So not only has the Xbox One gotten a price cut in the UK, but they're also releasing a bundle with a free digital copy of Titanfall to boot. Thus shaving off over a hundred dollars off the launch price + Titanfall separately just three months into the Xone's life cycle.
While the timing was surprising, the reasoning behind it is not. The sales situation has deteriorated compared to the PS4; that will have supply shortages until April, according to Sony. The main culprit? The higher price point for worse performance, driven almost entirely by the cost of a peripheral that most people would gladly do without if.
Despite MS's claims of confidence,they are clearly worried about the fact that Sony is running circles around them right now--particularly in the US and UK, which were 360 strongholds throughout last generation. I don't buy for a second the UK executive's claims that they are happy with where it is and just want to provide "more value to the consumer". Why would they need a price cut AND a free giveaway of Titanfall if they had confidence in the system's value?
I suspect that this will help push units in a big way when Titanfall launches, but that it won't last more than a month or two. They don't have any exclusives anywhere near as big that can sustain the momentum until Fall. Meanwhile, people who bought the Xone day one aren't getting anything for their faith in MS in light of this deal, except an extra $100+ taken out of their bank accounts for the same stuff.
This kind of stuff is why I avoid buying consoles new. It's far better to wait and see how things play out, and until the library is built up to a respectable level, than take the plunge early only to see stuff like this.
I don't get the loyalty of day one buyers. If I bought a XBOne on day one at full price with no games, then MS went and reduced the price and added a free anticipated game so soon, I would probably be mad as hell. But no, MS gets praise for doing what needs to be done? I will try the game out on PC when I have the chance. So done with console wars. Yes I will eventually buy XBOxOne, but not in a rush right now.
Also, didn't UK already get special bundles with free FIFA game? That wasn't enough for them? Maybe they just dont want the XBOX?
Seriously, I don't get it either. I have no sympathy for the whining about this, or how people are actually complaining about a post-launch software drought--something that's happened with almost every console that's ever been released. There were ample warnings that buying early was a risk.
And yeah, FIFA and Forza 5 were both bundled free in the UK I believe.
I have to wait until fucking Apr... oh wait that's good, I can focus on work.
I'm not even considering it until winter, LOL.
Truth be told, I may do the same, but I really want my damn PS4. lol
Every XBone display I see is either off with no controllers of on with no controllers.LOL. SUCK IT MICROSOFT!
The lack of playable demos in Best Buy and Gamestops is so annoying. I WANT TO TRY KILLER INSTINCT DAMMIT! D:
Europe, and I suppose UK too, has always prefered Sony to MS. So I'm not too surprised at the price cut. I don't know if the U.S. situation is at all similar.
Personally, I'm still thinking of a PS4 before a X1.
The 360 did better in the UK, but Europe as a whole is VERY Sony-centric. AFAIK the PS3 did better than Sony expected there even when it was still $600. That the PS4 is crushing it there now doesn't surprise me at all.
It's already got to the point where MS is trying to impress with their console numbers by mentioned more about consoles "shipped" than consoles "sold" right now. it's pretty sad at this moment. It's starting to look like that the PS4 is about to double the Xbox One in user install base by the end of the year.
This console generation seems to be the gret example in the cons of first buyers. Even now the systems are still having their teething troubles, From games not working after updates installed to not all the features of any given system completey offered on day One. I'm still not keen on how you have to install your games on the hard drive, as in a complete install instead of just the particals we are use to on the Xbox 360/PS3. I could barly tolerate that let one loosing that much HD space with full installs.