Microsoft recently dropped the price of the Xbox 360 Elite to £199 in the UK, and the moveseems to have paid dividends, with a 43% sales increase seen this past weekend.
“Essentially, looking at the price, obviously it’s the Elite that’s done the business with those sales,” said a representative from Chart-Track. “… It’s quite a big deal for Sony this week.”
The Elite price cut came days before the PS3 Slim was due to hit store shelves with a price that Microsoft was sneakily able to undercut by £50. The lack of an HDMI cable in the new Elite packages seems to have gone unnoticed by consumers, giving the Xbox brand a healthy boost this Bank Holiday weekend.
“The holiday phase will give us seasonal growth of course, but we have a very bullish plan this year, we have bullish plans every year,” boasts Xbox Euro boss Chris Lewis. “Our appetite to continue to win, and to hold our lead and grow our lead over the competition is very central to what we have planned in and budgeted in for the year.”
The PS3 should enjoy its own price cut boost, but Microsoft’s undercutting chicanery has probably dampened Sony’s impact. It’s likely to be a very bitter fight between the two companies this holiday season. Should be a good laugh.
