Is the $99 Xbox 360 a good deal?
Written by Erik Kubik, kube00 Tuesday, 08 May 2012 08:00
Microsoft has made the announcement and a newly priced 360 with Kinect is here. The deal is $99 for a 4GB console with a Kinect that includes a 2-year Xbox Live Gold subscription. The question all gamers want to know is whether or not this is a good deal? Are there better deals for a 360 out there? Will Sony follow suit?
The answers are: no, not really, yes, and, maybe? The $99 4GB console comes with a 2-year subscription for Xbox Live at $15 a month. Time to read the fine print. First off, this console deal is only available through the Microsoft Store. After two years, gamers will have paid $360 for XBL Gold at $180 a year, and $99 for the console and Kinect. The grand total is $450. According to PCWorld, that XBL subscription is mandatory and there is a termination fee for getting out early, which could be up to $250.
Can gamers find a better deal? Sure, here are several great examples. Most retailers have the 4GB 360 with Kinect for $299. Gamers can get XBL Gold for $5 a month or less. Total for two years is somewhere around $419. If one was to pick up the console from Microsoft, they would pay $299 but save $15 a year on XBL, and this deal comes out to be around $389. Amazon has the 4GB Kinect bundle for $289, add in 2 years of XBL Gold and it comes to $409 and is still a better deal.
It gets better, say a gamer doesn’t want the Kinect. There are a few deals for just the 360 that are worth looking into. Newegg has refurbed 4GB 360’s for $169, but often drops the price down to $139. Best Buy's Outlet store has had great deals. A refurbed 250GB 360 for $150 and according to the reviews the consoles have been in fantastic shape. Walmart.com has another deal for a 4GB 360, a bonus game, and a year of XBL Gold for $199. There are lots of options for a the savvy consumer.
The question is, will Sony follow suit with a price drop? Currently, the cheapest you can get a PS3 is for $250
Amazon Video Game Deal of the Day