VP of studios questions Microsoft"s wisdom in offering consumers a choice of Xbox 360s
Microsoft recently announced that the Xbox 360 Core System, which does not include a hard disk, will retail for GBP 209.99 at launch. For GBP 279.99, consumers will be able to purchase a console with a 20GB hard disk, wireless controller, Xbox Live Silver membership, HD-AV cable and removable faceplate. Speaking at the European Game Developers" Conference in London today, when asked if Sony might follow in the Redwood giant"s footsteps the VP of studios replied: "Unlikely." "Are there two versions of the Xbox 360 that people want to buy, is my question," he continued. "I don"t know." "This is my personal view, not my corporate view, but when I look at those formats, I think it just confuses the audience. They don"t know which one to buy, developers don"t know which one to create for, and retailers don"t know which one to stock." "So I think we wouldn"t take that strategy. We wouldn"t create confusion," he concluded.
However, Harrison did go on to suggest that consumers will have a variety of options to choose from in the longer term. Harrison did commend Microsoft with regard to the success of the Xbox Live service, telling the audience: "Microsoft has done a lot of things right, and there are certainly things that are going to form the model for many of the high quality consumer experiences that we will deliver with PS3." Unsurprisingly, Harrison declined to comment on a possible price point for the PS3, telling the audience: "It would be foolish of me to make any comments about pricing at this early stage."