Microsoft Cuts Xbox 360 Price In Asia

Microsoft is to cut the price of the Xbox 360 console in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, in the company’s latest attempt to improve the format’s fortunes in Asia, according to a news report from Bloomberg. Although the Xbox 360’s performance in Japan has been well documented, with sales well behind the Wii and PlayStation 3, less detailed data is available on its performance in other major Asian territories. The price of the console in Japan was cut in October of last year, with the premium version of the console falling from the equivalent of $348 to $304. The new Asian price cuts announced today vary in significance, with a 5.1 percent drop in South Korea to 369,000 won ($369). In Hong Kong, though, the price has been decreased by 11 percent, with a drop of 17 percent in Taiwan to NT$10,360 ($340), and by as much as 20 percent in Singapore to S$499 ($366). A study by the Daiwa Institute of Research, as reported by Bloomberg, suggests that global Xbox 360 shipments could fall by up to 40 percent in the year ending March 2009, to 9.1 million units. PlayStation 3 shipments are predicted to rise by 47 percent to 14 million units and the Wii by 26 percent to 24 million units.