lot of crappy ones (Same as last gen with the PS2 sea of poor designed games among the few Jewels) and right now the PS3 is getting most games and have a very nice lineup of exclusives. I only hope for both systems to sell well, so that we can rip all the benefits of the great software being developed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Most new sony sales are coming from people that has or had the xbox 360 and are swayed by the the new price not the new design,this is funny because the xbox 360 is at the end of its 5 year run and is on pace for the next xbox console with the natal interface and additions and sony is the one who is beating a dead horse because the orignal PS3 console has lost in the sales against the 360 and now are gaining sales by adding a different cover cheaper parts and dropping the price and people want to see what the hype is about well I guess they will see and I bet they will love it and why not its not a bad console and if I had the money I would get one too just cause I can, so sales has to go up thats no surpise will sales go up for xbox 360 maybe or maybe not, the people are not in this to make one console maker king we are in it to enjoy the games and consoles we can afford. The makers has to make money to justify the money it took to make it and Sony has lost mega bucks putting a 8 cell processor in a console and then not tuning the whole processor on and the game design being out of reach of game makers and adding a builtin Bluray when at the time people had already bought in to HD DVD, on the other hand MS lost mega bucks due to RROD but with a little cushion because they charge for online play and some downloads and this helps to soften the lost some.

    ReplyDelete
  17. X360 have no exclusives that can fight with the PS3 exclusives.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Regardless of exclusives blah blah blah.

    Microsoft include RROD retail replacements as part of their sales figures. That is, if I take my 360 back to, say Game (UK), HMV, or whatever, as it RROD's on me, they effectively bill the replacement through the system as a sale and send MS the old one with a "you owe me". They then count this as a sale.

    So it may seem like the numbers suggest MS are ahead by say 6-7 million, but is this really a reality, or just a sales figure.

    ReplyDelete
  19. they want this generation, but the games on it are all either RPG, FPS, or racing.
    what exclusives does it have to take ratchet and clank, uncharted 2, god of war 3, modnation racers, and more.

    halo, gears, forza. the 3 main games. i dont like them, apart from left for dead. my 360 elite got E74, and becuase of 260£ in the bin, i wont forgive them.

    gt5 is the game top of my list.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't see what's wrong with the PS3 controller. And by the way I am Asian and I have huge hands. Not all Asians are small and have tiny hands. Please don't stereotype.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The X-box 360 controller copied the design of the ps3 controller.... remember the first xbox controller????? look at a PS controller and the now xbox controller and you'll see. So if you like the xbox controller, you will also like PS controller.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think the PS3 REDO is fading faster than it should be. It's only been a couple of weeks and each week there's a 44% or higher drop in sells. Sony is the one the should be worried.

    As for the guy talking about the 360 controller, what planet are you living on. Have you handled the 360 controller?

    ReplyDelete
  23. SONY sales # are 2X Microsoft. Aaron Greenberg took a dump in his pants, knee-jerk reaction, shift in strategy $50 rebate. Remember these consoles still suffer from dreaded RROD, E74 code - will die. 54% failure rate - Saavy consumers should PASS on Microsnort

    ReplyDelete
  24. an asian with huge hands?? must be a sumo wrestler...

    ReplyDelete
  25. I want both consoles to remain strong as that is the only way for consumers to benefit - by maintaining market competition. Price cutting, improved bundles, striving for that 'next big exclusive' are all borne of knowing you are competing against a rival. A dominant, single brand is bad all round. For the record, I was an Xbox early adopter (both) and loved it, but have since moved to PS3. However, I am going to get an Elite as well, as it is, and always has been, about the games

    ReplyDelete
  26. wow, I think ps3 fans forgot about natal and all the shiz it's goint to stir up. PS3 has only seen two weeks of sales, wait a month to 6 weeks, then come back and try to talk the junk. the drop off I predict around 200,000 units this week.

    If less, it was only all the sony droids going to buy another and really no new customers.. see microsoft has got to weather the storm until natal and then it's good bye sony.... peace, gramma, dad, your lil sister older sister, aunt sue and your momma wants natal because the tech is unchallenged. ur lil wii wand rip is not going to help..... we will see droids,we will see

    ReplyDelete
  27. This just shows how M$ was ripping off their consumers ever since...
    The fact that they could lower the price anytime they want to.
    Sony finally lowered their price when they got the production costs right, not any M$ bull!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. its easy on how to combat this, sony knows they selling ps3 like bread out of an oven, well Christmas is wht they need, they just drop 50 bucks same as xbox, maybe with a game included they in for it, santa claus bag will look like a black hole with that many black consoles in there lol

    ReplyDelete
  29. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love the Playstation consoles since day one and Im glad they are finally picking up the pace. People wan't quality instead of quantity that's why Ps3 is selling so well.

    ReplyDelete