Microsoft Drops Price Of Xbox 360 Elite Console In UK To £199

Microsoft has pre-empted the launch of Sony's Playstation 3 Slim with a £30 reduction in the price of its high end gaming console the Xbox 360 Elite; the latter now comes with a suggested retail price of £199.

In comparison, the Playstation 3 costs £249 officially although there are at least two places where buyers can get it for as little as £230. The Nintendo Wii is the only other lounge console whose price hasn't been reduced; it currently carries a SRP of £179.

However, given the fact that Nintendo still makes a profit from each console and currently sells more gaming console in the UK than Microsoft and Sony put together, there is a very slim chance that the latest price cuts will change the Wii's price.

The Xbox 360 Elite comes with 120GB storage and will offer a number of non gaming features over the next few months. Users will be able to use it as a media centre, watching live TV using Sky Player, listening to music via LastFM and updating their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

As expected the Xbox 360 Pro which has a 60GB hard disk drive has been phased out; its selling price will be reduced; CCL Online sells the Xbox 360 Pro with a 60GB HDD for £166. 

Get the latter as soon as possible if you can't fork out the additional £33 for the Elite as the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade will see a significant hike in price, pushing it up to £160, a £30 increase.