Microsoft: Bundles Yes, Blu-ray No

Microsoft is apparently hoping to move into Nintendo's turf by bundling all three Xbox systems with family-friendly games for Christmas.

The company announced that the Xbox 360 Arcade package will now include Sega Superstars Tennis along with the five Xbox Live Arcade titles that already come with the console, while the Premium and Elite models will ship with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda. The news follows a September price cut in the U.S. and Japan, which saw the system make substantial gains against the PlayStation 3, but thus far the bundles have only been announced for North America. The base model Xbox 360 Arcade now sells for $199, while the Premium system is $299 and the Elite goes for $399.

Meanwhile, despite rumors to the contrary, Microsoft has denied it has plans for a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. "As we've said before, Microsoft has no plans to introduce an Xbox 360 Blu-ray add-on," the company told Edge. "Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

Source: GamesIndustry

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Kung Fu Panda?

Well...what are the 5 XBLA titles?

So If I buy a Xbox360 premium for $299 I get Kung Fu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones with it?

Swank. Admittedly not...blockbuster games but reviews have said kungfu is ookay and it would give me a chance to see wtf is up with all these "lego" games.

TW, I understand your reasoning but would you really want to spend 300 dollars to "see what lego is about" and hope that KFP is good when you could just rent all those titles?

I guess it makes sense if you only have one system (or no new system) but ya think MS would promote Fable 2 and Gears 2 with a bundle for those instead of these.

I have no new system. I have my old PS2, and even Okami doesn't excite me anymore.

Malygris:
"Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

Thank god someone says it to a camera. It's nice to know that Microsoft actually understand this.

ElArabDeMagnifico:
I guess it makes sense if you only have one system (or no new system) but ya think MS would promote Fable 2 and Gears 2 with a bundle for those instead of these.

They want to promote the Xbox 360 as a family-friendly console. Yes, it's not the brightest move, but that's why they're packaging these games, and not AAA titles.

stompy:

Malygris:
"Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

Thank god someone says it to a camera. It's nice to know that Microsoft actually understand this.

ElArabDeMagnifico:
I guess it makes sense if you only have one system (or no new system) but ya think MS would promote Fable 2 and Gears 2 with a bundle for those instead of these.

They want to promote the Xbox 360 as a family-friendly console. Yes, it's not the brightest move, but that's why they're packaging these games, and not AAA titles.

Good they're focusing on games, but if they're trying to be family freinds Nintendo will eat them alive. With oregano for flavor.

TsunamiWombat:
Good they're focusing on games, but if they're trying to be family friends Nintendo will eat them alive. With oregano for flavour.

Ah, but who said it wasn't a Banzai charge?

You could trade them in and get a half-price Fable 2.

stompy:

TsunamiWombat:
Good they're focusing on games, but if they're trying to be family friends Nintendo will eat them alive. With oregano for flavour.

Ah, but who said it wasn't a Banzai charge?

Perhaps a ploy to increase their popularity in Japan!

In reality Xbox360 and the PS3 can't really financially fail because they're backed by multi-billion dollar electronics corporations, of which videogames is just one department.

Nintendo is the only one that makes games and game systems exsclusivly. This does make them the smaller darkhorse, and more liable to fail if they can't sell their systems and games- but the fact they've lived all this time makes that very, very unlikly.

So in the end, all our talking is admittedly irrelivant, and no console can "win" the "war". Not that the competition isn't good for the industry- I think...

stompy:
They want to promote the Xbox 360 as a family-friendly console. Yes, it's not the brightest move, but that's why they're packaging these games, and not AAA titles.

Well, think of it this way. Someone is at the store, probably Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or something similar. They are looking for a new game system. Here's what they see:

1. Wii's are out of stock.
2. The PS3 is $399. It includes a PS3.
3. The Xbox 360 has three models. One is $199 and has a full game, and a bunch of arcade games. Another one is $299 with two games. Another one is $399, black, and has two games.

Christmas is coming up. Who will be shopping for game consoles? Wives, girlfriends, parents, and grandparents. The majority of them are not going to be gamers, they're just looking for a gift. They're price-sensitive, and looking for the best value.

Given their options the Xbox 360 is what they'll likely walk out with, in one package or another. Even non-gamer shoppers understand, at this point, that a console is useless with no games. For the people shopping for children/pre-teens, Kung Fu Panda and Lego are harmless and cute. For guys... well, guys like Lego and Indiana Jones, and a free game is better than no game. Microsoft made a brilliant move shuttling these bundles into retail channels right before the holidays.

Sure, a gamer that knows exactly what they want probably won't be swayed by the bundle. But if they were shopping for an Xbox 360 in the first place, free games aren't going to make them decide not to. It's win-win.

TsunamiWombat:

So in the end, all our talking is admittedly irrelivant, and no console can "win" the "war". Not that the competition isn't good for the industry- I think...

You can't win but but you can certainly lose (2001-2003 Xbox,Saturn-Dreamcast,virtual boy,the menagerie of 80s consoles,etc)

I dont know how accurate this is it e nice if someone else piped in on this but this link contradicts what the artical says

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198963

TsunamiWombat:

Perhaps a ploy to increase their popularity in Japan!

Yes... I see it now; Microsoft, realising they will fail in Japan, decide to make a Banzai charge, intent on reclaiming their honour, and perhaps even becoming more popular in Japan!/joke

Virgil:
Post

See, this is why I'm not a marketer... **shakes fist** "Curses, foiled by the casual market once again!"

PS: Virgil, for implementing this wondrous new quote-alerting system, I applaud you. **claps** In all seriousness, it is a great system, and good work in introducing it.

HAHAHAHAH, family console....
That makes me giggle...

Morons >.<

shatnershaman:

TsunamiWombat:

So in the end, all our talking is admittedly irrelivant, and no console can "win" the "war". Not that the competition isn't good for the industry- I think...

You can't win but but you can certainly lose (2001-2003 Xbox,Saturn-Dreamcast,virtual boy,the menagerie of 80s consoles,etc)

So all in all it's kind of like life! You can never win but you can sure as hell lose.

pudpumkin:
I dont know how accurate this is it e nice if someone else piped in on this but this link contradicts what the artical says

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198963

Microsoft has denied plans for a Blu-ray drive, again.

stompy:
See, this is why I'm not a marketer... **shakes fist** "Curses, foiled by the casual market once again!"

It's not exactly the casual market, it's just the same market that buys consoles every year. If they were buying it for themselves, maybe - but in reality many of these consoles will probably end up being given as gifts to people that consider themselves gamers to some degree.

TsunamiWombat:
Good they're focusing on games, but if they're trying to be family freinds Nintendo will eat them alive. With oregano for flavor.

That assumes that Nintendo has enough systems on store shelves to fill the 'family friendly' demand. One interesting thing about the current state of the world economy is that while the hit on the dollar has taken a bite out of Sony and Nintendo's profits due to the exchange rates, it's probably having a comparatively smaller effect on Microsoft. If Nintendo is having supply issues across the globe, they're going to send extra consoles to Europe and Japan first, leaving even more scarcity here.

Thank you for the clarification.
Also the 360 even though they may bundle these games, there just trying to make it more acceptable for the parents if you bundle Dead Space and Ninja Gaiden with the console, that's not very attractive to parents who or grandparents who are looking to get there 7 or 8 year old or even there 15 year old a console advertising those games because whats in that box is representing the first games played by that person and everybody involved in the family will most likely be watching say Christmas time when that kid starts up the game for the first time and what will they see...

I do believe though the 360 has the advantage of being the most steady for sales Nintendo will have high points earlier on because now the market the buyer market is honestly saturated with them because of the age diversity where a 360 may be bought by an older age group so i believe they get more potential buyers with each passing year and the ps3 will slowly increase its sales as long as they start coming fourth on more of there promises right now most ps3 owners are banking on the future of there console.

Virgil:

pudpumkin:
I dont know how accurate this is it e nice if someone else piped in on this but this link contradicts what the artical says

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198963

Microsoft has denied plans for a Blu-ray drive, again.

stompy:
See, this is why I'm not a marketer... **shakes fist** "Curses, foiled by the casual market once again!"

It's not exactly the casual market, it's just the same market that buys consoles every year. If they were buying it for themselves, maybe - but in reality many of these consoles will probably end up being given as gifts to people that consider themselves gamers to some degree.

TsunamiWombat:
Good they're focusing on games, but if they're trying to be family freinds Nintendo will eat them alive. With oregano for flavor.

That assumes that Nintendo has enough systems on store shelves to fill the 'family friendly' demand. One interesting thing about the current state of the world economy is that while the hit on the dollar has taken a bite out of Sony and Nintendo's profits due to the exchange rates, it's probably having a comparatively smaller effect on Microsoft. If Nintendo is having supply issues across the globe, they're going to send extra consoles to Europe and Japan first, leaving even more scarcity here.

Everything has a comparitavly small effect on Microsoft because they're a omgwtf huge corporation. I never stopped to consider the weakening of the dollar's effect on sales- especially since us darned Americans are such huge consumers.

Honestly im more toward the "hardcore" side of gaming but i played Kung Fu Panda at a buddies house and its not as bad as you would think. Its actually a great game to bundle the system with, great voice acting from the actors in the movie, decent but not to complicated combat, and true to the movie the game is funny. Kids and thier parents who buy them the system are going to eat this game up - promise.

mr mcshiznit:
Honestly im more toward the "hardcore" side of gaming but i played Kung Fu Panda at a buddies house and its not as bad as you would think. Its actually a great game to bundle the system with, great voice acting from the actors in the movie, decent but not to complicated combat, and true to the movie the game is funny. Kids and thier parents who buy them the system are going to eat this game up - promise.

This is more or less what I heard from 1up. Decent little game, short and sweet.