Report: Pro to be phased out, Elite to take over this Fall

[CaptainZombie]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...-this-fall.ars

Quote:

This comes from a proven reliable source that gives tips to Ars. The details: Expect the Xbox 360 Pro to disappear in July or August, but you're going to see some solid bundles to get those systems moving off store shelves. The Halo 3/Fable 2 bundle the Mole previously tipped us off to shows that Microsoft is willing to put some good games into the box to get people buying. So what are we going to do without the Pro systems? Nothing. The Elite units, with the 120GB hard drive, are going to become the Pro-level system after an early September price cut. We'll be on the lookout for another holiday bundle as well, and that should hit around October. What titles will be included? We should be able to break that story as well, but we don't have the information yet.

If this happens...........Sony will be in even more trouble considering that the 120gb will be $299 if its replacing the 60gb in the same slot.

[Flawless]

Ars Mole has been accurate every time so far.

Mole: PSP-Go details confirmed, smaller PS3 is on the way
Exclusive: $400 360 Elite bundle, with Halo 3 and Fable 2
Mole attack: 360 price cuts on all hardware in September
Mole: Microsoft to drop price on 20GB 360, make room for 60GB
Mole report: Xbox 360 to get Forza 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance pack-in
$400 40GB PS3 with Spidey 3 Blu-ray pack-in? Our mole tells all
360 Cores and Premiums with HDMI? An inside source spills the beans

[Altimus]

An Elite at $299 will be hard to compete with for Sony. Even with a $100 drop you're looking at a $299 80GB and $399 160GB.

[CaptainZombie]

Then add this to it:

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/26/ru...e-drop-in-fal/

Quote:

Article posted:Ars Technica's unnamed "mole," a prophetic figure who managed to predict the capabilities of the PSP Go, the release of the red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle and, most notably, last fall's universal 360 price cut. The mole is claiming that the 80GB PS3 will become scarce over the next two months, being mostly replaced by the 160GB model. As the larger model continues to sell into the fall, Sony will supposedly simultaneously announce the oft-rumored PS3 Slim and the even more oft-rumored price cut. The mole was unable to discern the exact amount that would be shaved off the price of the console, but was confident it would provide Sony with a much-needed sales boost.

[bkfount]

while this sounds big, it's just going to be a premium with a 120 GB HDD. The elite is no different than the arcade model, and the only thing propping the elite up is the insane cost of buying the 120 GB HDD separately. Sony did something like this when they replaced the ps2 BC 80 gig ps3 model with the lowest ps3 model and called it a $100 price drop.

It's obvious that MS will want to push the larger storage options now at an affordable price, seeing as how they're bringing all kinds of new features to Live, including games on demand. Most people are running with a 20 GB HDD, so they'll also likely drop the price on the standalone HDD upgrades as well.

about damn time.

[Cusefan]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkfount

while this sounds big, it's just going to be a premium with a 120 GB HDD. The elite is no different than the arcade model, and the only thing propping the elite up is the insane cost of buying the 120 GB HDD separately. Sony did something like this when they replaced the ps2 BC 80 gig ps3 model with the lowest ps3 model and called it a $100 price drop. It's obvious that MS will want to push the larger storage options now at an affordable price, seeing as how they're bringing all kinds of new features to Live, including games on demand. Most people are running with a 20 GB HDD, so they'll also likely drop the price on the standalone HDD upgrades as well. about damn time.

As far as the Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite being the same (sans the Hard-drive) that is not entirely true. The Elite and Pro have the backwards compatibility with some Xbox games, THe Elite comes with the HDMI Cable and HD AV Cable, an it comes with the crappy Xbox mic.

Either way, Expect the 360 to continue to beat the PS3. I do not see how the PS3 can catch up unless they drop their price to match the 360.

[Altimus]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkfount

while this sounds big, it's just going to be a premium with a 120 GB HDD. The elite is no different than the arcade model, and the only thing propping the elite up is the insane cost of buying the 120 GB HDD separately. Sony did something like this when they replaced the ps2 BC 80 gig ps3 model with the lowest ps3 model and called it a $100 price drop. It's obvious that MS will want to push the larger storage options now at an affordable price, seeing as how they're bringing all kinds of new features to Live, including games on demand. Most people are running with a 20 GB HDD, so they'll also likely drop the price on the standalone HDD upgrades as well. about damn time.

The other big difference is the HDMI cable and the precious surround sound adapter. That thing is $50 separate and doesn't come with any other console but the Elite.

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cusefan

As far as the Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite being the same (sans the Hard-drive) that is not entirely true. The Elite and Pro have the backwards compatibility with some Xbox games, THe Elite comes with the HDMI Cable and HD AV Cable, an it comes with the crappy Xbox mic. Either way, Expect the 360 to continue to beat the PS3. I do not see how the PS3 can catch up unless they drop their price to match the 360.

Unlike what Sony did with their early ps3 models, all of the 360's are the same exact hardware and can do the same things. The only differences, as you mentioned, are the accessories they added in the retail packages to justify the various pricing points. Just because MS prices an accessory high doesn't mean it costs them that much to produce. There's no way in hell it costs MS the $200 difference between the Elite and Arcade to include these accessories, so it's a nice profit going in MS's pockets.

As for the ps3's price, Sony probably can't do much this generation to narrow the 8 million gap in the US. MS will counter with a 360 price drop, as there's no way they sit back and allow Sony to outsell them for any holiday period in their home turf at this stage of the generation.