Xbox 2 For 300 Dollars

The Xbox 2 could sell for under $300 (around £160) and three million of the next-gen consoles could be available around the world before the end of the year, according to analysts.
The cleverclogs over at Goldman Sachs have drawn up some research notes that indicate Microsoft could be about to unleash the Xbox 2 sooner and cheaper than anyone was expecting.

The analysts predict that the system will be available in US stores in October of November this year, sporting a rather slimline salestag of anything between $249-$299 (around £130 to £160).

This would place Xbox 2 at the lower end of the consumer market and make it more accessible to gamers, according to the analysts.

The Xbox 2, which is set to make its public debut during a special MTV show on May 12/13, was already widely expected to be available before the end of the year. Rumours of a simultaneous worldwide release have so far remained unconfirmed but Goldman Sachs estimates that three million will be available across the globe before Christmas.
Representatives from Microsoft were unavailable for comment at the time of press.

The Goldman Sachs analysts also addressed Sony's PS3, stating that they expected a late 2005/early 2006 Japanese launch for the console with a US and European launch to follow in mid 2006.

All interesting stuff, but totally unconfirmed at the moment. More news soon as the next-gen express thunders onwards.