Shane Kim deja caer una posible rebaja...

A number of people have asked Microsoft for a response to the PlayStation 3 price drop -- but, more importantly, when is Microsoft planning the same thing? Kim doesn't spell out a price drop in 2007, but he said this holiday is very important for Xbox 360 to win, and the company needs to move toward a mass-market price; Kim admits $300 and $350 aren't mass-market. Sounds like it's coming soon.

1UP: What is the mass-market price, and when will Xbox 360 achieve that?

Shane Kim: If you look back in history -- again, it's not just going to follow what's in history -- in some cases, 75 to 80 percent of the business gets done $199 and below. So, we're not quite there yet. I think that number can change over time because of inflation, greater capabilities; what we can do what Xbox 360, even the core system, is far beyond what you could do before in previous generations. Who knows? Maybe $249 will be a mass-market price point -- but historically, $199 has been when you're talking a PlayStation 2-like install base. 80 percent of the business gets done at $199 and below. We're like the other guys, right?

We're trying to drive costs out of the system as much as possible so we can hit those price points. We're a little closer than Sony is with PlayStation 3, thankfully, but we're all trying to get that magic price point.

Are you going to move toward that in '07?

Kim: Stay tuned. We didn't announce anything here, didn't feel the need to. July is a very odd time to announce a price reduction. I'm not even sure Sony announced a price reduction, anyway [Kim is pointing to the fact that the PS3 launched with a $499 20GB version and a $599 60GB model; Sony discontinued the $499 20GB version in April 2007 in North America, so the company is essentially reducing the 60GB model to the 20GB price. --Ed.], but we don't feel the need to do it here at E3.