It was nice while it lasted, but we can't have nice things forever. The Xbox One has been offered at a mere $350 for the last few months but now the deal is over, and the original price point is back in play.
Xbox Live Founder And Xbox One Designer Leaves Microsoft
The price drop seems to have paid off wonderfully for Microsoft, at least in terms of increasing the system's installed base, something they sorely needed. Don't forget that at the start of this year things seemed bad for Microsoft with their $500 system, but by removing the Kinect from the console snipped $100 off its initial price, and a seasonal price drop made it $50 cheaper than the PS4, and with free games cleverly bundled in, no less.
Now it's back up to $400. You can actually still find the Assassin's Creed bundle for $350 at a few third-party marketsellers on Amazon, but this is certain to change soon.
Black Friday Sales Let Microsoft Become Month's Best-Selling Console In US And UK
But analysts are now predicting that a second Xbox price drop will come the first month that PS4 sales overtake them once again, which seems inevitable to happen.
There are also predictions that Xbox One's installed base will equal or exceed the PS4's in 2015, something that seemed unthinkable just half a year ago. They stress that this isn't because Sony is slipping, but because Microsoft is catching up. One thing is clear, the next battle will be between game exclusives. Both Sony and Microsoft have numerous titles in the works, but the king of exclusives is still Nintendo.
Ahh, Nintendo. Sony must be dismayed to see that the Wii U also saw a surprising surge the last few months, bolstered by huge titles like Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8, and although Nintendo posted a net loss last year they're forecasting a profit for the current fiscal year.
Competition is going to be wonderful for gamers, so no matter which console you end up selecting, we're all going to benefit from it. 2015 is sure to be an interesting year... let the console wars begin.
