Microsoft is cutting the price of its Xbox 360 video game console in Europe, weeks after doing the same in the US.
From 24 August, the 20 gigabyte hard drive model will cost 349.99 euros in the eurozone, 50 euros less than now.
In the UK, the price will fall by £30 to £249.99 as Xbox bids to win over family users attracted to the Nintendo Wii with its motion-sensitive controls.
Microsoft is also facing stiff competition from Sony, which cut the price of its Playstation 3 last month.
Microsoft also revealed plans to launch a larger, 120 gigabyte model, the Xbox Elite, costing 449.99 euros in the eurozone or £299.99 in UK shops.
And the price of the less advanced 360 core model, without a hard drive, will fall by 20 euros to 279.99 euros or by £20 to £179.99.
Microsoft said the price cuts would "open the door" to more customers, expanding demand beyond the console's core target market of young men.
With the Premium model of the 360 at just £70 more than the Wii, will the 360 quickly steal away potential Wii customers? That's less than the price if 2 games. The core model itself at £180 will surely be a kick in the side of the Wii considering the Wii itself doesn't have a Harddrive, just a measly 512mb of Flash memory. Finally, with the Elite being just £20 more than the original Premium price, it's going to make the 360 even more appealing for those worried about the HD space.
Along with Bioshock and Blue Dragon I think we could see some huge sales of the 360 this weekend.
posted by knighty 
