I know that it isn't decided yet but I'm just wondering for refrence what will it cost??

There has been much talk about a $299 price tag as any price over this mark may doom the system from the very beginning!!! I know that I will consider purchasing this system as long as it is no more than $299 and has a decent amount of games at launch which differ from those on the PS2...

If Sony drops the price of PS2 to $250 to fight MS, the Xbox will have to match the PS2 price point. We will find out the exact price at E3 next month. But so far, according to rumors, the prices may look like this:

Oct/Nov. 2001
PS2 $250 (after rumored price drop)
Xbox $250 - $299 (depending on what Sony does)
Gamecube $150 - $199 (there is even a $99 launch rumor going around)

The X-Box may very well be $350-$400. Remember it will come equipped with built in hard drive and broadband capabilities. The PS2 lacks this and adding them would put them on comparable ground.

I still think a $400 Xbox will be the death toll for the system. No console over $299 has every done well. Most people don't start buying them till they are under $200.

Probably around where PS2 is at. No doubt

Even if they release it over $299, I think it will do fine.

Wasn't the original playstation really expensive when it came out?

the original playstation was like $200 if i remember - maybe 250? but i agree anything over say 350 and xbox is on some real hairy ground there ... add ons or not, if it really does cost that much how about NOT inclding em and letting the consumer decide if he wants to get gouged

The original PSX, Sega Saturn, and N64 all debuted at around $300.00, I believe. The PSX didn't drop to $200.00 until about a year and 3 mo. on the market (at which time I finally picked one up).

The debut prices of recent history:

PS2 - $299.99
Dreamcast - $199.99
N64 - $199.99
Playstation - $299.99
Saturn - $399.99 (!)

!!!! Man it's been so long I completely forgot that I spent that much on a PSX!

I very much doubt that MS would be so foolhardy as to price the Xbox above $299. Aside from the perceptual price ceiling set there by Sony, MS hardly has the room for error to overprice their unit, much less give Sony an opening to clobber them on the price front. The Xbox will very likey be the most heavily subsidized hardware launch in game console history.

I have a weird feeling that Bill Gates might try to go for $399. I do not think it will sell well at that price, but they are already rumored to be spending upwards of $500 million to launch the xbox. I doubt they will want to loss even more.

I agree with that. Even if we do start to experience economic turnaround in late summer people will not be in the mood to pay more than $300 for a system.

There was a report by a leading investment firm in which MS basically said losses would be incurred during the first 2 years. Mainly due to selling hardware at below costs and trying to cover initial investment. Microsoft has deep pockets but I expect it to be 299-349 and neither would surprise me.