Microsoft launches new Xbox bundle for Europe
The first shot in Microsoft's Christmas offensive against its console rivals has come in the form of a new bundle deal, which offers an Xbox system along with copies of Halo and Midtown Madness 3 for £139.99.
The first shot in Microsoft's Christmas offensive against its console rivals has come in the form of a new bundle deal, which offers an Xbox system along with copies of Halo and Midtown Madness 3 for £139.99.
The bundle, which also incorporates a two month free subscription to Xbox Live, is available from today and will continue "while stocks last" - mirroring the Xbox bundle deals which appeared last year, and helped to give the console a hugely successful first Christmas on the market.
Microsoft is still pledging to hold firm at its £129.99 price point for the Xbox, despite pressure caused by the recent price drops for Sony's PS2 (now £139.99) and Nintendo's GameCube (now £79.99). The company had previously stated that it would follow Sony's lead in price cutting, rather than Nintendo's.
However, the most recent figures show that in the second week following Nintendo's price cut, the GameCube outsold the Xbox in the UK by a factor of 2:1 - not a major worry for Microsoft if it's a single week statistical blip caused by the price cut, but a cause for concern if the lower price causes a medium-term rise in Cube sales.