Microsoft cutting Xbox 360 pricing in Asia

After last month's price drop in Europe, Microsoft announced on Tuesday it is slashing prices on its Xbox 360 gaming console again, this time in four Asian markets. In order to bolster sales and bring its Xbox "to an even wider user base," the software giant says it has cut prices of its Xbox 360 Premium model with its 20GB hard drive by as much as nearly 20 percent in Singapore, with a 17 percent decrease in Taiwan, 11 percent drop in Hong Kong and 5 percent reduction in South Korea.

In Singapore, the model now costs approximately $367, $341 in Taiwan and $321 in Hong Kong. The Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite models are also offered in Singapore, and their prices were cut by 13.1 percent and 12.5 percent, to $294 and $515, respectively. On Thursday, the price will fall to $368 in South Korea. The consoles are also sold to India, though Microsoft has not announced any price cuts there.

The company is enjoying a 68 percent revenue boost in the first quarter of 2008 in its entertainment and devices business, with Xbox 360 demand 74 percent higher than it was last quarter. [via WSJ]

Filed under: industry, gaming
Other story tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360