While just about everything form the specs, the tech and the games of the new Xbox have been talked about, one thing, the pricing, has been left out. Until now.
Out of all of the most important things that a consumer will look for when purchasing a brand new, shiny console, particularly a console from a new generation of tech entirely, there are three huge factors that the buyer will need to consider in order to get the most gaming ‘bang’ for their hard earned, limited buck. The technology for one, is the biggest thing because every gamer wants the best, the games are another as the best console is only as good as the pieces of software that it powers and last, but not least is the pricing, which for some, is the most important. Up until now, almost all of these features have been considered and speculated on for the new Xbox, apart from the pricing, but finally there’s some concrete evidence that the latest Xbox won’t be as cheap as hoped.
Currently, the “elite” version of latest Xbox retails for under $300 (the recommended retail price is $299), whereas the Kinect/Xbox 360 bundle that Microsoft announced back in July 2012 is being sold for less than $100. With that in mind, for gamers looking to upgrade to the next generation of Xbox, rumoured to be called the Xbox 720, speculation that it could cost upwards of $300 may come as a shock.
How it would work is like this ; players could either purchase a subscription based model of the Xbox 720 for $300, presumably allowing players to play the console for as long as they fork out for a subscription from Microsoft, or they can pay $500 to own the console outright.
With the Xbox 720 rumoured to include an ‘always-on’ feature that requires the console to be connected to the Internet constantly to allow use (with the console reportedly not working if an Internet connection isn’t detected in 3 minutes), Microsoft will always be able to know if the owner has paid their subscription or not and there would be little way to get around it, should the console’s owner decide to cheat the system by disconnecting it from the Internet.
There’s also room for speculation as to whether or not that subscription will include Xbox Live play, which has always cost players money to use.
Either way, we will know more when the new Xbox (Xbox 720) is finally revealed, with an announcement date supposedly scheduled for May 21st.
We’ll update when we know more.
Source : gamespot
Read more on walyou, Xbox Lite Coming Late 2013 … Before The New Xbox, DREAMing For A New Xbox? Xbox Dream Console Concept
