Sources say price, date will be revealed 8/17.
by Jane Pinckard, 08/11/2005
170 of 205 users recommend this story.
We've heard from analysts, pundits, and fanboys. Now, it seems, we are close to getting the true story. Our sources say that Microsoft is getting ready to announce the launch date and the price of the Xbox 360 on August 17 at 9:30 A.M. EST sharp. The spokespeople at Microsoft have no comment on this rumor, but that's hardly a surprise.
Previously, a number of websites reported that Wal-Mart had leaked the price of the next-gen console, saying that employees apparently had seen internal documents listing it for $299. This rumor was never confirmed, either. A call to Wal-Mart revealed only that customer service staff was trained to say that the price had not yet been determined. But plenty of analysts agreed, at least, with the price range of $299 to $349, and J Allard himself has said it would not reach as high as the early reports of $400.
As for the rumor that the HDD will not come standard with the console, industry analyst Piper Jaffray McNealy wrote in a report last week that he predicted a price of $299, but "with the 20-gig hard drive selling as a peripheral for somewhere in the range of $60-$99."
That's along the lines of our speculation, too. We predict that Microsoft will actually announce two prices next week: the Xbox 360 itself without the stand-alone hard drive will retail for $299; bundled with the drive, the package will be priced between $349-399. We also think the drive will be available separately for those consumers who bought the option one package and seek to upgrade. As for the launch date, everyone pretty much agrees that it will be November, pre-Thanksgiving.
We may find out for sure August 17. Stay tuned.
