Microsoft: Get $99 Xbox 360 If You Sign Up For Xbox Live Gold

SEATTLE -- Microsoft is offering its Xbox 360 gaming consoles with the Kinect motion controller for $99 for people who sign up for a two-year Xbox Live Gold membership at $15 per month.

Microsoft Corp. says people who buy the console at the discounted price but cancel the monthly Live membership are subject to an early termination fee. The fee ranges from $12 to $250 depending on when they cancel. Xbox 360 owners mainly use the Live service to play multiplayer games such as "Call of Duty" online.

Normally, the 4-gigabyte Xbox plus the Kinect costs $300. The catch? The deal is only available in Microsoft's stores and prospective buyers must show up in person to redeem the offer.

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Comments

[acarrillo0989]

04:51 PM on 05/08/2012

I would say that this is a bad idea for anyone to take this deal. For the 24 months commitment, it would cost $360, way above how much it would be to get a yearly gold card for $50, thus being $100 for the same timeframe.

Also, people have to consider that Microsoft is working on a new generation console, and what to say that they won't have this out by the time that 24 months are up.

I think this is a bad deal all around.

[CRMurray]

02:07 PM on 05/08/2012

People are omitting a very important piece of info. This comes with a 4GB hard drive. That is NOTHING. when it comes to game installs and patches. The deal is good on the surface but you will have a full hard drive by the time you hit your 3rd game.

I wouldn't suggest this to anyone.

[StarGazr5992]

01:11 PM on 05/08/2012

Yeah so where is there a store? no where

[Drama Llama]

10:05 AM on 05/08/2012

4gig xbox? is the story correct with 4gb in the offer?

seems dumb Microsoft would offer a 4gb as it would cut down on peoples ability to purchase movies or games from the online store because they have no space for it.

Just make it a 250gb and charge $20 a month for the live service instead.

[anthonytaurus]

09:57 AM on 05/08/2012

This is not a bad deal for people who don't want to pay or can't pay that upfront price. It's no different than what cell phone companies are doing right now. How many of us can drop $600+ on a smartphone as opposed to $150 to $200 w/contract.

If the math I see in other comments is correct ($420 vs $460), a 9% to 10% increase in total cost isn't bad at all. After 2 years, that's less than $2 per month.

Unfortunately, the only reason I would bother getting XBox is for Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Play that game while high.. FUN FUN FUN!!

[mr whiteffolks]

09:50 AM on 05/08/2012

They lure you in with a $99 price tag for the console then whammo they hit you with the Xbox Live mandatory subscription much like the cell phone companies lure you in with the $199 (MSRP $500) cell phone if you agree to a two year contract ! You can only get this deal at a Microsoft store with a coupon code ! Hmmm ! If you cancel your Xbox Live account subscription before the two years are up, you'll be subjected to an early termination penalty. That penalty starts at $250, but after a period of five months, it starts decreasing by $12 per month.

If you break the contract, you get hit with outrageous penalty fees !

The video game companies have now figured out as banks and others have done, how to fleece the American consumer by charging fee on top of fee for the exact same thing !

Video game companies were/are complaining that selling used video games is unfair to them because they make no money from the sell so now some companies, like EA Sports, charge a $10.00 fee if you buy a used game and want to play online !

I guess they figured if they couldn't make a penny on used game sales, they would find another way to make money twice on the same game !

And the fleecing of the American consumer continues ! Thanks Ronnie !

[berserkerich]

08:55 AM on 05/08/2012

Isn't the membership normally $5/month? $15 has to be a typo...

[jsimpy]

07:33 AM on 05/08/2012

OK wait.
Normally, its $300 + $120 gold membership (2 years) = $420.
Now this deal is $100 for the system + $15/month x 2 years = $460.
What am I missing?

[thx1139]

07:43 AM on 05/08/2012

Tell me how much it costs if you put the $420 on a credit card and pay for it over 2 years?

[jsimpy]

07:49 AM on 05/08/2012

I don't use credit cards, couldn't tell you.

[ykk9]

12:26 PM on 05/08/2012

Two year financing for a flat 20 bucks.

[lumiloomz]

05:20 AM on 05/08/2012

so you spend $460 for a $300 console and this is a good deal why? Added that 12 month XBOX Live subscriptions cost >$50 for 12months and if you buy at the right time often cheaper.

So cost is about $60 less with just spending the $300, and don't they still give 3months Xbox Live for free when you buy a new one???

No go on this "deal"

[jgeurian21]

09:17 AM on 05/08/2012

Actually it is better than buying one with a credit card. You actually end up paying less if you finance through MS than say, Visa or Mastercard.

[indecisiveh]

09:50 PM on 05/07/2012

Nice. As a gamer I approve.

[Ash G]

08:58 PM on 05/07/2012

The lack of comments here indicates that most of the readers are at MSFT stores, picking up their Xboxes as of now.

[MIMom]

10:25 PM on 05/09/2012

I wouldn't read it that way -- I'd say most know it's a scam, so why comment on it?

[Ash G]

11:06 PM on 05/09/2012

Believe me, if people thought this was a scam there would be at least a thousand messages here. Didn't you notice how Apple scam is reacted to here?

[harveyr2]

08:09 PM on 05/07/2012

Xbox ... opportunity wasted. What could have been a beach head for Microsoft's PC foray, has been badly mismanaged.

[nadohawk]

07:51 PM on 05/07/2012

Don't forget the early termination fee.

[McDoodleArt]

07:18 PM on 05/07/2012

No thanks, I'll stick with my PC and not have to pay anything to play COD games, except the cost of the game.

[cobrakai2002]

11:54 PM on 05/07/2012

PC C.O.D. players are inferior. The best play on xbox.

[Desolati0n]

07:24 AM on 05/08/2012

Are you sure about that? We don't have to pay for DLC's and we can get graphics in the best quality oh and online is free.