that would be true if the consumer hadn't already spoke and said kinect is not worth it. This won't change anything. ms should try and convince the people who don't want the kinect, which is the majority, to pick up the stand alone. And at this price they won't. Most people who wanted the xbox but not kinect will now just recoup their money by selling it for 100
You'd be surprised what people will buy when they think they're getting a deal. Microsoft knows Kinect is not winning over consumers. They're clearly not making a big push for it anymore. At this point Microsoft is just going to try and squeeze whatever money they think they can get from people. They're not terribly concerned with it at this point. Like I said, they're targetting ignorant consumers and there are plenty of them. If Microsoft really was worried about getting Kinect into homes now they'd sell it alone for $100 and bundled for $450 or so.
You're acting as if I'm saying this will change things. I'm not. I'm simply saying that if Microsoft is not worried about how many Kinects they sell now and are instead focusing on getting as much back from each Kinect as they can then this strategy is ideal since they almost certainly slowed down production on it. It is also ideal in that case because should Kinect suddenly become popular again then it's already sitting at a price Microsoft would like and in a bundle that new buyers will leap for. This also gives Microsoft the ability to give a price drop on something they're overcharging for. Again, and I can't stress this enough, they're aiming for the ignorant consumer not the informed gamer.