Microsoft’s Chief of Staff for Devices and Studios Aaron Greenberg has flatly denied rumors that Microsoft is releasing a $ 399 model of the Xbox One.
@TheAnchormanV No, you cannot believe everything you read on the internet..
— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) February 1, 2014
Aaron followed it up with the words “you cannot believe everything you read on the internet”, essentially casting a shadow of doubt on any and all Xbox One rumors along with it.
Many people want to believe that a price cut for the console is coming, one way or the other, in order to either improve sales versus the Playstation 4, or to take out the Kinect. Still, if you look at Microsoft’s statements, they do not seem to have due incentive to do so.
Microsoft boasted of unprecedented preorder demand at launch, and most recently revealed sales of 3 million consoles in 13 countries. In absolute terms, Microsoft has seen a lot of interest in the console, with sales exceeding that of the Xbox 360 at the same timeframe.
Of course, Microsoft has infamously delayed release of the console in other countries in other tiers. While many fans see this as a weakness for Microsoft, it also means they can take their time allocating stock of the console to these countries while they strive to anticipate global demand, and so they can ensure an extended profitable period at that price.
In absolute terms, the Xbox One is a success, and it really is misrepresentative to draw conclusions based on whether it or PS4 sells more. If anything, the evidence currently suggests that Microsoft may not feel the pressure to do a price cut for Xbox One for the console anytime soon.
