Although a next-generation Xbox 360 has yet to be released, details of the reported device have been leaked, and later confirmed from Microsoft. In the weeks following the “rumors” and headlines, many online retailers have been cutting prices on many of the Xbox 360 consoles and services.
IGN confirmed the GPU leak, back in late January after reports came in that the chip was already being manufactured in small quantities, for development testing. Since then two of the largest online retailers for Xbox 360 consoles, Best Buy and Amazon, have had a semi-permanent sale on certain Xbox 360 bundles and services.
Although many of the sales are short and sporadic, the “holiday bundles” that contain Microsoft’s Kinect and Xbox 360 consoles have been marked down by as much as $50 for quite some time.
The Xbox 360′s are not the only Microsoft product to take a price-cut after rumors on the internet. Also at the end of January there were rumors that Microsoft would stop using its “Microsoft Points” system. After those rumors, both Best Buy and Amazon began a price war on the downloadable codes used for the points. Currently they are marked down by about 33% from then their usual price.
Whether these markdowns are simply coincidental, or it a case of retailers taking advantage of the headlines remains to be seen. In either case consumers who are already looking to buy these products are the ones that benefit from it. Microsoft has not made any official announcement regarding a permanent price-drop on their consoles or their XBLA points program. So gamers should take advantage of the unique opportunity if they are in the market.
source | amazon, best buy
