Xbox price slashed in UK

NEWS Microsoft has just made the announcement that's been the subject of much speculation for a couple of weeks or so -- it's to slash £100 off the price of the Xbox, effective as of April 26th. "We are making a clear statement today -- we mean business in Europe," said Sandy Duncan, vice president, Xbox Europe. "The phenomenally positive response to Xbox through reviews, awards and game sales has demonstrated that consumers love Xbox. We want to make sure that price is not the obstacle to the Xbox experience." Microsoft has put together a compensation package (although Microsoft prefers to call it a 'special' or 'thank-you' package) for anyone who can prove they bought their European Xbox at full price before April 26th. After downloading and filling out an application form from www.xbox.com/uk customers are entitled to receive two free Xbox games plus a free official controller -- the list of games included in the offer won't be announced until April 26th it may be safe to assume that all eight of Microsoft's own launch titles will be there, hopefully with one or two additions. "This is a long-term, strategic move that will benefit our retail partners, our third-party publishing partners and ultimately the gamer," said Duncan. "Xbox has always been amazing value for money, and now it is even more so -- we are providing the right console at the right price. The most powerful video game system on earth, and the only one with a built-in hard drive and broadband adapter, is now without a doubt the best value available. The playing field in Europe has been levelled, making it even easier for customers to enjoy the power of Xbox." The announcement has been welcomed by both third-party publishers and retailers although one can only imagine the meetings that must now be taking place at Nintendo. Providing Sony don't see fit to drop the price of the PS2 in response to Microsoft's announcement, the GameCube will still be the least expensive console available when it launches for around £169 on May 3rd. "Xbox enjoyed a great launch in Europe - fantastic product and fantastic games," said David Gardner, VP, Electronic Arts. "It's great they're making a move that will enable more customers to enjoy Xbox. Plus, this is great for publishers as our games, such as FIFA World Cup 2002 and the Xbox-exclusive Buffy the Vampire Slayer, now have the potential to reach an even wider audience in Europe." "This is a great move for Xbox," said Lisa Morgan, Commercial Director, The GAME Group. "Xbox sales have been good but now there's an even greater sales potential for us. We will benefit from increased hardware sales, which in turn results in increased peripheral and games sales. Feedback from our customers on Xbox has been extremely positive -- if there has been one limiting factor it has been price. We're glad Microsoft has made an aggressive move to remove the price barrier and put this fantastic console into more European homes in a quicker timeframe. This is going to benefit the industry as well as customers."

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