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It looks like Microsoft has slashed the price of the standalone Xbox One this week to a much more appealing £329.99 making the Xbox One, for the first time since launch, cheaper that the PlayStation 4. Before Microsoft confirmed the news, the console’s price had been slashed on the Microsoft UK Store, and Microsoft Studios European Publishing Nick Ferguson also tweeted about the new price tag.
The news was spotted over at Eurogamer who first noticed that the Microsoft store price had dropped by £20, Eurogamer also noted that the price-cut had also been reflected on retailers such as Amazon UK which suggests that this isn’t a special offer or limited discount but more of a new revised price tag, though according to a statement released by Microsoft, that may actually be the case. This new price tag makes the Xbox One, for the first time since it launched 10 months ago, cheaper than the PlayStation 4 which still sits at its original launch price of £349.99.
The Xbox One launched in November 2013 at a pretty eye watering price of £429.99, this was then dropped after Christmas in the run up to the launch of Titanfall where Microsoft dropped the price to £399.99. Microsoft them slashed the price once again and announced a Kinect-free bundle which was priced at £349.99 earlier this summer.
It seems Microsoft are lowering the price in order to bolster the upcoming releases of Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, and Halo: The Master Chief collection. This new low price is much closer to the average price some retailers have been already dropping the Xbox One down to, which saw lows of around £308 at the time Destiny launched.
“We are always looking at ways to offer the best value for our customers,” an Xbox spokesperson said. “This is a UK only retail promotion which coincides with our upcoming releases including Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.”
Note the use of the word “promotion,” that likely means that the price may go up again around Christmas time or soon thereafter. Or on the other hand, this could be a permanent price drop.