Microsoft’s head of Xbox has defended the higher RRP of the Xbox One console, saying it is providing good value for its customers.
Microsoft lost the PR battle with Sony at E3 due to a number of factors, one of which was the higher retail cost of the Xbox One compared with the new Sony PS4 – both of which will launch before Christmas.
The Xbox One will cost £429 in the UK, while the PS4 will go on sale for £349, but Don Mattrick says the extra features touted by his company’s next-gen offering makes the £80 price gap inconsequential.
He also pointed out that the Xbox One’s controversial RRP came in below the estimates of some analysts, but that’s unlikely to cut the mustard with hoards of gamers weighing up which console to splash out on this Christmas.
He told Bloomberg TV at E3: “We’re over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get. Any modern product these days, you look at it: $499 isn’t a ridiculous price point. We’re delivering thousands of dollars of value to people, and I think they’re going to love it when they use it.”
Mattrick, the president of Microsoft’s interactive services division that covers Xbox and Xbox Live, is referring to the built-in suite of entertainment and communications apps, cable TV integration and bundled-in new Kinect sensor, as well as the top notch library of games coming the device’s way.
Mattrick’s comments, made during an interview last week, come as analysts suggest the ‘entire future of Xbox is in question‘ following the troubled showing at E3.
The price-tag combined with the confusing used games policy and required internet connectivity have, as we reported on Monday, left some questioning whether Microsoft’s reign at the top of the console charts may be coming to an end.
David Cole, an analyst at DFC, suggested the company’s strategy is “deeply flawed” and could have a “major negative impact” on the Xbox One launch in November.
Do you think Microsoft is heading for trouble later this year? Or is the Xbox One console, as Mattrick states, offering good value for money despite the higher price point?
Let us know in the comments below.
Via The Verge
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
