After Sony announced the pricing
of the PlayStation 3 (both of em), introducing a $200 price delta between it and the Xbox 360 offerings, thoughts immediately turned to Microsoft's pricing for their HD-DVD addon. GamesIndustry.biz
writes "that Microsoft has intimated to [retail sources in the UK] that the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will be priced such that console and peripheral combined are cheaper than Sony's PS3."
Of course, using the British and/or European pricing can be tricky considering how different companies choose to price their offerings overseas. Sony, for example, is charging [the rest of Europe] the numerically equivalent €499 and €599, despite the radically higher currency conversion in dollars. Regardless, if Microsoft can offer two 360 models bundled with HD-DVD for the same price as the PS3 models, will it be enough to remove that weapon from their arsenal? Do gamers really want HD movie playback, or is Microsoft simply making the motions?