The move, which is the third price cut in a little over a year, will make the Xbox 199 euros on the continent, and 129 pounds in Britain. The aggressive price cut comes in response to a recent uptick in Gamecube demand: since
Zelda pre-orders began for the Gamecube a couple of months ago, Nintendo has reported a 20% increase in its console sales.
Microsoft had forecasted sales of 9 million Xbox units for the fiscal year, which end June 30. It appears now that the company may just miss that mark. Analysts believe that the company has sold about 6.5 million units so far this fiscal year, and with price cut announced today, it's conceivable that another two million will be sold by the end of June -- bringing it just shy of its goal. In comparison, Nintendo recently projected sales of 5.6 million Gamecubes this fiscal year -- well off its target of 10 million.
Many expect that Sony and Nintendo will be forced to follow suit and announce price cuts soon -- possibly at E3 next month. hello every one!
