Price woes: Microsoft defends Elite hard drive

Posted Apr 4, 2007 at 6:56AM by QJ Staff Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft, plug-and-play
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Expanded Hard Drive - Image 1The Xbox 360 elite and its accompanying hard drive may certainly be driving a hard bargain amongst gamers, but Microsoft is quick to defend their new product. CVG reports that Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg defended it recently on the Game Theory podcast, saying that the cost of the new drive was comparable to other drives on the market.

Greenberg notes one difference with their new drive to the ones out on the market, which makes the current comparisons somewhat moot. Instead of mastering the art of installing a new drive yourself, the Xbox 360 Elite drive is a plug-and-play drive, which is a different type of drive from the ones modders manage to add to their units. Said Greenberg,

What we have done is release a smaller laptop size drive. If you compare what we are offering with a real plug and play drive the closest thing would be to tale a 120 gig self powered external PC drive and in that case we are seeing those retail at anywhere from US$ 160 to US$ 200


Greenberg does have a point, though. Ease of use considered, this does seem to be the average price when compared to other plug-and-play drives on the market. Of course, if you're already an experienced modder and hacker, then your solution would definitely lie in installing one for yourself. On the other hand, the bargain doesn't seem so tough when compared to the alternative of not having an expanded 360 hard drive at all.

Via CVG

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by rolly poly - 2007-04-04 01:28
» bull

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&search_query=160gb&Continue.x=0&Continue.y=0&Continue=Find&ic=24_0



nuff said...

by Truewick - 2007-04-04 01:43
» ...

This are 3.5" Drives. The drives in the 360 are even smaller then 2.5", so they are much more expensive

by sdfaf - 2007-04-04 01:54
» fas

so defend your little device fanboy look at this then http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item+N82E16822149057 and if you say this isnt external then you can easily buy an external enclosure which cost $10 so yea 120 or 180 you decide

by . - 2007-04-04 02:05
» .

then stfu and don't buy it.

by eclipsed4utoo - 2007-04-04 02:12
» .

just another way for M$ to screw up 360 owners who want to download movies from Live.

by Devise - 2007-04-04 02:26
» ...

I think it should be $100 and no more. The price is right on the elite, for $80 you get an extra 100GB.



What do people even want these bigger HDD for? I download all the demos and clear off old ones usually a month after I've downloaded them. Arcade games are small. Videos, Photos and Music can be streamed from PC/Mac or external flash memory or HDD. Video Marketplace deletes the rental video after you have watched it.



Think I'll stick with my 20GB for now.

by logic - 2007-04-04 02:39
» maybe it'll be cheaper

I usually hope xbox fanboys burn in the depths of hell, but come on guys...let's be realistic. It will be cheaper when it comes to market! You'll be able to find it online for a better price like the HD-DVD drive.

by ya - 2007-04-04 03:23
» why is it....

...that M$ must use a propietery HDD. the PS3 can use any 3rd party 2.5" HDD. i have a 20gb HDD for the 360 and its retarded that its 170 bux for a 120gb HDD where u can get one cheaper at newegg.

i dont really need to worry about my PS3 though 60gb is more than enough

by rolly poly - 2007-04-04 03:42
» ok i was a little jumpy

yes the statement is correct, but that is in no way a justification for the price...



with bare oem drives of that size going for half that price they are asking us to pay $90 for the caddy that only works with one device?



if bought on it's own it's not worth it, now a 360 with hdmi and 120gigs for only $80 more is more like it.

by fritzilla - 2007-04-04 04:21
» Ok, let's cut through the crap!

On price, they are off. You can go into any store and get a 2.5 inch external all in one drive that plugs into the USB port for about a buck a gig. So, a $120 gig drive at Best Buy, Staples, Comp USA, or where ever is going to be about $120 - $130 dollars. Period.



Now I am not counting Newegg or other online retailers using Pricewatch or other means. Those that really price shop are not the main customer of Microsoft. And you have to understand that this is not just a random low grade product but rather a plug and play device that works with Xbox 360. It has to be a really high quality with really low failure rates. They can' t put the cheapest drive in there and have the negative PR if they start failing. So for that I give them a little more.



However they will sell many more of these than the average random USB external 2.5 inch drive, so for that I think they will get price breaks.



So, they have a point on the quality assurance and relative ease of operability since you won't need to hack or open anything.



But they really are overpriced since they could sell them for around the going rate, especially since they will be saving money on high volume sales.



Not to mention all their R&D has been done up front on the first 20GB drive. It's not like they had to change much, the case and programing was already done.



So, I do think they should have lowered the $20 gig drive to something like $79 and had this one enter the market at $120.



fritzilla

by dipset - 2007-04-04 04:45
» to ..

go suck my d!ck you ugly f--k go f--k yourself

by word - 2007-04-04 04:47
» word

great idea that would make a whole lot more sense then what theyre doing.

by Jin Wu - 2007-04-04 05:11
» Fritzilla Thanks For A Little Common Sense

This thread almost deteriorated into fanboy arguments like most of these do, but you saved the day.



I just can't believe the number of people who will justify this overpriced accessory.



Sad.

by 01 - 2007-04-04 05:52
» probably

for the TiVO-like functions that are coming later this year..

by JOHNY NORTH - 2007-04-04 12:07
» F@g

how do you know he is ugly did you sleep with him last night?

by hmm - 2007-04-04 12:41
» ...

maybe they did this to make people who have the premium sell it off for some dough to buy the elite... which would bring more people into the 360 population... they're gonna phase out the core and replace it with the premium and elite would replace the premium standing anyways...



ppl go out there and sell off your premium consoles before elite is released, if you do it after, you're gonna get even less cash

by Noin - 2007-04-04 20:49
» ....

Stfu you dumb m0therf-cker, u slept with your own dad last night and got raped by that n!-gger

by Truewick - 2007-04-05 06:19
» I hate XBOX 360.

PS3 for the win XBOX 360 sucks ass!!!

by ytu - 2007-04-05 07:04
» PS3 cant compete its sales are DOWN BY 82%

PS3 latest news its sales are DOWN by 85% looks like its all over.

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