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

[dalauder]

[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]I completely agree that a console can be affordable on $15/hr salary and someone shouldn't buy a console if their budget can't allow it or if they're unemployed. It's not like a console is a required part of life--I didn't have one most the time when I was growing up (not 'til I was older and could afford to buy one myself).

I don't see why anyone making $15+/hr should expect that saving up $300 to buy a console non-credit is too difficult unless they have unemployed adults living in their household or 3+ kids per adult, in which case a console shouldn't be a top priority anyways.

Btw, your expenses were pretty high. I paid $45/mo. for Internet when I was stateside and $10/mo. for phone (no data), but I guess that was your point--round up a bunch.

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]blazorthon[/nom]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.[/citation]What I meant about credit card debt was that people think [incorrectly] of less money and future payments as easier than a smaller total lump sum now. I didn't mean people could or could not afford to buy something, I meant that people who tend to accumulate future payments (like credit card debt) will be more inclined to buy this because it is "only $99" instead of $299 or whatever ridiculous price consoles are nowadays.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]dalauder[/nom]What I meant about credit card debt was that people think [incorrectly] of less money and future payments as easier than a smaller total lump sum now. I didn't mean people could or could not afford to buy something, I meant that people who tend to accumulate future payments (like credit card debt) will be more inclined to buy this because it is "only $99" instead of $299 or whatever ridiculous price consoles are nowadays.[/citation]

Well, this shouldn't have an effect on credit card debt so long as they can pay the up front cost and the very small monthly costs. Of course, some people will probably be stupid (stupid people have this annoying knack for showing up pretty much everywhere), but this really doesn't seem to be a bad idea like it seems that some people are suggesting.

If I can't afford the up front cost for a non-subsidized 360, then at the least, chances are that I can afford the upfront cost for the subsidized 360 and afford the monthly payments. If someone uses a credit card, but doesn't keep their balance where it should be, then that is a whole other problem that is solely their own stupidity, unless there were dire circumstances in which they could not afford it for one or even a few months. However, even then, so long as they don't let it go for more than a few months, it still shouldn't rack up insurmountable debt.

Basically, the only people who could get screwed by this are people who either can't or refuse to pay a few bucks a month for it after the up front cost. The only people who would do something like that is someone who really shouldn't be allowed to be solely responsible for their money and maybe not even their well-being anyway.

 

[darkavenger123]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]man, I hate the direction that consoles are moving. Closed systems with monthly fees and a lack of a quality game expierence. Sure there are a few fun games to play out there, but how many of them are worth $225 a year to play (plus ISP fees)?Meanwhile, if you have a 3-5 year old PC and throw in a $100 GPU, $40 PSU, and a $20 controller to support it you can play a wider variety of games, both for free and for pay, with a higher quality experience than a console provides (faster loads, better textures, higher/denser resolution, etc). Yes, you can go insane and build some (wonderfully) insane game rig that make consoles look like cheap toys, but to get the console expierence it only costs the afterage person with a modern PC $160, and the only monthly fees are to your ISP (which you have to pay anyways), and if you choose to play an MMO.[/citation]

Why does dumb people still compare consoles with PC? My PC is way more powerful than my XBOX, but it still can't play my favorite games like Bayonetta or Kinect games on it. Hardware is useless without software. End of story!!

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]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.[/citation]In San Diego, they really didn't have any part-time jobs. That's why it took some luck to land a bag-boy job half an hour from my house. Did you miss the part of my statement where I said that I moved to Guam for a job?

If you worked 5 years in a job you hated, that means you got it before 2007--and it's 2008 when the jobs disappeared. Of course, most my friends that graduated in 2007 got laid off in 2009.

But you were saying what I was saying about a college degree not automatically getting you what you want in life or even necessarily getting you employment. So I don't get why your comment started with, "Awe hell no!".

All I really meant was that I put myself in a situation where I should've been able to find work and, eventually, I got a pretty lousy part-time job. But there are people who dropped out of college or didn't even attend college who aren't married to someone who's employed. And those people can't just "Get an education" or "Go get a job" to help themselves with the snap of their fingers.

It can take months of applying for terrible jobs to get one part-time bad job. It can take 4+ years to finish an education. And I was replying to the guy that made it sound easy to improve one's lot in life.

It actually can require a lucky "absolutely crap job...for 5 years before...a great 'opportunity job'" comes up. So I think we're in agreement despite you being the one that "thumbs downed" me (I think it was you).

 

[rosen380]

I read some places, but it seems like it may not be the case, because it isn't mentioned everywhere, that the bundle also includes a second year warranty, which costs $50, so an $80 gap drops to $30, if that is something you'd generally purchase with your console.

Also read rumors that there would be some extra services included with the $15 [people hypothesizing Netflix and/or Hulu Plus]. If you already have those services and cancel, or were planning on getting them anyways, it may send the deal into the green, even before you figure the value of laying out less money on front.

Also, maybe some people even make a decent living, contribute to 401Ks? 10% of my pay comes right out for that [company matches up to 10%, so certainly not leaving that on the table]. On your theoretical $2085 monthly income, that is $209 that you won't see for a very long time...