Xbox 360 price could rise to match the PS3

UNTIL SONY STARTED mouthing off about how expensive the PlayStation 3 is going to be, things were looking pretty purdy for the price of the Xbox 360. Now with the release coming closer and closer and speculation hitting new highs many are thinking that Microsoft will raise the as yet unannounced price of the Xbox 360 from an expected £200 - £250 to as high as £300.

This is expected to be done for two reasons - for one, with the price of the PS3 expected to be magnificent, Microsoft can raise the price of the Xbox 360 and still not be the most expensive console on the market. Secondly for brand purposes if the Xbox 360 is significantly cheaper than the PS3 - up to £100 cheaper, perhaps - then to consumers not as in-the-know as somebody who has been following every inch of these two machines as they have been developed will see the Xbox 360 as an inferior product.

Maybe this means that Microsoft might actually make a profit off of the Xbox 360? One thing is for sure, the consumer sure as hell won't… µ