Topic: Microsoft's New Pricing Model

[Shaymin]

ESPN if your ISP provides it. Netflix, Hulu+, HBO et all require separate subscriptions.

[Chozo Ghost]

The xbox 360 is 7 years old now, so it should see a price drop to $99 anyway without any hoops or hassle.

[nickmitch]

Not if it's still selling at w/e it's current price point is. Plus, the components have been updated considerably to reduce the failure rate.

ESPN if your ISP provides it. Netflix, Hulu+, HBO et all require separate subscriptions.

HBO Go and Watch ESPN are free with your cable subscription (if your provider allows it), to be clear. But yeah, all that other stuff requires you pay both for them an Xbox Live Gold.

[Chozo Ghost]

Not if it's still selling at w/e it's current price point is. Plus, the components have been updated considerably to reduce the failure rate.

They've also been updated considerably to reduce the manufacturing cost, I'm sure. The Wii U is coming out and the 360 generation is coming to an end, so Microsoft should strongly consider a real price cut. Sony should as well.

[nickmitch]

Yeah, they probably should, but we won't see it until the fall. And it's not about manufacturing costs. A NEW thing is harder to make than an OLD thing, even if the "new" thing is just a better version of the old thing.

[Chozo Ghost]

They aren't making a new thing, though... the 360 is 7 years old. The design of the circuit board and all that might be new, but they are condensing all of that down and simplifying the process so it should be getting cheaper. Its a new version of an old thing, but it still should be cheaper than it was 5 years ago.

[TJ Spyke]

Not if it's still selling at w/e it's current price point is. Plus, the components have been updated considerably to reduce the failure rate.

ESPN if your ISP provides it. Netflix, Hulu+, HBO et all require separate subscriptions.

HBO Go and Watch ESPN are free with your cable subscription (if your provider allows it), to be clear. But yeah, all that other stuff requires you pay both for them an Xbox Live Gold.

ESPN is, but you need a subscription to HBO to use the HBO Go app.

[nickmitch]

They aren't making a new thing, though... the 360 is 7 years old. The design of the circuit board and all that might be new, but they are condensing all of that down and simplifying the process so it should be getting cheaper. Its a new version of an old thing, but it still should be cheaper than it was 5 years ago.

A new version of an old thing isn't inherently easier to make than the old thing unless it was designed to be easier to make. The parts are designed to run cooler, take up less space and little else. Switching all of your manufacturing facilities to make the new version isn't free either, so costs don't go down as quickly.

Not if it's still selling at w/e it's current price point is. Plus, the components have been updated considerably to reduce the failure rate.

ESPN if your ISP provides it. Netflix, Hulu+, HBO et all require separate subscriptions.

HBO Go and Watch ESPN are free with your cable subscription (if your provider allows it), to be clear. But yeah, all that other stuff requires you pay both for them an Xbox Live Gold.

ESPN is, but you need a subscription to HBO to use the HBO Go app.

True, but if you're not getting HBO, then what the hell are you watching?

[Chozo Ghost]

The chips get smaller over time due to Moore's law. Its not like they have to bust their ass to figure out how to shove all of that together in as small of a space as possible... because due to Moore's law the chips will just get smaller on their own. You don't have to go out of your way to make a smaller product that runs cooler. It will just happen naturally pretty much.

[nickmitch]

Chips don't magically shrink themselves because some guy noticed some **** about transistors several years ago (or w/e the exact words were). IBM takes that **** to heart and strives to adhere to Moore's Law as best as possible. It takes effort. Otherwise, MS could just send their engineers home until it's time to make a new system.

[nickmitch]

The deal is now expanding to Best Buy and GameStop. Must be working out for them.

[Uncle_Optimus]

The deal is now expanding to Best Buy and GameStop. Must be working out for them.

That or they realized that almost no-freakin-body can find a "Microsoft Store" around them.
Their Surface tablet will start out with limited distro as well, I wonder if MS is planning to build out their retail quite a bit in this short term.

[nickmitch]

That would make sense. It's possible people sought out MS stores for the Xbox deal, and they would likely do it for the surface. Plus, it allows MS to launch the Surface without having to hit full production capacity.