Microsoft is locked, loaded and ready to release their next generation gaming console, the Xbox 360. Although rumors and speculations had been flying all summer, Microsoft left a lot up to the imagination until last week, when they released and confirmed the official price list for the Xbox 360 and its components, which is expected to be released in November.
Microsoft will offer two separate packages to consumers on the date of the launch. The first “core system” package will cost $299 and include the basics needed to play and enjoy the Xbox 360. The “core system” will include the console itself, one wired controller, standard audio visual cables and a silver subscription to Xbox Live. The system will not be backwards compatible as sold in stores, but upgrades will be available, according to www.xbox.com, where the prices for the upgrades are listed.
The upgraded “premium package” will be sold at $399. It will include upgrades to the core system such as a wireless controller, a wireless headset, high-definition AV cables, an Ethernet cable, the Xbox 360 media remote control and a 20GB detachable hard drive, which will allow the console to play games intended for the original Xbox.
Gamestop, a video game retail store, is already taking reservations with a $50 down payment.
“We are on our second wave of reservations,” Al Morely, manager of the Muncie Mall Gamestop said.
When the store first started taking reservations, they did not ask which package consumers would prefer because rumors of two second packages had not been confirmed.
Now that the news has been released, the store is asking those who reserve their consoles to tell them which of the two packages they will be purchasing.
Choosing which package to buy may prove difficult for consumers who have not yet decided which to get or cannot decide which of the two is the better deal.
“If you’re just looking to just play games in a simple way, the lower priced one is really nice. But if you’re a true gamer, and you’re really into it, the $100 for a wireless controller and an extra hard drive and a wireless headset is a deal,” Kraig Sanders, a sophomore business major, said.
Morely agrees. “The premium is the better deal. The regular addition doesn’t come with the hard drive, and by the time you upgrade, you’ll be spending more. Four hundred dollars for the premium package is a really good deal for what you get when you compare it to the $299 one. “
Microsoft commented on the debate in a release on their Web site, saying, “The Xbox 360 Core System delivers the same powerful gaming and entertainment system as Xbox 360, but starts with the basics and lets you expand at your own pace.”
Although the release date has not been confirmed, reservations are filling up fast for the system. No release dates for game titles has been confirmed, but players will likely be able to choose from games such as GUN, Perfect Dark Zero, Burnout: Revenge, and Quake 4, which are listed on Gamestop’s Web site as having a November 1 release date.
Product Specs for the Xbox 360 had already been confirmed earlier in the summer. Microsoft lists the product as having a multicore 3.2GHz IBM PowerPC-based CPU, a custom ATI graphics chip and multichannel surround sound. The unit offers 720p and 1080i support for all games, and will come Wi-Fi ready.
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