Best Buy to drop all HDD-less Xbox 360 consoles
According to a Joystiq story, a certain nationwide electronics retailer may discontinue carrying the Xbox 360 Core package.
An internal Best Buy document, sent to the site from an anonymous source, clearly shows the Xbox 360 Core with the new status of “Deleted†from the system with an out of stock date set July 29, 2007. The document also shows the product information with “pref code: y,†signifying that “replenishment of this item is not expected.â€
When asked to comment on whether or not the retailer document is a sign that the Xbox 360 Core will be discontinued, a Microsoft representative responded, “No. Xbox 360 Core remains an important member of the Xbox 360 family.â€
The dropping of a less variant from a console family isn’t unheard of. Earlier this year, Sony discontinued the 20GB PlayStation 3, citing consumer preference for the reason of running with just the more premium model.
The choice to discontinue stock of the Xbox 360 Core may be solely exclusive to Best Buy. Latest retailer information on the upcoming Xbox 360 price drops indicate that even the Core system will be available with a $20 price cut to $279.
Microsoft has also said in the past that it believes that the $199 price point is a “sweet spot of the market.†The Xbox 360 Core may be a part of Microsoft’s strategy to dip below $200.
