Xbox Slashed??? News

The net is currently bursting with speculation that Microsoft are set to slash the price of the Xbox towards the end of the year to £99, marking one big final push before the touted release of Xbox2 in 2005.

If the rumours of an Xbox2 release in 2005 are set to be believed then this would mark the last Christmas for the current Xbox, and itâ??s widely believed that Microsoft will slash the price to further continue to push the Xbox brand across homes to promote the launch of Xbox2.

Naturally this would put more pressure on Sony who are beginning to watch the Playstation2 iron grip of the market slowly begin to slip, if only a finger at a time. Sony has remained adamant however that they will continue to push the Playstation2 through value, innovation and brand power, and not having to resort to a price war. It does however highlight the importance of Sony needing to finalise the Playstation3, who may find themselves in a similar position of playing â??catch-upâ? to what theyâ??ve enjoyed with this current generation of consoles.

When contacted regarding the situation, Microsoft denied the speculation citing a strong line-up to re-bolster its position within Europe.

â??We have made no announcements regarding a price drop for Xbox in Europe. We are very happy with where we are in Europe â?“ we are a strong number two in the industry, have innovated and succeeded with Xbox Live, and have a fantastic lineup of titles on the way like Doom III, Forza, Full Spectrum Warrior, Fable and of course Halo 2. Weâ??re well positioned for a strong 2004.â?

As always time will tell; however you can be sure that as soon as learn of anymore development weâ??ll be sure to let you know.