Microsoft's Xbox One Returns To $349 Following Two-Month Winning Streak
Microsoft reduced the price of its Xbox One console (and its bundles) by $50 during the holiday shopping season and saw a huge uptick in sales. The fun faded on Saturday, January 3 when Microsoft’s special pricing ended. However, the price cut was even to allow the Xbox One to surpass the PlayStation 4 in sales for the months of November and December (November was the first time that the Xbox One outpaced the PlayStation 4 in 2014).
Microsoft smells blood in the water, so it’s going for another round of price cuts. Starting tomorrow, January 16, the price of the Xbox One will once again fall to $349. Microsoft is calling this a “special price”, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the company keeps the price at $349 permanently to further build momentum against the PlayStation 4.
“We are thankful for all the excitement for Xbox One this holiday and proud to offer more fans the amazing games lineup, Xbox Live gaming community, and continual innovation that Xbox One fans have come to enjoy,” said Mike Nichols, Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Xbox.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Xbox One and are fully committed to ensuring it’s the best place to play console games in 2015 and beyond,” added Xbox head Phil Spencer.
If you recall, Microsoft initially priced the Xbox One at $499 when it launched in late 2013. Microsoft gave the console an effective $100 price cut in mid-2014 when it removed the Kinect camera from the packaging and offered the console at $399.
Sony’s PlayStation 4 launched on November 15, 2013 in the United States with a price tag of $399. The official price of the console has been unchanged since (with the exception of special promotions offered by individual retailers).
