Online retailers mark down Condemned and Ridge Racer 6, but Sega says former game remains full price "as of today."
When it was revealed that $59.99 would be the standard third-party price point for Xbox 360 titles, many-a-gamer lamented. After all, the cost of truly entering the "HD Era," as Microsoft executive J Allard once called the dawn of high-definition gaming, was already plenty high. Besides the $399 a premium Xbox 360 would set you back, gamers would also have to shell out at least $500 for an HDTV. That's not even counting the cost of a subscription to Xbox Live and high-speed Internet service fees for online gaming.
Today came word that two more 360 games would soon bear a smaller sticker price. The online stories for GameStop, EBgames, Amazon, and Best Buy all list Sega's Condemned: Criminal Origins and Namco's Ridge Racer 6 for $39.99.
But while Namco had not returned requests for comment as of press time, Sega did--to deny any price drop had taken place. "We are still at 59.99 for Condemned as of today," a rep told GameSpot. "Sega doesn’t have any product selling at 39.99 for the Xbox 360 at this time."
Calls to several GameStop and EB Games locations added to the confusion. Clerks at both stores said that Ridge Racer 6 was indeed priced at 39.99 new, but that Condemned was priced at $49.99 new.
New downloads for eight games and movies now available on Xbox 360; new demo, themes, gamer pics, in-game items offered.
When the Xbox 360 launched, one of the machine's more intriguing features was the Xbox Live Marketplace, a virtual store that would let users download trailers, demos, bonus content, and Xbox Live Arcade games. Unfortunately, new additions to the Marketplace were few and far between to start. But just as the stream of Xbox 360s to retail has picked up, a flood of new offerings have also hit the Marketplace.
The early part of this week saw an Amped 3 demo, as well as free themes and picture packs for Nacho Libre and Mission: Impossible III hit the Marketplace, but no less than eight games and movies have seen new content hit the service since yesterday.
Yesterday's offerings included a new picture pack for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter; trailers for X-Men: The Last Stand, The Omen, and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown; a dozen new Tomb Raider picture packs and themes (six of each); and a demo of Xbox 360 launch-game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06.
Try-before-you-buy model now available for Burnout Revenge, coming later this week for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.
Next-gen gamers on a budget have been able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief thanks to several Xbox 360 demos that have been free to download through the Xbox Live Marketplace. Demos are coming out almost weekly, giving potential consumers a chance to sample portions of games before dropping up to $60 on a game.
This week, a pair of demos from Electronic Arts hits the Xbox Live Marketplace, giving gamers a chance to try out next-gen versions of some games already released on current-gen consoles.
Microsoft Corp. today announced the broader availability of Xbox 360 consoles and provided details about the new games and entertainment experiences available to gamers this season.
Beginning this week, Microsoft will distribute two to three times the number of Xbox 360 consoles to the retail channel weekly. With component supplies in full production and third manufacturing partner Celestica Inc. now producing the next-generation console along with partners Wistron Corp. and Flextronics Corp., Microsoft is producing more Xbox 360 consoles than ever.
"Today we have turned a major corner," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. With more consoles on their way to retail, 80 games available by June, and new content and experiences coming to Xbox Live. all the time, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360."
Microsoft Corp. today announced the broader availability of Xbox 360 consoles and provided details about the new games and entertainment experiences available to gamers this season.
Beginning this week, Microsoft will distribute two to three times the number of Xbox 360 consoles to the retail channel weekly. With component supplies in full production and third manufacturing partner Celestica Inc. now producing the next-generation console along with partners Wistron Corp. and Flextronics Corp., Microsoft is producing more Xbox 360 consoles than ever.
"Today we have turned a major corner," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With more consoles on their way to retail, 80 games available by June, and new content and experiences coming to Xbox Live® all the time, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360."
Blockbuster Games on the Way:
The Xbox 360 games portfolio expands this spring with new next-generation titles from leading developers and publishers that cater to every genre, age, skill level and budget. Gamers can choose from a range of truly next-generation games such as "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games), an Xbox 360 console exclusive with beautiful next-generation graphics and a huge world to explore; "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft Entertainment SA), the latest version of the successful Tom Clancy series that once again pushes the boundaries of multiplayer boundaries on Xbox Live; and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend" (Eidos Interactive Ltd.), the next-generation debut of the very popular Lara Croft series.
In addition, new titles are coming to Xbox Live Arcade all the time, including "Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting," "Uno" and the free full version of "Texas Hold 'Em Poker" by Riverbelle. Great titles that gamers can expect this season include these:
North American retailer Electronics Boutique, which expects Microsoft to ship the Xbox 360 as early as November 2, 2005 for an MSRP of $299.99, has comprised a complete, albeit questionable, list of X360 games for the console launch, IGN learned today from several EB outlets.
The list IGN acquired from EB retailers today, features 21 launch titles, including three first-party games from Microsoft Game Studios -- Perfect Dark LE (i.e. Limited Edition), Kameo: Elements of Power, and Project Gotham Racing 3, approximate pricing, and sku numbers for every game.
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