Microsoft slashes Xbox 360 price

Monday 10th March 2008 - 17:00

New retail price from Friday plus gaming more popular than sex say's UK tabloid and Speed Racer Wii screens

Today is very much a good news day - especially if you're in the market for an Xbox 360 and don't have much of a sex life (more on that story to follow).

Firstly to Bill's big box of tricks. Microsoft today announced it is lowering the estimated retail price for its Xbox 360 family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of 159.99, Xbox 360 is attempting to position itself as the best value console on the market.

From Friday, March 14, Xbox 360, which includes a 20GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of 199.99 - a saving of 50 on the current ERP. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of 259.99 - a saving of 40. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of 159.99 - a saving of 40. All prices are GBP.

Meanwhile, in what must be an early contender for the 'oo-er missus' story of the month, the Daily Mirror reports that Brits spend more time playing computer games in bed than they do having sex. According to the survey, sex is apparently only the 10th most popular activity between the sheets with gaming coming a respectable ninth. The top habit? Sleeping. Go figure.

Finally, strap yourself in for some brand new Speed Racer screens. The title is based on a film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta) and produced by Joel Silver, Speed Racer is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. The game is set for an end of the month release on both Wii and PS2.

To view more images, click here