The Art of War says NEVER underestimate your opponent. Or was that Fight Club ? Anyway… just don’t do it!
Recently we reported surprising news on the console front that will have deep impacts on the upcoming holiday season. After Microsoft announced it would drop the cost of its next-gen console by another $50 (that’s a total of $150 vs. this time last year), many who’d originally written off the One as a second rate contender were forced to stop and take notice. Phil Spencer, to his credit, promised a big shift in how the company planned to tackle the New Year. By all accounts, he’s delivering on that promise, as Microsoft is all anyone is talking about right now!
Today we learned of even more savings so huge, it should be occupied by a SUNDAY…SUNDAY…SUNDAY announcer. It appears the Xbox One’s price tag is about to once again drop like a proverbial rock! Best Buy has officially announced a very Black Friday-esque deal, where by trading in your Xbox 360, you’ll get a guaranteed $150 credit! In addition, they’re also purchasing individual wireless controllers for ten bucks a pop ($40 if you have four of ‘dem bad boys stashed away). All told, you could be looking at snatching up a brand spankin’ new system for well under $200. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating… that is B-A-N-A-N-A-S. The only problem is you have to have a newer model (the ones sporting a 250 GB hard drive). However, if you were an earlier adopter of the previous Xbox, fear not! The Microsoft store has got you covered. Providing you possess at least the “ Arcade ” model, they’re offering up a cool $100 coupon towards the purchase of any bundle (with even the cheapest package shipping with both Assassin’s Creed: Unity AND Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag ). By my count, that’s also a value of more than $150 in savings, especially if you don’t mind throwing some of the games up on eBay. Not a bad way to buy into all the 1080p gaming goodness 2015 has to offer is it?
And what is Sony’s answer to all this?
So far, Team Blue has put on their poker faces and decided to play coy. While GameStop is running a similar deal that will allow customers to pick up a PS4 for about $275 (similar restrictions as above apply), those behind the PlayStation have not yet blinked in the face of this crazy pricing onslaught that Team Green has going. And in that ladies and gentleman, I fear they’re making a grave mistake. The conventional wisdom is that the PS4 has been SO dominate up until now, brand recognition is what will keep them on point at the register. However, if that is in fact their only strategy, it’s a misguided one. To borrow a phrase from Lord Vader, Sony should “…not underestimate the power of the force.” In this case, that “ force ” is the all mighty dollar. While I could go on and on listing reasons why the PS4 is a much safer bet for the future (with its services and market strategy always forward-looking), all these arguments fall flat when it comes time to open the old wallet. By this point, many gamers probably own both a 360 and PlayStation 3. I can understand how even the most hardened Sony fanboys would be tempted to switch teams with a price point this low. All that’s required is merely dusting off that aging system and hopping in the car.
The crazy thing is it’s only a few days removed from Halloween! Usually this kind of madness doesn’t break loose ‘til the end of November (when Christmas really kicks into high gear). If we’re already seeing such drastic measures being taken to move Xbox consoles, then this is likely just the tip of iceberg of things to come. Sony had better not turn a blind eye to this, as Microsoft could very well run away with the season if they do. A killer deal trumps games, graphics or tech 9 times out of 10 in the public eye.
Watch your back Sony. Microsoft is gunnin’ for you… and they’re not playing around this time.