It’s taken a few years, but lightning’s struck twice for Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division (the portion of the company responsible for Zune, Windows Mobile, and Xbox). The operating profit of $89 million that E&D drew is just a drop in MSFT’s far, far larger fiscal bucket, but unless business turns sour, from here on out it looks like the group making all the fun stuff in Redmond is no longer in the business of losing cash hand over fist.
From this Friday, wannabe South African XBOX owners struggling with their budgets will be up to a quarter of the way closer to their goal: all XBOX 360 consoles are coming down in price by as much as 25%.
From 14 March 2008, Xbox 360 Pro, which includes a 20GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an estimated retail price (ERP) of R2999, a saving of R700 (just under 20%) on the current price. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content, such as their own music, will only drop R600 from its current R4600 price tag (13% drop), down to R3999.
The biggest proportionate saving comes with the Xbox 360 Arcade console, an entry-level machine aimed at those wishing to make their first foray into the world of Xbox. From its current price of R2700, just below the cost of the Nintendo Wii, it will drop R700 in price, down to R1999 (a 25% drop).
