Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 19, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
In the fiercely contested console market, providers are positioning themselves for the Christmas business. The rumors of recent weeks, according to which Microsoft will bring an inexpensive entry-level console to market with the “Xbox 360 Arcade”, have been confirmed by the Redmond group according to the Financial Times. The product can moreover already be found at online retailer Amazon and is accordingly available from October 26. At Microsoft Austria, no further details were yet to be revealed when pressetext asked. “There will be something official only next week,” says Xbox product manager Thomas Kritsch.
According to the information currently available, the Xbox 360 Arcade will be supplied with a wireless controller as well as a memory card with 256 megabytes and an HDMI connection. However, a hard disk is absent from this model. Instead, five Xbox Arcade games are to be included with the package. These are said to be the titles Pac Man Championship Edition, Feeding Frenzy, Uno, Boom Boom Rocket and Luxor 2. There are currently still differing statements on the price. While the FT reports 279 dollars, Amazon currently states 301.99 euros as the retail price.
With the Arcade version, Microsoft wants to make the Xbox 360 fit for the sales battle against the Wii games console from Nintendo, Microsoft’s Xbox executive Robbie Bach explains to the FT. In addition, the company wants to open up a new target group with the inexpensive price. Casual gamers in particular are to feel addressed, who place more value on short-lived entertainment than on a highly realistic gaming experience. Only in August, Microsoft announced a price reduction for the console. Competitor Sony has also announced a reduction in the retail price for its PS3 and will in future sell the 40-gigabyte version in the USA for 399 dollars. This version is available in Europe for 399 euros.
