Microsoft is cutting the price of its Xbox 360 from today in the US, undercutting Nintendo's Wii and offering the cheapest next-generation console. Its move comes ahead of the crucial holiday sales season and follows a third-place finish in the latest US monthly sales figures, behind the Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3.
Microsoft also announced a price cut of about 30 per cent for the Xbox in Japan this week. Sales have been slow there and the console has badly trailed its Sony and Nintendo rivals. Microsoft said it would cut the price of the basic 360 Arcade console, which does not feature a hard drive, by 29 per cent – from $279.99 to $199.99 – from today in the US. This will undercut the Wii, which has sold for $249.99 since its launch.