4GB XBox 360, Kinect + 2 year gold membership $99 + $15/month starting next week

Quote from bdunni : ...It make sense if you don't think about it... Yah, this is one of those "deals" for people who can't do math. It is almost verbatim the same as a 2-year phone contract. I'm actually surprised they don't have the base model for "free".

Just you wait..

Quote from unrivalled : Lets wait for Microsoft to officially provide more details.

That would have been great advice for the OP, oh, about an hour ago.

I don't have cable/dish at home, if for $15 a month I can get a lot more channels plus Netflix, ESPN, Hulu plus, etc, plus a free Kinect and 2 years gold membership, it might not be such a bad deal.

Quote from m00ky : wth, really? The article says it will still cost $99 plus the $120 gold subscription. I think your math might be off.

They're trying to do a 360 on us, that is:
$360 ($15 monthly x 24 months)
$99 (console)
--------
$459 Total

Quote from beachguymiami : They're trying to do a 360 on us, that is: $360 ($15 monthly x 24 months) $99 (console) -------- $459 Total

Kinect = $99

Quote from m00ky : Dang this had me excited and quickly brought the fail. Oh well, good idea but poor execution on M$'s part, imo.

On the contrary, VERY excellent execution from Microsoft. They know exactlywhat they're doing with this pricing structure and many will buy in.

Subsidized the device through recurring fees

So in a few months, once a lot of their customers default on the contract and get hit with the ETF, is MS ready for the class action lawsuit against them for taking advantage of the people who had no idea they could buy the same thing for cheaper up front? Obviously it would have no merit, but it's still going to happen.

Quote from kingkong5 : So in a few months, once a lot of their customers default on the contract and get hit with the ETF, is MS ready for the class action lawsuit against them for taking advantage of the people who had no idea they could buy the same thing for cheaper up front? Obviously it would have no merit, but it's still going to happen.

I don't think they care, they took the smart business move and they're anticipating the hit they're gonna receive when the Motorola debacle blows over.

If anyone is to blame for this little scam, it is Motorola/Google for their Patent Suit against Microsoft. Motorola just got IE7, Xbox, and Windows Media Player banned in Germany and Microsoft moved their assets in Germany to another European country. A court in the US in currently blocking the ruling from taking effect, but once that ruling goes through, MS is gonna have to make up for lost revenue.

Umm, ahh NO! F.u microsoft. I still love u ....

OP must get all his things from Rent-A-Center.

Quote from mirai : Kinect = $99

Oh my, I forgot that one. I think it'll be best to pass on this one.

Quote from xAnimal : I don't think they care, they took the smart business move and they're anticipating the hit they're gonna receive when the Motorola debacle blows over. If anyone is to blame for this little scam, it is Motorola/Google for their Patent Suit against Microsoft. Motorola just got IE7, Xbox, and Windows Media Player banned in Germany and Microsoft moved their assets in Germany to another European country. A court in the US in currently blocking the ruling from taking effect, but once that ruling goes through, MS is gonna have to make up for lost revenue.

And as most of the patent experts already mentioned, the ban will not take in to effect and actually, Motorola might be in big trouble b/c of charging too much for FRAND patents. Check FOSS and Zdnet for more information about this.

It's funny cause a lot of people will bash this type of "deal", but they won't think twice when it comes to a contract plan on their cell phone provider of choice!

News flash people, any time there's a "monthly contract", any money you put up front is for the subsidized cost, which is common knowledge, but did you know in most cases you're paying the SAME or MORE if you had simply bought it in full up front?

Devils in the math. A lot of you may be aware of this, great. Educate someone else today and help spread the word that contracts like this are evil and cost more money in most cases!

On topic: The only way this type of deal would ever be "slick" would be if Microsoft copied OnLive, made a micro-console that streamed their games and basically reduced cost of hardware drastically to offer for free. In that sense, I as a consume may be interested in an OnLive approach to the 360, where if I purchase games they're linked to my Live account and also able to be downloaded to an actual 360 console in the future.

With all the games that require HD installation these days how could you even play any games on a 4GB system. By the time you install Battlefield 3 for example your HD is full....