$99 Xbox 360 Plus Kinect Bundle to be Released by Microsoft
Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to sources speaking to The Verge.
According to sources, Microsoft will offer a 4GB console and a Kinect sensor for $99 and a monthly subscription of $15 that will run for two-years. The subscription will give gamers access to Xbox Live Gold service and a two-year warranty.
It is also rumored that additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers will be made available.
There will be an early termination fee for those breaking the contract before the two years are up.
Owners taking Microsoft up on this offer will pay a premium, albeit a small one. Buying the console and Xbox Live Gold subscription outright would cost $420, compared to $459 for the subscription bundle.
It’s an interesting idea, but I can see a flaw, and this is that the offer will only be made available at selected Microsoft Stores in the U.S. If Microsoft wants to give this offer the exposure it deserves, then the offer should be made available online.
This subscription model is an interesting idea as it opens up the console to those who might not want to put down the $299 for the console upfront. It could also help prop up flagging sales that have resulted in Xbox sales falling by almost a half in a year.
The Xbox 360 console is now six and a half years old and in desperate need of a refresh. However, despite the fall in sales, the console has been the best-selling games console in the U.S. for the last fifteen months.
A new Xbox console isn’t expected to be available until 2014.
It will be interesting to see if Sony and Nintendo follow suit and offer a subscription model for their games console.
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