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Gadgets Xbox 360 Price Dropped in Canada
Marcus Yam (Blog) - February 21, 2008 8:57 AM

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27 comment(s) - last by Stratocaster.. on Mar 10 at 12:23 PM

The Xbox 360 Pro is now $349 for both U.S. and Canadian gamers

Xbox 360 in Canada adopts U.S. prices

Canadians staring with envy at the Xbox 360 price of $349 in the U.S. will soon find themselves on equal ground. Microsoft Canada announced price drops across the board for all Xbox 360 SKUs.

The Xbox 360 Pro pack with 20GB hard drive drops from $399 to $349, matching the U.S. price. The Xbox 360 Elite also loses $50 to sit at $449.

The Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition console is reduced from $449 to $399. The entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade unit without the hard drive gets the most modest cut, going from $299 to $279.

When Microsoft enacted the current pricing for the Xbox 360 consoles in the U.S. in August 2007, Canadian gamers also saw drops in prices, but not to the same overall cost. Thanks to the latest price reduction, all Canadian prices now match up with their U.S. counterparts, perhaps opening the possibility for Microsoft to use marketing materials across the two countries.

Mind you, the change in Xbox 360 pricing is most likely just an adjustment in response to the relationship between the Canadian and U.S. dollar, and not a sign of an incoming price drop anywhere else.

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Exchange rates

By Bioniccrackmonk on 2/21/2008 9:17:52 AM , Rating: 3

This probably has more to do with the fact that Canada's dollar is worth about .013 cents more then ours now. Found that info searching exchange rates on google.

RE: Exchange rates

By SocrPlyr on 2/21/2008 9:31:34 AM , Rating: 3

I believe you have that backwards, but yes over the last few months they have been at near price parity. For a short while the Canadian dollar was worth more.

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RE: Exchange rates

By Mitch101 on 2/21/08, Rating: 0

RE: Exchange rates

By StevoLincolnite on 2/21/2008 9:42:49 AM , Rating: 2

I want one here in Australia, Down here in the south, Kmart has the Elite Console selling for $754 The Pro for $680 and the Arcade is running at $436.

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RE: Exchange rates

By jajig on 2/21/2008 1:39:24 PM , Rating: 2

In US dollars that is $693, $624 and $400 respectively. Sure sucks to be Australian, at least it is better than the days of the SNES and Megadrive we only pay slightly more now.

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RE: Exchange rates

By mmntech on 2/21/2008 9:50:26 AM , Rating: 1

I was thinking the same. I'm not going to start a debate over which console is best, because that's lame. However, at it's $399 price point, the 40gb PS3 has a lot more features than the 360 Premium does. More HDD space, integrated Wifi, built in BD drive. It still is the better value, even with the price drop considering the Wifi alone for the 360 costs another $100.
The Wii also factors in too. The Arcade's price drop brings it to the same price as the Wii. I think Microsoft really got a shock when their sales figures were down significantly last month. I still argue that the 360 is reaching the point of market saturation. We're going to see more aggressive marketing from MS.

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RE: Exchange rates

By Mitch101 on 2/21/08, Rating: -1

RE: Exchange rates

By sweetsauce on 2/21/2008 10:39:30 AM , Rating: 3

You can throw 20 more "added features" to the ps3. It wont change the major feature that the 360 has over the ps3, it being the better gaming console.

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RE: Exchange rates

By BansheeX on 2/21/2008 12:12:23 PM , Rating: 3

It's much louder while playing games because it used a last-gen drive, most of its games don't use the HD to reduce load times because MS didn't include one in every model, its netplay is not free like the PS3, most of its games are multi-platform and show up on the PS3 as well, most of its exclusives show up on the PC. To top it all off, a recent article has shown that PS3 games have the highest average rating of any next-gen console. I'm sorry, but this dog of an argument just isn't barking anymore.

http://www.dailytech.com/Wii+Games+Scoring+Below+X...

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RE: Exchange rates

By BansheeX on 2/21/2008 12:15:58 PM , Rating: 1

Oh, and I forgot to add that the PS3 has mouse/keyboard support for people who find it more fun to play FPS games this way, while MS refused to cannibalize their PC market.

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RE: Exchange rates

By sweetsauce on 2/21/2008 12:54:51 PM , Rating: 3

If you can actually hear your system while you play games, you are either playing at a library or you play in your mom's living room. No self respecting gamer plays at a volume where you can hear your dvd spinning. Last time i checked, it was the system that dictated the kinds of games i can play, not the medium its on.

As far as your average gaming scores crap, its pretty easy to figure that one out if you use your head. Since the 360 is the more attractive system to make games on, you get great, good, and not so good developers making games for it. Makes it pretty easy to ruin the averages. Take a few mins and go to a site like ign, and scroll down on their recent reviews. Lots of 8's and 9's for the quality games, and a crap load of below 6's for all the lame games that get made. So in conclusion, my original statement still stands. The 360 is the best gaming console in the market right now, and it will be until microsoft releases their new one, or sony decides to put something quality out in the next gen. I'll gladly trade the blu drive on the ps3 for a better graphics chip and more ram to work with, and i guarantee you all the developers out there would agree with me.

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RE: Exchange rates

By mles1551 on 2/21/2008 2:54:22 PM , Rating: 2

The 360 works so hard at being the best gaming console that 1 in 6 sacrifice themselves for your gaming pleasure.
If Sony had only rushed the PS3 out a year or so earlier maybe it also would be a gaming "masterpiece".

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RE: Exchange rates

By Bigjee on 2/21/2008 5:09:14 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
So in conclusion, my original statement still stands. The 360 is the best gaming console in the market right now, and it will be until microsoft releases their new one, or sony decides to put something quality out in the next gen. , and i guarantee you all the developers out there would agree with me.

Lol....It's the best gaming console in the world right now. Yeah right. You talk abt the graphics chip being worse than the 360? Please do your homework specs wise there is very little performance difference between the 2 consoles. And it can be seen by comparing 2 games side by side.

quote:
I'll gladly trade the blue ray drive on the ps3 for a better graphics chip and more ram to work with

Good go ahead and trade up cos when you realize the DVD 9 technology isn't good enough for a 10Gb+ game, you'll be in a tight spot. Blu-ray is one of the MAJOR reasons y it is outselling the 360 atm. And you're about to trade that up (very smart)

quote:
The 360 is the best gaming console in the market right now, and it will be until microsoft releases their new one

With 33% failure rate when it was first produced and a 16% fr right now your statement seems to come from someone who is living proof that stupid people should not reproduce.

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RE: Exchange rates

By Squilliam on 2/22/2008 5:06:35 AM , Rating: 2

Actually I have both an Xbox and a PS3, I would consider them to be about as loud or the PS3 to be louder. I have the new Falcon which I bought only a month ago.

The new 40gb PS3 is probably quieter. I have an early 60.

Lastly, about the rating... So what? The Xbox has more games so having a couple more lower quality games comes with the territory.

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RE: Exchange rates

By mcturkey on 2/21/2008 10:54:36 AM , Rating: 2

There was no shock about sales last month. Microsoft knew that there weren't enough systems being sent to retailers, and this is the only reason for sales being as low as they were. Most retailers were out of stock on all 360 SKUs for the majority of the month, and that is still happening in some locations now.

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RE: Exchange rates

By robertgu2k on 2/21/2008 4:23:43 PM , Rating: 2

You do realize that Microsoft is experiencing a pretty severe shortage on their systems this year right?

Looks like Microsoft misjudged demand and had to put the retailers on allocation. It's been widely reported; do an internet search for the details.

My personal experience: My good friend has wanted an Xbox for some time. Three weeks ago I was looking to buy one for his birthday. I live in Southern California (Los Angeles area) and it look 1 1/2 weeks of looking at all the usual places (Circuit City, BB, Gamestop, EB Games, Wal-Mart, etc.) to finally find an xbox at a BB over 30 miles from where I live. Meanwhile each were trying to make a sell off me by trying to pawn off the PS3 40gig system which were plenty in stock. The Wiis of course were also nowhere to be found.

Now I know this might not be the experience everybody in the entire world or the nation has had, but at least in the Los Angeles area, Xboxs are still in extremely short supply from my experience.

Regards

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RE: Exchange rates

By peter7921 on 2/21/2008 10:52:26 AM , Rating: 1

Also Sony did match American prices for the PS3 when it did its price cut a while back. MS never did until now so for awhile PS3 has been the same price as the 360.

The prices have been at parity between the consoles for a while:

PS3 80GB - $500, Xbox 360 Elite $500

PS3 40GB - $400, Xbox 360 Pro $400

Arcade edition was still cheaper at $299 but no self respecting person buys that version :)

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Um? Socialism?

By Hexus on 2/21/2008 2:02:30 PM , Rating: 2

I see everyone arguing about the exchange rate, another huge factor in steeper prices for electronics in Canada would be the Socialized medicine, everything in Canada costs more because of this, exchange has less to do with it than you think, as for Australia however, I haven't the slightest.

RE: Um? Socialism?

By ATC on 2/21/2008 2:46:07 PM , Rating: 2

That may be true for some things but how do you explain the motor vehicle price delta?

In the NAFTA rules it clearly states that the only price difference between vehicles in Canada and the US should only be due to, and based on, currency exchange rate difference and nothing else.

So, again, why is there a 20% premium and in some cases 30%?

I guess we'll soon find out as there is a huge class action law suite in Ontario right now targeting 4 vehicle manufacturers for price gouging. The plaintiffs are specifically citing the NAFTA regulations in their case.

What's really troubling is that a number of border dealerships in the US are told not to sell to Canadians and also on this end, dealerships are discouraged and in some cases banned from doing any warranty work on vehicles that were purchased in the US. Even on the same exact make, model and specification. Smells fishy? It sure does.

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RE: Um? Socialism?

By barjebus on 2/21/2008 2:47:12 PM , Rating: 4

lol, everything costs more? Please give me the contacts to your dealer; obviously the crack he sells is of the highest grade.

In fact Canadians on average pay nearly the same as their American counterparts for the bottom 50% of Canadian earners. In Canada, the rich are more heavily taxed than in the U.S., and so the average tax differential is almost zero for anyone earning under 60,000$, and even if you earn over that, it's a graduated tax system, so you're only paying a bit more tax over that 60,000$ dolars.

Yes, we have a 5% federal tax on all goods, but our provincial tax is comparable to the U.S. (some of our provinces have no sales tax, some do have it, just like in the U.S.).

So, for over 50% of Canadians, we get taxed about 5% more, and thats only on consumption, not on our earned income. What does that mean for me? I get free drugs, free health care, free doctor visits, free hospital stays, all sorts of welfare and unemployment insurance.

Anyways, the only real reasons that Canadians should be paying more for their goods is their decentralized population. We don't have as massive a market, and thus the chain of distribution for our goods is more costly to get them to market. However, when you're shipping an Ipod from China, I can't see how a few hundred kilometers up the coast is going to matter.

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RE: Um? Socialism?

By oneils on 2/21/2008 4:26:36 PM , Rating: 2

Not sure I follow your reasoning. Yes we have universal health care coverage, and its paid through taxes. Corporate taxes here, I don't think, are so high that they justify price differentials of up to 20%.

Also, since health care costs are borne by the government, and not by employers, you can make the argument that costs for operating a business here are lower. If corporate taxes here are higher than in U.S. I doubt it's so much that manufacturers would trade them for having to provide health benefits to their employees.

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RE: Um? Socialism?

By oneils on 2/21/2008 4:28:55 PM , Rating: 2

Oh, and the price differential we are talking about is not after sales taxes are included - we see differentials before sales taxes are included.

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Apple Blows

By barjebus on 2/21/2008 10:36:45 AM , Rating: 2

Well isn't that generous of Microsoft. It's a helluva lot more than Apple's ever done for Canada. Everything here still costs 15-20% more than apple products in the U.S.. I'm sick of Canada not getting the proper exchange rates.

RE: Apple Blows

By ATC on 2/21/2008 11:12:20 AM , Rating: 2

If you think apple is bad as far as exchange rates, you should see car manufacturers. We're paying a 30% premium here on some models with a 20% premium being the average across the board.

At least with apple there are a lot of places here in Canada that sells their products at US pricing. Bestbuy and Futureshop have the MBPs on sale every few weeks for $1999. SIG Electronics in ON typically sells for even less. There the AppleCare packages are 1/2 the price that apple charges. I got the applecare for my MBP for $199. Apple sells it for $399!

I wouldn't buy direct from apple unless it is to customize the machine.

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RE: Apple Blows

By ATC on 2/21/2008 11:16:58 AM , Rating: 2

Forgot to mention Dell Canada. I get employee pricing with Dell through EPP and for the past three months with the dollar on par, I compared EPP Canada and US pricing on the exact configured machines (m1330 and m1530) and consistently the Dell US price was about 15-20% less that in Canada and that was without any of the amazing coupons available in the US which we don't get here. Go figure.

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RE: Apple Blows

By BZDTemp on 2/21/2008 12:15:23 PM , Rating: 2

Apple is bad but think of it this way. The big companies adjust their prices to match prices to what people can pay so take it as a sign of the average Canadian having more money to spend :-)

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Official ERP is even better

By Stratocaster on 3/10/2008 12:23:35 PM , Rating: 2

Here is the offical statement from Microsoft. I think it is definitely competitive more than ever.

quote:
Everyone's Invited To Experience Xbox 360 As Microsoft Lowers Estimated Retail Price in Europe
With Estimated Retail Price Starting At £159.99, Even More European Consumers Can Enjoy The Definitive High-Definition Gaming and Entertainment Experience
LONDON - Monday 10th March, 2008 - Microsoft today announced it is lowering the estimated retail price (ERP) for its Xbox 360™ family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of £159.99, Xbox 360 is a mass market entertainment proposition with something to offer for every interest and budget.

From Friday, 14th March, Xbox 360, which includes a 20GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of £199.99 – a saving of £50 on the current ERP. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE™ Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of £259.99 – a saving of £40. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of £159.99 – a saving of £40.

Xbox 360 is the number one next-gen console in EMEA, owning 42% of the market in terms of life-to-date revenue. Xbox 360 continues to enjoy the highest software attach rate of any game console in Europe with more than 7.0 games sold per console (PS3: 3.8; Wii 3.5) after 26 months on the market[1].

The new ERPs are part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy to open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience, with an offering for everyone:

· Best Choice for Families:

o Xbox 360 grows as your family does, offering games and entertainment for every member of the family – from movies to games to music videos.

o With over 150 3+ rated[2] games and unparalleled parental controls, parents can feel good about their kids playing Xbox 360

· Most Diverse Entertainment:

o Xbox 360 offers great choice in high-definition entertainment

o Xbox Live Video Store offers a wide variety of movies to download, both in HD and SD, enabling great entertainment in the living room at the press of a button

o It’s easy to view and enjoy video and photos on Xbox 360 as well as connect wirelessly to share content with a Windows Media Center PC

· The Best Games:

o There will be over 1,000 games available on Xbox 360 by the end of the year, with something for every skill level, interest and taste

o New community games allow gamers to sample the best of indie games, providing innovative new ways to play and enjoy

o Blockbuster franchises like Grand Theft Auto IV, with exclusive downloadable episodes on Xbox LIVE, and Rock Band make Xbox 360 the place to be this Spring

o Xbox 360 exclusives for 2008 include Fable 2, Gears of War 2 and Too Human, setting new standards for next-generation gaming

“Xbox 360 is now mass market in Europe,” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Europe. “We have reached and surpassed several key milestones that form part of our long term strategic plan to achieve critical mass in Europe; and our portfolio now offers the kind of mainstream entertainment experiences that secure wider appeal for Xbox 360. These factors allow us to execute on our strategy to widen the market for Xbox 360, as planned.

“We continue to offer intense, immersive gaming experiences for gamers – but now we’re priced in a way that will allow new consumers to find out for themselves why Xbox 360 is the ultimate in high-definition entertainment.” said Lewis. “History shows that £159.99 is the price point where a console’s audience begins to expand, and with these new ERPs in place we’re ready to bring more consumers into the Xbox 360 world.”