Pricing is a nebulous thing, especially when it comes to game consoles. In the space of less than a year, the Xbox One has come down from $500, with mandatory Kinect, to $400, without the camera peripheral. On Nov. 2, the price will drop once again, for a limited time only, to a cool $350.
The news came via a blog posting by Major Nelson, AKA Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's director of programming. Starting Nov. 2, prospective Xbox One purchasers will be able to pick up the system for $50 off its normal retail price. The pricing applies to bundles as well, Toms Guide reported.
Fans can buy the standard console if they wish, although for the same $350 price tag, they could also pick up the Assassin's Creed Bundle or the Sunset Overdrive Bundle. The former comes with download codes for Assassin's Creed IV and Assassin's Creed Unity (which will launch on Nov. 11), while the latter includes a digital copy of Sunset Overdrive and a special edition white console.
If you're one of the few who's dying to have a Kinect, Microsoft has you covered as well. The Assassin's Creed Bundle with Kinect retails for $450 and includes a copy of Dance Central in addition to all the aforementioned goodies.
For those whose tastes skew more militaristic, the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Bundle (available Nov. 3) comes with a 1 TB hard drive, a console and controller featuring special artwork and a digital download of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This package also goes for $450.
Hryb explained that the deal was only for the holiday season, and come Jan. 3, the console will return to its old price tag.
It doesn't take an industry analyst to determine that Microsoft has Sony's PlayStation 4 firmly in its sights during the competitive holiday season. A price break of $50 might be just the thing to sway consumers who figure that one big black gaming box is, for all intents and purposes, like the other.