Microsoft makes Euro X360 price drop official

Microsoft has quickly confirmed existing rumors and today officially dropped European prices for the Xbox 360. The base Xbox 360 Arcade system now costs £160 in the UK and €200 in Europe, making the system less expensive than the already low-cost Nintendo Wii that serves as its chief rival; the standard 20GB Xbox 360 in turn drops to £200 or €270. The black, 120GB Elite model now sells for £270 or €370 depending on the region.

The price cuts are as steep as £50 (€80) for the 20GB console and are said to make the Xbox 360 "mass market" in Europe for the first time. In addition to improving competition against the Wii, the move is also likely to defend against the PlayStation 3 in terms of HD movie playback. Microsoft offers downloadable videos through the Xbox Video Marketplace but currently has no hardware HD movie player, having dropped its HD DVD player after Toshiba ceased production of the drive inside.

Microsoft says the price cut will take effect as of March 14th.

Filed under: gaming, gadgets
Other story tags: Microsoft, sony, blu-ray, PS3, Xbox 360, HD DVD, Nintendo, Wii