Rumor: Microsoft to Subsidize a $99 Xbox 360 with Kinect

[captaincharisma]

i wonder how many times the xbox will have to be replaced in those 2 years lol hasn't MS learned anything about their crappy hardware

 

[captaincharisma]

[citation][nom]whiteodian[/nom]4GB? They should throw the a bigger hard drive in there. You can't even save a game to that 4GB. By save, I mean rip the game to drive to load faster. If they are offering a music service or more video options I could see more space being needed. Unless they are preparing for some cloud service...[/citation]

yup it is close to 200 bucks for a HDD for the 360. plus they rip you off by forcing you to buy their own HDD instead of just being able to pick one up at a local Computer/electronic store like the PS3 allows you to do

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]captaincharisma[/nom]i wonder how many times the xbox will have to be replaced in those 2 years lol hasn't MS learned anything about their crappy hardware[/citation]

Most buyers shouldn't have a problem, but some might needs a second 360. A few might need more, but going beyond that is usually just very poor luck, or the user might be doing something wrong (even if it doesn't seem like it's a major problem to some people, such as putting the 360 somewhere with very poor ventilation, causing overheating).

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]figgus[/nom]If you are that close on finances, you need to get a part time job or some extra schooling to improve your lot in life instead of spending time playing an Xbox.[/citation]
[citation][nom]inerax[/nom]what job do you work that it takes you 5-7 months to save up $500?[/citation]
you learn the first time that a large unexpected expense comes around, be it something out of nowhere, or insurance decides to screw you (both have happened to me) that you need to put some money away each month, and ONLY touch it when you absolutely need it.

and than friends of mine, family, hell people i just know, all of whom i consider to relitivly average... most barely make more than 15$ an hour, and still can barely cover all their monthly expenses.

and as for schooling, yea, put yourself in debt, than try to get a job, and realize that some places wont even hire you because you have student loans.

i say life loves to kick you when you are down alot, really, consider yourself lucky if you cant even imagine what im saying.

as the most recent example, little brothers medication is no longer covered by insurance (at least up front, we may get money back, but we don't know) and 1 bottle of the medication lasts about 2 months at 180$ a bottle and he has 2 so its a 360 bi monthly expenses that is new to us.

 

[blurr91]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]you learn the first time that a large unexpected expense comes around, be it something out of nowhere, or insurance decides to screw you (both have happened to me) that you need to put some money away each month, and ONLY touch it when you absolutely need it. and than friends of mine, family, hell people i just know, all of whom i consider to relitivly average... most barely make more than 15$ an hour, and still can barely cover all their monthly expenses. and as for schooling, yea, put yourself in debt, than try to get a job, and realize that some places wont even hire you because you have student loans. i say life loves to kick you when you are down alot, really, consider yourself lucky if you cant even imagine what im saying.as the most recent example, little brothers medication is no longer covered by insurance (at least up front, we may get money back, but we don't know) and 1 bottle of the medication lasts about 2 months at 180$ a bottle and he has 2 so its a 360 bi monthly expenses that is new to us.[/citation]

Like the other poster already stated, if your finances are that tight, maybe you shouldn't spend time or money on a new Xbox

Xbox is a game. It's a pasttime. It's a diversion from life. These things should be bought with disposable income. Your main obligation in life is to make sure you and your family have a place to live and have food on the table. Think about Xbox after that.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]you learn the first time that a large unexpected expense comes around, be it something out of nowhere, or insurance decides to screw you (both have happened to me) that you need to put some money away each month, and ONLY touch it when you absolutely need it. and than friends of mine, family, hell people i just know, all of whom i consider to relitivly average... most barely make more than 15$ an hour, and still can barely cover all their monthly expenses. and as for schooling, yea, put yourself in debt, than try to get a job, and realize that some places wont even hire you because you have student loans. i say life loves to kick you when you are down alot, really, consider yourself lucky if you cant even imagine what im saying.as the most recent example, little brothers medication is no longer covered by insurance (at least up front, we may get money back, but we don't know) and 1 bottle of the medication lasts about 2 months at 180$ a bottle and he has 2 so its a 360 bi monthly expenses that is new to us.[/citation]

If you can manage with that unfortunate medicine expense, then working one additional hour every month or so at $15 an hour should mean that the Xbox 360 is still not a problem. Sure, that's not always an option, but it should be for most people. There will always be exceptions and sometimes someone will have a problem. However, the majority of people who do this method of payment for the 360 probably won't have a problem paying for it.

 

[alxianthelast]

If the plan was for 5 years or lifecycle of the console.. prepaying your connection to Live which is free on the other 2 platforms.. I'd still question the logic and why retailers would be game.

Are they happy with a cut of only $99?

Will they also be happy with a reduced cut from Xbox 3 being sold this way with the bulk of profit being paid directly to Microsoft?

Shouldn't games be sold this way too? 1mth-6mth-1y-2y-5y DRM 'contracts' if you can pay less at retail and end your license early without paying the rest if you don't like the game... >.>

 

[bigdog44]

They probably could've made the deal a little bit sweeter considering how much they'll also make on each game sold. Besides testing this for usage with the next console, if it takes off it may help to pay for MS to introduce the next console at a lower price even for non-contract purchases.

 

[alxianthelast]

[citation][nom]drwho1[/nom]LOLthis is not only stupid, but why do this now at the end of this generation.why not try this with their next generation console?[/citation]

Because it will make it much easier to introduce Xbox 3 with this payment model if it is already successful with Kinect. (I've given up calling the Xbox 2 Xbox 360.. it is now just Kinect).

And for 500+ if you factor in interest on a connection to Xbox Live that should be free? that's just sad (for people who just want the set-top-box features.. minus DVR without multiplayer).

 

[jryan388]

That costs much more money than buying it all individually. An xbox 360 with kinect is ~$300, and two years of gold can be found for about $80. $380 total. This deal is $100 + (24 months * $15/month) = $100 + $360, or $460. This costs $80 more with contract

 

[IndignantSkeptic]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]you learn the first time that a large unexpected expense comes around, be it something out of nowhere, or insurance decides to screw you (both have happened to me) that you need to put some money away each month, and ONLY touch it when you absolutely need it. and than friends of mine, family, hell people i just know, all of whom i consider to relitivly average... most barely make more than 15$ an hour, and still can barely cover all their monthly expenses. and as for schooling, yea, put yourself in debt, than try to get a job, and realize that some places wont even hire you because you have student loans. i say life loves to kick you when you are down alot, really, consider yourself lucky if you cant even imagine what im saying.as the most recent example, little brothers medication is no longer covered by insurance (at least up front, we may get money back, but we don't know) and 1 bottle of the medication lasts about 2 months at 180$ a bottle and he has 2 so its a 360 bi monthly expenses that is new to us.[/citation]

My sympathies to you and your family. If you don't mind my asking, What condition does your little brother have? Is it permanent according to current biotechnology? Is it a genetic problem?

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]jryan388[/nom]That costs much more money than buying it all individually. An xbox 360 with kinect is ~$300, and two years of gold can be found for about $80. $380 total. This deal is $100 + (24 months * $15/month) = $100 + $360, or $460. This costs $80 more with contract[/citation]

That means you pay an $80 charge for the convenience of spreading out the cost over two years that is simply included in the price. That's really not bad. It's far better than what we do with our homes, cars, and phones (for those of us who don't buy such things up front). That's only another 25%.

 

[rohitbaran]

[citation][nom]drwho1[/nom]LOLthis is not only stupid, but why do this now at the end of this generation.why not try this with their next generation console?[/citation]
May be they are experimenting it with a console that is firmly established rather than take chances with a new product and risking lower sales.

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]BigMack70[/nom]If you need to finance a console, you can't afford it. Plain and simple.[/citation]Most Americans have credit card debt. I actually accumulated several hundred in debt once a couple years ago, but most people do worse than that. The American economy is based on people buying stuff they can't afford--that's why the recession hit so hard because people bought a lot less stuff that they didn't needed and couldn't afford.

It's a smart business practice to get the [very] roughly 3/4 of Americans who don't manage their money to buy something from you on credit. That's why most poor people have nicer cell phones and better cell plans than me (I've never had 3G or a phone with a flash on the camera). Unscrupulous? Maybe, but if MS doesn't take money from stupid people, Sony or Amazon will.

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]figgus[/nom]If you are that close on finances, you need to get a part time job or some extra schooling to improve your lot in life instead of spending time playing an Xbox.[/citation]I didn't "thumbs down" you because you are right that extra time shouldn't be spent on Xbox. However, you seem to not understand the situation.

Extra schooling doesn't help. In MANY places, there aren't part-time jobs.


I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Engineering in 2008. Every entry-level job (qualifications: 0 years, B.S. degree) I applied to told me they wanted someone with more experience. After a year, I started applying to part-time jobs and ONE called me back and I was able to start bagging groceries for $8/hr a year and a half after graduating with an engineering degree from a decent school.

A few months later I got a part-time Engineering job and after two years, I found a great full-time Engineering job in Guam (USA), so things worked out for me since I was lucky enough to have a wife with a Master's degree who found a good job and my parents had paid for most of my schooling so I only had $25,000 in debt. But other people who didn't set themselves up so well can be kinda screwed in A LOT of ways.

Okay, it would've helped if I had graduate degree. But you can't honestly say a Master's or PhD is reasonably within everyone's immediate grasp. Those who weren't great in school are 3+ years of college and some new good study habits away from starting graduate school.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]rohitbaran[/nom]May be they are experimenting it with a console that is firmly established rather than take chances with a new product and risking lower sales.[/citation]

Well, if M$ simply offered both ways of purchase (current and this new subsidiary plan), then I don't see that as a problem. I think that M$ did this with the 360 solely to clean out supply of the 360 as much as possible before it is replaced.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]you learn the first time that a large unexpected expense comes around, be it something out of nowhere, or insurance decides to screw you (both have happened to me) that you need to put some money away each month, and ONLY touch it when you absolutely need it. and than friends of mine, family, hell people i just know, all of whom i consider to relitivly average... most barely make more than 15$ an hour, and still can barely cover all their monthly expenses. and as for schooling, yea, put yourself in debt, than try to get a job, and realize that some places wont even hire you because you have student loans. i say life loves to kick you when you are down alot, really, consider yourself lucky if you cant even imagine what im saying.as the most recent example, little brothers medication is no longer covered by insurance (at least up front, we may get money back, but we don't know) and 1 bottle of the medication lasts about 2 months at 180$ a bottle and he has 2 so its a 360 bi monthly expenses that is new to us.[/citation]
15*40=600/wk*52.14wk=31285/yr/12mo=2607/mo*.8taxes (-20% for local/fed/state/sales tax)= a nice even $2085 per month of usable income.
Apartments in my area (near Cincinnati) go for ~$650/mo, utilities (gas, power, water, sewage) average ~$150/mo (not that I think on that this would be a bit high for an apartment), Necessities (food, grooming, etc) ~$200 or less, Communications (Internet and phone) ~$120, Car (payment, gas, insurance, maintenance) ~500/mo or less, and you can qualify (all be it barely) for gov't health insurance.
Unless I have left anything out then this leaves ~$465 to spend on debuts (credit, home, school, etc), improvements (retirement, furnishings, savings, etc), and entertainment (Media, hardware, etc.). Sure, it is a tight budget (especially if you are supporting a non-working family on that income, or live in an area where housing is crazy expensive like Cali), but if you really wanted one you could pick one up in 2-3 months. It may not be the wisest decision you will ever make, but the console is within reach of someone with that scenario, and it is generally not that hard for a well motivated and 1/2 decently talented individual to make much more than that if they are not sitting on their ass playing video games all day.

And again; most people have a 2-5 year old PC in the first place, which can play console level games much cheaper than a console ever could.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]dalauder[/nom]Most Americans have credit card debt. I actually accumulated several hundred in debt once a couple years ago, but most people do worse than that. The American economy is based on people buying stuff they can't afford--that's why the recession hit so hard because people bought a lot less stuff that they didn't needed and couldn't afford.It's a smart business practice to get the [very] roughly 3/4 of Americans who don't manage their money to buy something from you on credit. That's why most poor people have nicer cell phones and better cell plans than me (I've never had 3G or a phone with a flash on the camera). Unscrupulous? Maybe, but if MS doesn't take money from stupid people, Sony or Amazon will.[/citation]

Well, if the bulk of the cost is spent over two years, then wouldn't this help to alleviate debt that buying a 360 up front might have costed for someone who didn't have the cash on hand to buy it? Basically, it shouldn't increase credit card debt unless they decide to add each small payment onto a credit card instead of just paying it. Seriously, this is just a mere fraction of my cable bill and I'm not even on a premium package or very high internet speed, so I don't see it being a problem. If someone wants an Xbox 360 but doesn't have the cash on hand to buy it without adding credit card debt or some other problem, then they can do this.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]dalauder[/nom]Extra schooling doesn't help. In MANY places, there aren't part-time jobs.[/citation]
Awe hell no!
If you cannot find a part time job then you either need to make yourself a part time business or else have a major attitude adjustment to make yourself marketable to a wider job market (or move). I dropped out of college (admittedly, perhaps not my smartest move ever) due to a lack of finances. I had a rough year working part time and trying to figure out what to do (ironically spent a fair amount of time on my PS2 during that time, that I purchased with my part time work), and finally landed an absolutely crap job that paid fairly decent for someone in my situation. I hated every single day of it for 5 years before the company downsized me before folding up. Out of nowhere a great 'opportunity job' (meaning it doesn't pay as much as the title implies, but it is a great resume padder, while still paying the bills) opened up and I am now enjoying that. The only debut I have is on my house, my car, and a little credit card debt due to a pair of unforeseen incidents that knocked me flat for a bit. But to say that you 'need' a college degree to have a decent house and family is a load of crap. Yes, a college degree can open up opportunities that would otherwise not be open to you, and afford you nicer things, but I know of several jobs available to people willing to work with some effort that can give you a decent and satisfying life (so long as you are not obsessed with keeping up with the Jones').
My wife has a masters degree, and yet I make more than her. It has nothing to do with her degree, and everything to do with what drives her (which is apparently not money). Also, we live in an area where there is an absolute glut of people with her skill set, and she has managed to carve out a part time job, and very successful part time business while there are literally hundreds of other people who did what she does that are now on unemployment... and she has more work available than she knows what to do with and is constantly turning down work.

Point being: Having a degree or not does not have any bearing on the success of your life. Being a lazy deadbeat, or too damn prideful to work (with or without a degree) is what causes life to be a failure. Yes, unfortunate things happen (they have happened to me a few times and I am not even all that old yet), and bad decisions are made on occasion, but these are temporary setbacks if you continue to push forward and focus on attaining what you want... whether that be a stupid xBox, or anything else.

end rant.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]caedenv[/nom]15*40=600/wk*52.14wk=31285/yr/12mo=2607/mo*.8taxes (-20% for local/fed/state/sales tax)= a nice even $2085 per month of usable income.Apartments in my area (near Cincinnati) go for ~$650/mo, utilities (gas, power, water, sewage) average ~$150/mo (not that I think on that this would be a bit high for an apartment), Necessities (food, grooming, etc) ~$200 or less, Communications (Internet and phone) ~$120, Car (payment, gas, insurance, maintenance) ~500/mo or less, and you can qualify (all be it barely) for gov't health insurance.Unless I have left anything out then this leaves ~$465 to spend on debuts (credit, home, school, etc), improvements (retirement, furnishings, savings, etc), and entertainment (Media, hardware, etc.). Sure, it is a tight budget (especially if you are supporting a non-working family on that income, or live in an area where housing is crazy expensive like Cali), but if you really wanted one you could pick one up in 2-3 months. It may not be the wisest decision you will ever make, but the console is within reach of someone with that scenario, and it is generally not that hard for a well motivated and 1/2 decently talented individual to make much more than that if they are not sitting on their ass playing video games all day.And again; most people have a 2-5 year old PC in the first place, which can play console level games much cheaper than a console ever could.[/citation]

A PC within that age range can only play the games at least as well as a console could if it had pretty good graphics for it's time (at or closer to five years) or decent graphics for the time (at or closer to 2 years). If it has crap and/or integrated graphics, then it can't even meet a console.