It seems like eons ago when the infamous Michael Pachter claimed that Microsoft's next-gen console would retail for the amazingly low price of $99, courtesy of a built-in deal with cable companies. Hell, back then, we still though Microsoft was going to call the new system the Xbox 720. When Microsoft finally revealed the platform almost a year later, it certainly seemed plausible enough given the presentation's high emphasis on the console being far more than just a video game system. But with the Xbox One set to release worldwide tomorrow, there's still no word on Pachter's prediction, and gamers across the globe will still have to pay through the nose for the next-gen system. Or will they?
Speaking with Gametrailers, Pachter says the plan is still in place:
"That's absolutely gonna happen, and I think they always planned for that to happen at launch, and I just don't think they got their act together to get distribution through cable companies because they need GameStop and Best Buy to sell you the box, and Walmart... and those guys don't sell cable subscriptions. So they've got to work that through. That's a next year... that's a Christmas 2014 thing."
Granted, this sort of seems like something we should've heard about from Microsoft by now, but the company hasn't exactly had the smoothest of times with the new console, facing repeated PR blunders and backlash from gamers over always online DRM, used game policies, and an always listening Kinect that the company ended up switching around before the console's release.
Provided its true, it could be a game changer for Microsoft, especially if it led to the drastic drop in cost that Pachter predicted. The lower cost of Sony's PlayStation 4 was a major advantage over the Xbox One. But I'm sure that figuring out the details in working out deals with all the various cable companies is a logistical nightmare, and if Microsoft was indeed planning it, the difficulty of it was likely the reason why we've yet to hear any official details on it.
Pachter's crystal ball could be a bit foggy. Time will tell on this one.
Microsoft's Xbox One launches tomorrow, Nov. 22, and will be available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, UK, and the United States for $499.
The new console claims an 8-core x86 processor and Microsoft hopes it will take the place of the family room cable box by letting you watch Blu-ray movies and TV through the console, in a "seamless transition" that lets players switch from playing games to watching shows and/or movies. It will come fully loaded with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
The following games offered at launch include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Dead Rising 3, FIFA 14, Killer Instinct, Ryse: Son of Rome, and more. You can check out a list of the install sizes for all of the launch games here.
Be sure to keep checking back with Gamenguide for more of the latest updates.
