Dispute the value, not the price.

by WyldKard on April 16, 2009

A recent Gizmodo post caught our eye, in which Adam Frucci attempts to draw comparisons between the current generation by price. Asserts Frucci, “the prices of all three are incredibly close, and you can obviously fiddle with these configurations to change them.” And fiddle with Fucci’s ridiculous numbers we can, and should, because Frucci’s evaluation of the is sadly mismanaged, because not only does he include an extra $80 for four Motion Plus add-ons that do nothing for the console right now because they’re not even available yet, but he, in turn, leaves the $90 cost of the 360′s wi-fi adapter out of his baseline console pricing scheme. Is there any consistency to his madness?

Frucci may as well inflate the price of the by another $80 because he left out the Balance Board. Oh, and the price of component cables (even though they’re only 50 cents at Amazon). Come on, Frucci, pull your head out of your ass and realize that the cost of a console doesn’t include accessories that are currently unavailable, and, in fact, don’t have any games out which support them. That’s not to say that the Motion Plus won’t take off, but if they do, they may very well simply be incorporated into the remote at a future date anyway. Why emphasize them in a console price comparison as though they are required for today? Should we also add to the 360′s price because of the rumoured -like remote that may ship for the 360 later this year?

If Frucci’s not a -hater (and a 360 fan-boy to boot), we don’t know why he’d opt for the more expensive controller charging station, instead of the $33 one also available at Amazon. And why does Frucci incorporate the price of a quad charging station for the and , but only a dual charging station for the 360? By our estimates, Frucci’s price should sit squarely at $457, while the prices for the and 360 are $557 and $604, respectively (wi-fi included). We even threw the and 360 a bone here by removing the price of two games, since titles are not only $10 cheaper per title by Frucci’s estimates, but the comes with a game, which, via Frucci’s numbers, means that the is another $50 cheaper.

In other words, games aside, a is approximately $100 cheaper than a and about $150 cheaper than a 360 assuming one needs four controllers and a charging station. And that doesn’t even consider the annual costs of Live!, which accrues at least $40/year just for online multiplayer. So even with Frucci’s silly notion of including Motion Plus in this comparison, that’s only two years of multiplayer on the 360, which we gather, most 360 owners have already paid for (aww, shucks).

Sadly, Frucci and Gizmodo haven’t done anything but add flames to the latest console war. It’s one thing to dispute the value of money spent on each console, but that’s subjective depending on who the user is. From a pure price stand-point, however, the clearly wins, and even though we’re fond of the 360 as a heavyweight machine, the truth is that it’s the most expensive system available, even compared to ’s monstrosity. That’s true even if we don’t include the 360′s wireless adapter, because Live! is disproportionately expensive considering that and offer their online services for free.

Why all the hullabaloo? Because in a highly subjective argument regarding the console wars, there’s still a capacity for objectivity, and price is one of those. One can expound upon the merits of any console to argue for its purchase, but that doesn’t resolve the ugly reality of real costs. A solo gamer looking to play online can pick up a and get for just over $250. Fact. That same gamer can’t get down and dirty with a or 360 without dropping about $100 more. Fact. Buying three additional controllers doesn’t make the any less desirable from a pure price standpoint over its competition.

Let’s not argue value by obfuscating costs to try making a point, and stick with the truth, shall we? We’re looking at you, Frucci.

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