Xbox $99 ??? News

Now we all know not to trust financial advisors and online retailers when it comes to news within the videogames industry, however one particular individual today made comments that should interest anyone contemplating picking up an Xbox.<br><br>According to one P.J McNealy, an analyst with American Technology Research, Microsoft may be on the verge of slashing the current price of the Xbox from $179 to $99 by Labor Day (06/09/04).<br><br>Speaking to CNN, McNealy claimed:<br><br>"It is our belief that the price on the consoles in North America could see a stepped drop this year, with both the PS2 and Xbox being cut to $129 between now and the May E3 trade show, with [Microsoft] then cutting the Xbox further to $99 in the late summer,"<br><br>Whilst price-cuts are inevitable this year, we certainly would be surprised to see Xbox jumping down to that much, however it’s fair to say Microsoft have only one intention with the Xbox and that is to build up brand loyalty – something that would happen a lot quicker and easier at the lower price-point.<br><br>Naturally Microsoft refused to comment on the situation; however we’ll hopefully have some more information on the situation soon.