The Xbox One price drop pushes through by the end of the year; Microsoft makes the $50 cut in time for the holidays.
Microsoft's Xbox One price drop is expected to boost sales for the last quarter of 2014. The console is bundled with a flagship game, priced at $349 from November 2 to January 3 next year.
The Xbox One price drop is Microsoft's effort to undercut Sony's lead in sales for its PlayStation 4; experts insist the cut isn't enough to narrow down the lead, but the bundled offers add value to an already reasonable deal.
A Forbes review confirms Microsoft made the right move bundling games to the Xbox One, in addition to a price slash.
"... Microsoft system sales struggle versus Sony's PlayStation 4, arguing that the Xbox One 'discount card will be its most powerful weapon to close the gap.' On that point I emphatically disagree. It's Microsoft's stellar selection of exclusives that will win the console war this holiday, especially when compared directly to Sony's anemic PlayStation 4 lineup."
Most notable in the bundle offerings is Sunset Overdrive, an anticipated title exclusive to the Xbox One. The package is available at $349; Assassin's Creed: Unity and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag are also paired in (separately) with the console for the same price, or at $449 if bundled with the Kinect.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare also releases with the Xbox One package, with a customized console, the game, and a 1 Terabyte hard drive, for $449.
Microsoft offers an opportunity for gamers to experience the console's next wave of titles with the Xbox One price cut. With the Halo: The Master Chief Collection scheduled to launch two weeks after Sunset Overdrive, Xbox One owners have new games to exhaust until the start of the next year.
"Microsoft's strategy is also different from Sony, its primary competitor. That company has hammered out deals to ensure PlayStation 4 owners can get specialized access to storylines and features for popular games, a strategy the company says makes its device more appealing." (cnet.com)
