June 5th 2012 8:03 am PT

$99 4GB Xbox 360 and Kinect coming to more retailers later this month

A few weeks ago you may have heard that Microsoft began a pilot program to test a new retail model for the Xbox 360. The program, which we have been testing at Microsoft Stores in the U.S., offers customers the chance to purchase a 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect and a two-year LIVE subscription with a low upfront cost of $99, and 24 months of Xbox LIVE Gold at $14.99 per month.

Today, I’m happy to announce that we’re expanding the pilot to all U.S. Best Buy stores and select GameStop locations later this month. This next phase of the pilot program will be limited in terms of both timing and the number of units available—we’re excited to forge new ground and explore a new retail model for Xbox 360, but also want to emphasize that this is a pilot period for the program.

Call your local Best Buy, GameStop or Microsoft Store if you’d like more information about how and where to purchase.

Kinect, Xbox 360, Xbox Live By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2012/06/05/99-4gb-xbox-360-and-kinect-coming-to-more-retailers-later-this-month/

http://twitter.com/xiphi Marcus McCurdy

You guys seriously need to drop the 4GB console and make them all have a damn hard drive!
- http://www.allthatgamingstuff.com/ JasonGW
  
  Nah, people have been saying that for almost 7 YEARS, and it’s not yet been a problem. I actually hope that next generation, Xbox has a small SSD–say, 32-64GB–that developers can rely on as fast cache and users can store their basic content on–along with an empty hard drive bay so users can choose which hard drive type and size they want. Save costs and improve performance all around
  - ElektroDragon
    
    Empty hard drive bay so users can plug in their own hard drive? What do you think this is, PS3? Microsoft would never be that generous. Did you know Plus members get over 5 very recent full retail games for free today?
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Mccoy/100000481519263 Sean Mccoy
      
      empty hard drive bay and eazy place to hide your pot
    - http://twitter.com/DavidDDavidson5 David D Davidson
      
      >Pay 50$ a year
      >Free
      
      Pick one.
- The Dukenator
  
  They won’t. The hard drive have always have been optional.
  
  4GB is internal, unlike the older arcade, which had an 256MB MU that was external.
  - Robert Pendell
    
    On the old arcade the last revisions they dropped the external MU and put in a 256MB or 512MB internal MU. It was fun when you added a hard drive and you always got prompted for which one to load it to.
    - The Dukenator
      
      I still have the external MU and the arcade itself for the past 4 years.
      
      But since 2009, I got a 60GB HDD for it.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Junior-Jimenez/744909576 Junior Jimenez
  
  the 4gb is a trap to get people how dont know anything about video games to buy an xbox
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Mccoy/100000481519263 Sean Mccoy
  
  give some kind of harddrive
http://www.thetechcredible.com Michael Teagle

I think they need to drop the whole package deal. This is the worst deal I have ever seen other than those paycheck loan places.
- http://twitter.com/AnsateCross Jaelyn Banks
  
  How is this a bad deal? It’s only $40 more than buying it the “traditional” way, and you get to spread the payments out over two years. It’s like buying on credit with a ridiculously low interest rate.
  - arkhunter
    
    At retail prices. ($300+2x $60 = $420) However on amazon you can get a 4GB bundle for $285 and 12 months for $50 and you can find deals on those for less than that. This plan price comes out to $459 rounded up to the dollar. So at current “market prices” it’s more like $74 difference or $10-20 more even. Depends how much you need/want to spread out the payments I guess.
    - Jaelyn Banks
      
      Yes, but Best Buy and Gamestop both sell at retail prices.
      - arkhunter
        
        Can’t delete double post?
      - arkhunter
        
        And why would you buy at retail prices when you can get it for less? (if you aren’t doing this bundle deal) I’m saying it’s an even worse deal if you aren’t buying from them.
        If it wasn’t more than retail, it would be okay I guess. Just save your money and buy it for less in the long run.
      - Alexander Atkin
        
        I would think as already mentioned, to spread the payments over 2 years rather than a large up-front cost.
        
        Although I wonder what action Microsoft will take if someone cancels within the 2 year period?
      - arkhunter
        
        I would assume at very least they make you pay the rest of your contract and maybe like cell phones they have a stupidly large cancellation fee.
Ralph

So pay $460 for a 4gb bundle with required 2 years of live at a ridiculous price, or, buy a 4gb w/ kinect ($285), a generic 250gb harddrive ($42), and two years of gold ($40-50) for a grand total of $417 from amazon. hmmm

Oh and there’s no contract which means microsoft doesn’t get to keep your credit card and force you to turn off auto renew
- Hugoku
  
  If in the end your are considering shelling out 400+ dollars on a gaming console, then obviously this offer is not for you.
- Adinnieken
  
  You don’t use a credit card. You are billed, just as you are for a utility.
jornalgamer

We need this, Bring it to Brazil!!!!!!!!!!
Rdog

What good is 4GB going to do? Battlefield 3 takes up more than 4GB alone (extreme example, I know)… Besides, it all adds up to $460. That is a ripoff, especially for a mere 4GB.
Hugoku

You can do the Amazon math as much as you like, but the big deal here is not the difference between 410 and 470 dollars but rather between 99 and 300-400.

People who can’t afford to pay USD$300+ upfront (thru cash or credit card financed) might give it a second thought.
It’s obviously not an offer for you.

Still a rip-off though, just like all financed goods are.
- spiralgray
  
  If you can afford to fork over $99 up front + $15 / month you can afford to put that $15 a month in a bank account until you can buy it outright. A 360 isn’t food, clothing, or shelter. If you can’t afford to buy a luxury item outright YOU DON’T NEED IT. Maybe the world’s finances wouldn’t be in the shape they are if more people only spent what they could afford.
  - http://www.facebook.com/ryan.schicatano Ryan Schicatano
    
    Bump
  - Frank Costanza’s lawyer
    
    You,sir, just won the internet. Bravo.
  - Hugoku
    
    Well, that’s a practical way of thinking. And hey, maybe that’s you! Good for you for being a no-nonsense kind of guy.
    
    But that’s not how it works in real life isn’t it? Some people who wish to get their gaming fix will surely not wait 1+ year to get their console.
    Most people just plain can’t save money, even for real necessities.
    
    So yeah, as I said, you are one of those for which this offer is NOT aimed to.
    You don’t have to like the offer though.
ElektroDragon

Great, Xbox for the Rent-A-Center crowd. As if we didn’t have enough trash talking on Live as is.
Epsilon Paradox

This is such a bad deal for consumers…
McWetty

Good for people who like financing options. I think it sucks, but I’m not the demographic for this option.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Mccoy/100000481519263 Sean Mccoy

does it come with a good warranty if it brakes down if you keep paying the 14.99+tax a month for both console and sensor and the controlers they always ware out
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Mccoy/100000481519263 Sean Mccoy

well do they give a warranty with everything that comes in the box as long u pay the monthy fee
dalekusa

I know a lot of people are complaining about this being a swindle, but this is actually a good deal for some. not everybody can afford to pay $300 for the console and then another $50-100 for a year or two of Gold. This would be a great idea for those who want to, relatively inexpensively in the short term, ride out the current generation, at least.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Mccoy/100000481519263 Sean Mccoy

empty hard drive bay is an easy place to hide your pot stash
Sam Price

Save up, get better, pay less. Spend now, get less, pay more.
Russell Gorall

This is a trap to get your credit card info on there. This is sponsored by Anonymous.
- http://twitter.com/AdamDJTbrand Adam Thompson
  
  no, it’s sponsored by the phishng websites that offer free MS points if you give them your Xbox Live profile username & password – that’s the only way people’s profiles have been compromised.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joe-Adanac/100001237455741 Joe Adanac

Does anyone reading the Major’s blog not already have a 360? I mean really?
- http://twitter.com/GaussBb Bradley
  
  It’s Larry, he’s one of the most ignorant people who work in the industry. He probably thought that Microsoft won E3, when Ubisoft had the only decent presser. E3 2012 just showed everyone how superior the PC is, and how old the consoles are.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Liquidfx-Xboxdude/100003184837175 Liquidfx Xboxdude
    
    superior the pc is? lol pay $1200 for a high end pc so i can play crappy diablo. no thanks. i used to have a gaming pc but it only works for lonely people with no real life friends. xbox=fun with friends. why are you even on here? troll.
    - http://twitter.com/xTriWolfx xTriWolfx
      
      I guess you have never been in a PC LAN party or for that matter played WoW. All my buds play WoW or other games such as Minecraft
      - http://twitter.com/AdamDJTbrand Adam Thompson
        
        WoW is not a game, it is no different to Facebook “clickathon” games, except that it costs ridiculous amounts of money and requires 50 hours a week gameplay just to stay ahead of the curve.
    - http://twitter.com/weirdphil weirdphil
      
      You use words like “crappy”, “lonely” and “no real life friends” in your argument and accuse someone of being a troll. Good job. /sarcasm
spiralgray

Great, another way to take advantage of stupid, entitled people that have weak multiplication skills and who gotta have it now (as opposed to actually saving up for something they want to buy). I know corporations are greedy b*****ds but I agree that this is worse than rent-to-own and payday loans.
http://twitter.com/ydarkage Abel Verde

Waiting this program to come to Brazil!
Logic Squirrel

seriously ? 24months of gold @ $14.99 a month, yeah right.
- Alexander Atkin
  
  Does it make you feel better if you think of it as an Xbox 360 $99 deposit and $14.99/month with free Gold.
http://www.facebook.com/tiso.spencer Tiso Spencer

If they offered the packaged with a 250GB HD and Kinect it be one thing, but ultimately this is for the masses who are either A) too poor B) too stupid or C) both that they can’t simply save to buy an affordable $200-$400 system. No we have money to buy our expensive smart phones and 60 plus inch TVs, but heaven forbid we need financing help on a cheap gaming console.
http://aftermarketgaming.com/ Justin Sinn

It is also worth noting that the console will be available in black as well according to the promotional video the company showed.
We also expect a whole flood of other Wii U accessories over time. And don’t throw away that Balance Board just yet, it also works with the new Nintendo machine.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000550957070 Dale Roach

Idiots can buy this option:
24 Months XBL Gold – $359.76
+ $99 for the console
——————————-
4GB Console ends up costing you: $458.76
Retail 4GB Console: $199 + 2 years XBL = $299.
- http://twitter.com/LODsqua LODsqua
  
  Keep in mind that this is a 4GB console + Kinect not a normal 4GB console. So if you do it the way you’re doing it you’re looking at around $410-420 before taxes.
  - http://www.facebook.com/sqrl33 Gene White
    
    People are also leaving out the the warranty is extended to two years instead of the normal one.
http://www.facebook.com/cyriad.mothonan Cyriad Mothonan

Hey, if this is the case in the US how can these kinds of prices still be justified for your AU consumers?

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/game/console-bundle-offers/xbox-360-s-4gb-console-matte-black/658436
Please consider that the Australian Dollar is worth slightly more than USD to begin with, but close enough for parity. Also apparently there is an Xbox 360 in something like 4% of Australian households.
Please explain this, or rather, don’t explain it and just fix our pricing already, yeah?

June 5th 2012 8:03 am PT

$99 4GB Xbox 360 and Kinect coming to more retailers later this month

search

Latest Podcast

Show 476

Twitter Feed

Blog Archive

RSS Feeds

Helpful Links

Ads