Microsoft: No Xbox 360 Price Cut This Fall

Microsoft group manager of PR John Porcaro has stated, via official Xbox PR-related website gamerscoreblog.com, that the Xbox 360 will not receive a price cut this autumn, despite considerable speculation to the contrary. The weblog post states, “As you’re all aware, there have been rumors of a price drop for the Xbox 360 coming along later this year. The official word from folks in the know is that there are currently no plans [original emphasis] for a price drop this fall." Although the Gamerscore Blog is in some ways a personal commentary from Porcaro, rather than an official Microsoft statement, with Porcaro commenting on “not holding off picking [an Xbox 360] up because you think they’ll be cheaper in the future, or they’ve been hard to find”, it, like the Major Nelson weblog, is often used to communicate PR assertions or denials relating to Xbox. (Nonetheless, a disclaimer on the page includes the phrase "While we make every effort to be accurate, these posts will often include our opinion, and might not reflect the view of the company, our partners, or our management".) In the course of making the post, Porcaro also takes some notable jabs at the PlayStation 3’s price and its controversial Blu-Ray technology and reinforces the Xbox 360 game line-up, saying, “Just think… this holiday as some people go broke because they’re forced to buy movie technology with their game console, you’ll be choosing from a 160 games, including Gears of War, Madden 07, Splinter Cell, Forza 2, and lots more. Oh and later on? How about Mass Effect, Halo 3, and Grand Theft Auto for starters." Even taking into account the likely current truth behind Porcaro’s comments, though, online observers are noting that Microsoft would be very unlikely to announce any Xbox 360 price cut until the very last moment, to ensure as few consumers as possible were dissuaded from buying the console at current prices. Nonetheless, this clearly currently reflects Microsoft's position on the matter.