Microsoft knows exactly what the customer wants, so they’re raising the price of the Xbox 360 and accessories in Europe. Yeah, that’s definitely a way to drive sales.
According to a report from Eurogamer, Microsoft told retailers that the Arcade bundle will jump from £129.99 to £159.99, with a similar £30 increase on the Elite bundle. No mention of the Pro SKU was made, further giving credibility to the rumor that it’s going away shortly. Oh yeah, those five XBLA games that shipped with the Arcade bundle… those won’t be included anymore. One hell of a value, if you ask me.
The new prices will go into effect September 1st. If you live in Europe and have been wanting an Xbox 360, I strongly suggest you get out there quickly before the prices jump up on you.
1 million does not seem that significant, but the gaming community in Europe is very different than over here and especially when compared to Japan. Conquering the European market is a critical step for any company and the sheer number of units sold in the past two weeks gives Sony a nice footprint in their sales demographics.
Today is the worldwide release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Our friends in Spain might not be so lucky and waiting might be in your future.
Do to a transport strike of various workers unions in Spain, shipments of the game may not reach their final destinations on time. You might need to hop across and pic up the game elsewhere if you really need it today. If not, encourage thoses unions to strike a deal to get Metal Gear on store shelves.
Sony is holding a PlayStation Day over in Europe today for some special European press. We aren’t European, so we’re sitting at home playing games and writing for you guys. But if you’re from across the pond or have an EU account on your PS3, here’s some new goodies you can download later today:
Game Demo: Condemned 2
Game Demo: Haze
Full Game: Street Skater
Full Game: Blast Factor Advanced
Full Game: High Velocity Bowling
Expansion Pack: Blast Factor Advanced Research
Expansion Pack: High Velocity Bowling Character – Mike
Game Trailer: Buzz! Quiz TV
PlayStation Day Trailer: Secret Agent Clank
PlayStation Day Trailer: Siren Blood Curse
PlayStation Day Trailer: MotorStorm™ is back
Some nice stuff there, especially the Haze demo. I might have to fire that one up for a bit.
Rock Band has finally been dated for May 23rd in Europe, but for the Xbox 360 only. PS3 and Wii players will have to wait until summer to get their hands on the game. I’m really not sure what the deal is here, since the PS3 and Wii each have much larger install bases in Europe. This timed exclusive deal is already causing a lot of gamers to get really pissed off, and I can’t say I blame them.
Another reason for the anger is the price… £180 to get your rock on in the UK. There’s no bundle, like in North America. You have to buy the game (£49.99) separate from the instrument pack (£129.99). To put it in perspective, when you convert US dollars to pounds, we’re paying roughly £90 for the entire bundle in the US. Double the price the Europe? Ouch.
I have a feeling Rock Band won’t be selling as well across the pond as it did in the US because of the price and delays for the major consoles over there. Only time will tell, though. We’ll keep you posted.
We all know it’s coming, but now Sony is throwing it in our faces. Well, faces of European gamers, actually. They put this nice little teaser up on the PlayStation Store just so we know that a new design is coming.
No one really knows what that design will be just yet. I’m hoping for something with some flare. We all love flare. We all love usability, too, which is something the PlayStation Store could use a bit more.
Hopefully Sony will release details and screenshots of the new Store before it goes live. Would be nice to see what we’re getting into.
We’re a little late, but hey, so was Sony. Due to some technical difficulties, this week’s European PlayStation Store update didn’t go live until Friday afternoon. Pity, because this was actually a good week for our friends in the EU. Here’s what you can grab on your PS3:
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue full game (£24.99/€39.99)
Reel Fishing PS1 game (£3.49/€4.99)
Eye of Judgment “Set 2″ expansion pack (£6.99/€9.99)
This goes out to all of our friends across the pond. This is the trailer that is and will be seen all across Europe for the upcoming Mario racer. Its been awhile since we got a new taste of Mario Kart and people are excited as all hell. The red turtle shell still gives me nightmares.
Our European friends will be blessed with Pain for the PS3 this week in the upcoming PSN update. I have to say, this game made me laugh more than any game in the past few years. Shooting your guy into buildings and dragging around grandma with a walker is just too damn funny.
Word is a few expansion packs will be coming with the launch of Pain in the EU. My guess is these will be the characters we received here in the US. Unless, of course, the new amusement park map is coming out. If that’s the case, we damn well better be seeing that in the US too.
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