The lights are on
Outspoken Wedbush Morgan video game analyst Michael Pachter recently predicted the price of the 360's upcoming Project Natal motion control device. He believes that the company won’t be charging more than the manufacturing cost for Natal and that Microsoft simply wants it in consumers’ homes to sell more products.Immediately after making the prediction, Pachter issued a disclaimer, saying “Nobody knows what Microsoft is going to do.”“My guess is on Natal, which is really important to them, they’re going to price it at or below its cost,” he said. “I think it’s hard for us to envision that it’s going to cost them $150 to make Natal. You’re really talking about software, which is an easy thing for them to distribute, and a camera.”If $50 seems too good to be true for you, Pachter also commented on the highest conceivable price, saying “I’d be very surprised if the thing is more than $79.”“Microsoft is not trying to make money on the device,” he continued. “They’re trying to get everyone to have the device so that they can sell us other things.”Is a $50 price tag the right amount to maintain or spark your interest in Natal? What do you think Microsoft will actually go with?Source: GameTrailers
Email the author Tim Turi, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.
Please they charge 150$ for a 150 gig hard drive or whatever it is I dont remember if it was a 150 or a 120 gig but either way it was a 150 bucks and I think natal is going to be about 100 - 150.
If it wasn't more than the manufacturing price, it would be good for Microsoft. It would help Microsoft become closer to gamers and let gamers see that Microsoft isn't focused on trying to clean out our wallets.
first and yess 75 sounds niice
It's about the same price as the EyeToy when it first launched. Let's hope this thing doesn't end up as a fancy webcam.
Well I still think it's gonna suck but a $5o dollar hit wouldnt be so bad.
I'd imagine 69-79 is more realistic, but MS has shown they're willing to bite the bullet on mfr cost before... I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see it at 50.
It's a pretty innovative technology that suppose to extend the life of the Xbox 360. I think it will be more that $50 as a standalone purchase, maybe $75 - $100. I think it will become a standard accessory with future Xbox 360 purchases. I'm not buying it until it has been proven to work effectively.
Man, I had no intentions of buying it, but if it's that cheap, I will almost have to at that point. Of course, like others have mentioned, I will wait to see that it's even worth $50 though.
I remember back when it was first announced that it may cost near $200. but I agree with @oriongamer and that the price will be between 100-150. With a price like that and the capabilities that have been promoted with this product, I think that it is still worth the money. It is almost like buying a Wii. We will see if that impression stays though.
I think it will be more than a freaking controller that is for sure. Pachter is wrong so often sometimes it's amusing just to watch him work lol.
I'm with Oriongamer on this one. Christ they charge $30 for one of those friggin 512MB memory cards. If there's one thing we can hope for on this whole potential debacle is that Xbox might not let it drown under a flood of shovelware titles like Wii. I'm definitely not getting one on launch day I can tell you that, though...
I'll buy this for $50 if it comes with liquor, friends, and respect, otherwise I see Natal ending up on the Home Shopping Network being hocked by that guy who yells at you and makes you feel stupid for not buying baseball cards.
Yeah $50... Wouldn't that be nice.
Probably more like $75 minimum.
It is M$. The cash cow...
I was watching the Bonus Round on Gametrailers, and Pachter also mentioned when he was at CES (I think) that he came across a type of camera that was very good, doing the stuff you see in Natal's demo and such. He asked them if they were the company behind Natal's camera technology and what they said made him sure they were, but more importantly, if he's right, he said it was very cool and impressive with how accurate it was and what it was capable of doing.
if it is < 75 they will sell godlike and will lead to many houses buying Natal-centered games - far better strategy then the 150 that 95% of xbox 360 users will not buy. Xbox 360 has by far the largest hardcore gamer consumer base - we aren't going to pay a lot for natal.
50 bucks isn't bad, I'd buy it if I had the money lying around. I thought it looked amazing the first time I saw it on E3, but my enthusiasm has been waning ever since. A low price point (50 - 70) would definitely make me reconsider buying it. Thats not really much more than buying a new game.
If its 50 dollars, awesome. Ill buy it. If its 80 bucks, ill still get it. 100, why not. But only if the games that incorporate it on day one are worth the asking price. Thats the only way.
i would get it for 50 to 75 dollars
I'd love for it to be $50, as that would make me more likely to pick it up. But seriously, why do we keep listening to this Michael Pachter windbag when he constantly makes predictions out of his butt that end up being totally wrong not to mention ludicrous? This guy seems to make this stuff up just to get his name in the news. I could make industry predictions and be right about as often as he is (wich is not very often). Pachter's a joke and I just don't see MS putting Natal out for under $100.
microsoft not worried about making money?yeah right,i bet they charge through the roof.