Microsoft has thrown petrol onto the console flames of war this week with the announcement that they are dropping the price of their famous black box to £129.99. This puts the Xbox price neck-and-neck with Gamecube, not to mention being £100 less than its original UK release price. It's no secret that Microsoft's console had a very merry Christmas last year and this, combined with floundering Gamecube sales, has seen the hefty Xbox nose its way in to second place in the hearts, minds and more importantly pockets, of UK gamers.
"We outsold some very long-established competition and enjoyed near sell-out status, gaining market share along the way," gushed a man with a title as weighty as his product: Peter Moore, corporate vice president, worldwide retail sales and marketing, home and entertainment division, Microsoft and incidentally, the former president of Sega US.
"This price change shows we are not content to rest on our laurels - we will continue to be aggressive in building upon this momentum throughout the year." However Nintendo are definitely not out for the count yet, and especially with the GBA-SP selling well since its release, there's still everything to play for.
That's not the only big move Microsoft has been making either, reported Wired magazine this week. The company has been showing more than just a passing interest in id Software's hugely anticipated upcoming title Doom III. The original Doom game rocketed forward PC gaming back in 1993, and the series has always been considered one of the great PC bastions. Now it looks like Microsoft has been flashing their cash about in the hopes of securing an Xbox exclusive release on the third title in the prestigious trilogy. It's unknown whether id Software have accepted or refused Microsoft's offer, but both PC and Xbox gamers worldwide are waiting with bated breath to see whether cold hard cash can triumph over a ten-year gaming legacy.
"Our work here is done" are the words adorning the front page of the FairPlay campaign site. Yes, we're saying farewell to the infamous campaign that grabbed headlines last year by bringing the subject of overpriced videogames into the public eye and urged gamers to show their dissatisfaction with the multi-billion dollar world-wide industry by not buying a single game for a week last December.
Those behind the campaign are standing down and claiming victory for FairPlay, citing a number of events as validation, including Nintento's conviction in the European court for illegal price fixing, the drop in the price of the Gamecube and a wave of price cutting across all formats "It's up to you, the videogame consumers, now," urges the site. "Keep refusing to buy games at the rip-off standard prices. Most new titles appear in second-hand sections within a couple of weeks of release - buy them there and save money, instead of boosting sales figures and reinforcing high prices by getting them on release day. Get together with friends and swap games, instead of pointlessly all buying copies of the same big titles."
Competition
This week we've got 10 DVD copies of M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller, Signs, to give away. Along with the blockbuster film, the DVD also contains 60 minutes of making-of footage and a behind the scenes tour. To win a copy, e-mail us at Online.Competitions@theguardian.com with the subject line: Signs DVD. Please provide your name, address and the answer to this question.
Which M Night Shyamalan featured a boy who could see ghosts?
Pokemon GBA competition
Due to a rogue Pokemon in the works, those of you entering the GBA Pokemon Sapphire competition last week may have had emailing problems. However the competition is still open and if you want to win yourself one of three copies of the excellent GBA Pokemon Sapphire Edition email us at Online.Competitions@theguardian.com with the subject line: Pokemon Sapphire. Please provide us with your name, address and the answer to this question.
Which Pokemon character likes to sing people to sleep?
