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"The $399 package is designed for the hardcore gamer."

M

Mihail

Banned
I've read many version of this on various news and video game sites and it pisses me off to no end.

Since when has the "hardcore gamer" been defined by that crap? Some of the most serious gamers I know have just a few quarters in their pockets (related? maybe).

"Hardcore gaming" was once about taking a game and raping it for all it's worth, mastering its gameplay mechanics and squeezing out every last bit of play from it. When did "hardcore gaming" stop being about running through SMB at full speed without losing a life and become who can own the most consoles and the best features?

Argh, I hate terms like "hardcore" and "gamer" anyway, and this is an example of why they shouldn't be used.
 
yeah, the hardcore gamer is notoriously cheap, will wait for pricedrops,will scam walmart, will camp out for $5 game sales, will abuse lax trade in policies at shitty regional game stores, etc...
 
Mihail said:
I've read many version of this on various news and video game sites and it pisses me off to no end.

Since when has the "hardcore gamer" been defined by that crap? Some of the most serious gamers I know have just a few quarters in their pockets (related? maybe).

"Hardcore gaming" was once about taking a game and raping it for all it's worth, mastering its gameplay mechanics and squeezing out every last bit of play from it. When did "hardcore gaming" stop being about running through SMB at full speed without losing a life and become who can own the most consoles and the best features?

Argh, I hate terms like "hardcore" and "gamer" anyway, and this is an example of why they shouldn't be used.
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its for people who are going to be on live. downloading trailers/demos/dlc. its not for casuals.

the system MS wanted to make is 399. they know they could sell a barebones version for those that dont care about the extra features, and to who a 299 price point would make all the difference. so, they are releasing both to appease both groups. not rocket science
 
"Hardcore Gamer" now means any of the following:

- Casual Gamer with money
- Gamer who can beat Wizards & Warriors without dying
- J Allard :lol
 
Core version designed for

xbox360pack29if2rp.jpg
 
Sorry mate, "Hardcore" has long been appropriated by the gluttonous consumer whore set of Gaming. It's not about the sacrifices you make to play games, or your commitment to playing them - it's all about buying more toys than the other guy.

Ain't life grand? :D
 
Spike, op_ivy, I'm not using this thread to complain about the 2 SKU deal. I'm just mad that some pointy-head marketers feel the need to call me a hardcore gamer and others feel the need to tell me what I, as part of this group, want.
 
Seriously, we have FIVE THOUSAND threads on this price choice issue. Can someone please lock a few of them!

Also, I'm tired of people making excuses for the 399.99 pack. Very few of us - including me - are angry about 399.99! I'm happy systems are finally 399.99, no fucking game of chicken.

We're angry about the 299.99 SKU w/out HDD, and the ridiculous peripheral prices! Death to that, I hope Microsoft WAKES UP before the launch.
 
DarienA said:
"The $399 package is designed to turn us a profit right quick!"
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A WINNAR IS YOU! Seriously, Microsoft shareholders didn't like the losses accrued with the XBOX. Enter the X360 @ $399.
 
Amir0x said:
We're angry about the 299.99 SKU w/out HDD, and the ridiculous peripheral prices! Death to that, I hope Microsoft WAKES UP before the launch.
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if your a kid trying to convince your parents that you've been good all year and deserve a 360 for xmas, how many do you think would spring for a $399 "toy"?

$299 is high too, of course, but the chances are much greater to convince them to purchase one I think. So to sum up: If I was a 15 year old kid right now, i'd be pretty happy with it. It means I can get my next gen console THIS YEAR.

and uh, thats all i have to say about that. I am sure you will disagree though.

oh, and I do agree the periphial prices are kinda high, i'm getting the $399 system though so my pain is lessened severely.
 
bitwise said:
if your a kid trying to convince your parents that you've been good all year and deserve a 360 for xmas, how many do you think would spring for a $399 "toy"?

$299 is high too, of course, but the chances are much greater to convince them to purchase one I think. So to sum up: If I was a 15 year old kid right now, i'd be pretty happy with it. It means I can get my next gen console THIS YEAR.

and uh, thats all i have to say about that. I am sure you will disagree though.

oh, and I do agree the periphial prices are kinda high, i'm getting the $399 system though so my pain is lessened severely.
Click to expand...


When the PS2 came out and there were shortages, parents were shelling out $1,000 for a PS2 on ebay.
The drive to get your children "what they want for Xmas" has no bounds....
 
teruterubozu said:
When the PS2 came out and there were shortages, parents were shelling out $1,000 for a PS2 on ebay.
The drive to get your children "what they want for Xmas" has no bounds....
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My mom drove to Minnesota to get me an NES, we lived in Michigan at the time

My take on all of this. Gaming, on the whole, is a pretty cheap hobby. If you were to base it on time spent vs money spent. I know people that'll drop 700+ on a new paintball gun. Will they use it everyday, no. It's relative to them. Games have been 50 bucks since the 80's right? How many people did it take to make an RC Pro AM, in comparison to Project Gotham Racing 3. People need to think. Of course this shit is going to cost. Of course it sucks as well, but if you want the latest and greatest, you will succumb and buy it. I've long resigned myself to that fact. I'm not saying it is right, but I understand. Even at a 400 dollar price point, following Moore's Law, we are getting a deal out of both the PS3 and Xbox 360. I see what the big deal is, because of sticker shock, but I don't see what the big deal is, because you should have seen it coming.
 
O.K. since is much more an appropriate thread regarding my comments earlier I'm going say this in here....


Guys, let me be real here....


Yes, the structre and pricing format for the 360 is a bit of a dissapointment, and I won't argue that it's a boneheaded decision. But C'mon....after seeing graphics like this..

PGRnew%20(1).jpg

PGRnew%20(2).jpg

PGRnew%20(3).jpg




....are you seriously gonna change your mind and NOT buy the system because of this? It's $400 dollars people. That is not THAT much an amount of money for a next gen system!

Would you guys like to know how much I would pay for an Xbox 360 system? Do you REALLY wanna know? Because I'll tell you....the fact that we are getting a nex-gen Ridge Racer game with ONLINE play, 5.1 surround sound and High Definition support, means that I would....in all honesty....pay up to $3000 cash. I bullshit you not....I would honestly pay three thousand fucking dollars in cash for a new Xbox 360 system if it, for some reason were actually to cost that much!

THAT is how much I am passionate about my games. That is how ridiculously excited I am about my favorite games.

I honestly mean no disrespect, but I really do not see how some of you guys consider yourselves harcore gamers, if you are not ready to pay a pretty penny for your favorite game console. If you aren't willing to pay $500 for a new system and a kickass game, then what does that make you? It surely doesn't make you hardcore, in my opinion.


And please don't complain about how you don't make $50,000 a year so you can't afford it....I am certainly not rich by any means, but I can at least save up in advance a few hundred dollars for a nex gen system. I mean Christ...you would have to be making less than $5.00 an hour to not be able to save up $500 THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE for a new console and a game or two.

C'mon guys it's not that much money....at all. I actually consider the price cheap, for what we will be getting IMHO. RR6 ONLINE....are you fucking KIDDING me??? Just tell me where to pay!
 
teruterubozu said:
When the PS2 came out and there were shortages, parents were shelling out $1,000 for a PS2 on ebay.
The drive to get your children "what they want for Xmas" has no bounds....
Click to expand...
That was the PS2 and the whole Sony hype machine. Neither the GC nor the XBox experienced similar retail fervor.

So the test will be if MS can convince shoppers that they NEED a fully loaded X360.
 
teruterubozu said:
The drive to get your children "what they want for Xmas" has no bounds....
Click to expand...

The way gas prices are right now, most parents probably won't be driving very far this christmas.
 
bitwise said:
if your a kid trying to convince your parents that you've been good all year and deserve a 360 for xmas, how many do you think would spring for a $399 "toy"?

$299 is high too, of course, but the chances are much greater to convince them to purchase one I think. So to sum up: If I was a 15 year old kid right now, i'd be pretty happy with it. It means I can get my next gen console THIS YEAR.

and uh, thats all i have to say about that. I am sure you will disagree though.

oh, and I do agree the periphial prices are kinda high, i'm getting the $399 system though so my pain is lessened severely.
Click to expand...

Of course I disagree. I don't really care what silly reasons Microsoft had for going with 2 SKUs, it was a horrible idea and it doesn't benefit the Amir0x gamer who wants every single XBOX360 - not 85%, not 90%, not 70% or 50% - with a HDD. I know that devs were supposed to develop games with this in mind, but the fact that it WAS going to be in even the standard SKU at the start was a huge benefit to my mind. It would be the only system with this at least temporary guarantee. That's a lost advantage now. And believe me, as someone who wasn't a huge fan of Xbox, HD (and later Live) was THE biggest reason I even adopted the system. It represented something that PS2 simply could not offer on the large, comprehensive scale for its games. So losing one of those bullet points is a huge thing to me. (Note: And this is on top of Microsoft losing the "multiplatform games look best on our system" bullet point, if PS3 is even slightly more powerful as it should be w/ 6 month launch difference)

As an aside, The LOL factor is only dramatically increased by the fact that a wireless adapter cost 100 FUCKING DOLLARS, and the 299.99 SKU comes with a WIRED controller. I mean, that's just for laughing.

And just in terms of business perspective, if Microsoft does have a 85% 399.99 SKU... then what's the benefit to have the 299.99? Casual gamers make up the majority of the market, of that we can agree. So why would we have only 15% geared toward it? Does Microsoft honestly think they're gonna say "Oh, shit, I can't find the 299.99 system. I really wanted that! Guess I'll spend an extra 100 bucks or more to get the 399.99 SKU! I think I have that lying around, I'll just have to skip out on buying the Ecstasy this week!"

If it had one SKU at 399.99, and no ridiculous peripheral prices... me = pleasantly surprised and Microsoft's smart strategy.

With two SKUs and this crazy pricing schemes, me = more resolved than ever that my choice to avoid all next-gen system launches is the right one


That's my rant, and all I have to say on the issue. I only look from my perspective, and what I want. I'm not a business man, and my armchair analysis likely can't hold a candle to the carefully constructed focus groups filled with trendy art house lamers and sk8r boys. But it's how I see it.

isamu said:
Would you guys like to know how much I would pay for an Xbox 360 system? Do you REALLY wanna know? Because I'll tell you....the fact that we are getting a nex-gen Ridge Racer game with ONLINE play, 5.1 surround sound and High Definition support, means that I would....in all honesty....pay up to $3000 cash. I bullshit you not....I would honestly pay three thousand fucking dollars in cash for a new Xbox 360 system if it, for some reason were actually to cost that much!
Click to expand...

But that has nothing to do with being passionate, that has to do with you being an IDIOT. We can't all be idiots, isamu.
 
What's the trade in value on an Xbox right now? I'm thinking I'll just trade in my Xbox now to avoid the rush. Nm just found out... $70 at Gamecrazy, $75 at EB/Gamestop.
 
LOL so many people here are so ideologically captured by all this nonsense. It's a piece of consumer hardware retailing at a price higher than was expected. Get over it people. If you don't like it don't buy it but do we really need 500 pages worth of posts about people complaining, some people cheering, others calling out "I told you so!" and other such nonsense? Yikes. Go outside and get a breath of fresh air. If only all this excitement and passion were put towards a more productive cause than bitching about the price of a new piece of electronics.
 
Ryck said:
Since my topic was closed: ( understandably)



What about those of us who pre ordered?
Click to expand...

Most retailers will probably assume you want the premium pack unless you specify otherwise.
 
Oh and just as an FYI on the subject of pricing... Major Nelson had a nice big blog entry with pricing details that blew up to 300 replies in the span of 4 hours as word of the pricing spread. Of those 300 replies, about 298 of them were filled with pissed off people. Some had valid points, some just wanted to rant. That blog entry has now disappeared from the page along with all the comments. I guess it was getting ugly.
 
bill0527 said:
Oh and just as an FYI on the subject of pricing... Major Nelson's had a nice big blog entry with pricing details that blew up to 300 replies in the span of 4 hours as word of the pricing spread. Of those 300 replies, about 298 of them were filled with pissed off people. Some had valid points, some just wanted to rant. That blog entry has now disappeared from the page along with all the comments. I guess it was getting ugly.
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"DO NOT LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN!"



Wizard of Oz, people.
 
I might as well ask here. Can you use the Xbox component cable with the 360? Can you use a USB device to save your games?
 
Well, I apologize for where this thread wound up. I meant it to talk about how the terms "gamer" and "hardcore gamer" are abused by marketing heads and then warped in definition to tell us what we want instead of the other way around.

EDIT: But I guess it's my fault for including the XBox 360 thing. I'd be cool with a mod locking it.
 
Microsoft started twisting the connotation of the word with the Xbox and claiming it was the 'hardcore' gamers conslone, and the press followed along even though it was probably the farthest from hardcore you could get.
 
isamu said:
in all honesty....pay up to $3000 cash. I bullshit you not....I would honestly pay three thousand fucking dollars in cash for a new Xbox 360 system if it, for some reason were actually to cost that much!

And please don't complain about how you don't make $50,000 a year so you can't afford it....I am certainly not rich by any means, but I can at least save up in advance a few hundred dollars for a nex gen system. I mean Christ...you would have to be making less than $5.00 an hour to not be able to save up $500 THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE for a new console and a game or two.

C'mon guys it's not that much money....at all. I actually consider the price cheap, for what we will be getting IMHO. RR6 ONLINE....are you fucking KIDDING me??? Just tell me where to pay!
Click to expand...


You are microsoft's wet dream. $3k are you freakin kidding me? You are nuts.

Sorry bub unlike you not everyone lives with their parents. $5.00 an hour is below the poverty line at that pay scale you can hardly make rent let alone have money for an X360.

How old are you?

And just to make it clear, I am not concerned about the $399 price point I am concerned about splintering the market.
 
Synth_floyd said:
LOL so many people here are so ideologically captured by all this nonsense. It's a piece of consumer hardware retailing at a price higher than was expected. Get over it people. If you don't like it don't buy it but do we really need 500 pages worth of posts about people complaining, some people cheering, others calling out "I told you so!" and other such nonsense? Yikes. Go outside and get a breath of fresh air. If only all this excitement and passion were put towards a more productive cause than bitching about the price of a new piece of electronics.
Click to expand...


:lol

This is true. But we ARE on gaming forum, so what else are we going to talk about - how many South Beach models we fucked last night?
 
I really don't mind 399 tag for what it comes with. If that's what it's going to be, so be it.

However, I find really disturbing to have Wifi unit as another 100 bucks. 100 freaking bucks. That fact alone, I am forced to not being able to connect it to my 60 inch HDTV in my livingroom for Live, which, I was looking forward to do so. (reasonable price range might be aroun 50, I'd say.)

lachesis
 
Mr_Furious said:
isamu, I was with you up until the $3000 part.
Click to expand...

yeah well, nothing can get between me and my Ridge Racer :D :D :D
 
"The $399 package is designed for the HD gamer"
Click to expand...

Fixed(Atleast for me). I'm not an HD gamer, and the only thing I really want out of that $399 package is the Hard drive. Sure, there are some extras like the wireless headset and controller that would be nice, but nothing more than that. Then there's the high def and ethernet cables, and media remote, which I don't need at all.

I think they should lower the price of the Hard drive to the $50-$60 range. That would sell a shitload behind the $40 mem card (Which is already a price fucked up beyond belief...).

The worst part of this news is the Microsoft peripheral licensing thing, which means cheap 3rd party substitutes woh't cost much less (if they cost less) :/ ...
 
Is the hardcore gamer also the ones who care about backwards compatability? Cause, I thought the prevailing wisdom was that it mattered only for the casuals?

According to an anonymous tipster, an official Microsoft document includes the following text:

”Key Benefits/ Why to buy: Includes a Hard Drive to save games, download new content and play top selling Xbox games”
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