Argos claims 60GB 360 discontinued

By Robert Purchese Published 14 August, 2009

Updated: new retail sources come forward.

UK retailer Argos is claiming that Microsoft has binned the 60GB Xbox 360.

"We are very sorry but Microsoft have discontinued this line," the Argos listing offers (thanks to EG reader David for the heads-up).

Update: Eurogamer has been approached by member of a small chain of British retail stores who corroborates this story. Furthermore, the source claims Microsoft will increase the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade bundle and remove the free Xbox Live Arcade games from within.

No word yet on why, but we're trying to check with Microsoft. According to the same source, the Elite will now become the standard Xbox 360 console.

Earlier this summer, reports said Microsoft would discontinue the Premium 60GB model and move the Elite into its place. Perhaps they were right.

Microsoft has yet to respond.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (57) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DefdumBlindkid #1 3 years ago

    yeah like MS comment on anything!

  • StooMonster #2 3 years ago

    Microsoft know the Sony price cut is coming, plus the hardware relaunch with the Sony PlayStation 3 'slim', so they've discontinued the Pro and will reprice the Elite at its price point.

    The interesting question will be whether Microsoft reprice the Arcade model too.

  • Gouki #3 3 years ago

    does eurogamer do any research....? this is old news and has been confirmed but not from the horses mouth. Also Sony are not putting any more PS3's into the channel until September, possibly with announcement of the slim as early as next week. In the usa retailers have been told to dscount the pro model of the 360 and the arcade model will still sell as normal with a more havy push on the elite varaint.... shall i do the reporting for you eurogamer pfffft...

  • andijames #4 3 years ago

    Bollocks i bought one of these last week! If i held off another few weeks i could of got an elite for the same price! Sods law strikes again.

  • mashk #5 3 years ago

    Spare a thought for the poor sods still on the 20GB iteration. : (

  • muscleblade #6 3 years ago

    This is a very good decision. The Elite is the only way to go imo. You need a 120gb HDD anyway. The arcade is rubbish and is an excuse to have the cheapest console on the market i guess. I have a premium(release model), pro and an Elite version of 360 btw.

  • GiarcYekrub #7 3 years ago

    all I have is a 20GB HDD as my 360 is on it's way to Frankfurt

  • cianchristopher #8 3 years ago

    Sony are tipped to reveal on Tuesday next week. PS3 slim - it will retail for €100 less than the current models. So probably £199 or £229 and around €299 outside UK.

  • cianchristopher #9 3 years ago

    @ muscleblade: why do you have so many? what do you have - like 3 hands or something?

  • tomkuryakin #10 3 years ago

    I'm always amazed at how many 360 owners have more than one 360.

  • muscleblade #11 3 years ago

    Even though i have a 120Gb i have only about 11Gb free space right now. Even that size is getting too small imo.

  • Toothball #12 3 years ago

    @<a hrerf="http://www.eurogamer.net/arti cles/argos-claims-60gb-360-discontinued#comment1236595&q uot;>tomkuryakin</a>:

    One of the Band of Bugs load screens summed it up best. It said "A cockroach can survive for seven days without its head. A gamer can only survive for three days without their Xbox".

  • Darren #13 3 years ago

    If the Elite is replacing the Premium/Pro model then would that mean you'd be stuck with a dark model if you want a console with a hard drive included. Or are Microsoft planning on releasing a white Elite? Personally I think the darker 360 models don't look as aesthetically pleasing as the white ones.

  • Darren #14 3 years ago

    @tomkuryakin - "I'm always amazed at how many 360 owners have more than one 360."

    It's so you have a standby unit in case one inevitably breaks down. Also it probably explains how Microsoft have managed to sell 30 miliion units to date. ;)

    (I'm joking, I'm joking...)

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #15 3 years ago

    The Americans are apparently leaking the same info, as seen on Kotaku. In that leak they specifically say the Elite will be priced as the previous regular model.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/09 @ 13:12

  • Xerx3s #16 3 years ago

    I reckon that MS is in a very good position to undercut any action taken by sony. As for those wishing for a 100 quid price cut, it is extremely unlikely. A 50 quid cut might be feasible but that much? I highly doubt it. It's just not how sony does business atm and they have a massive loss on any machine sold anyway. It's much more likely that they will continue down the path that they have been on and (possibly) release a PS3 slim + add more value (games, controllers, etc.).

    Think about it: The psp go has far less hardware costs (UMD and stuff) but will cost you more than the standard version. Why would sony adopt a radically different policy with the ps3? One policy is right, it would mean that sony is knowingly using the wrong policy for the other.

    They can't raise the price, they can't drop it either. Their policy has always been that they add value. The most logical conclusion is that, if they release a PS3 slim at all, that they will add value.

  • CB.Gamestation #17 3 years ago

    This is what the industry is hearing from Microsoft.

    A company I know very well (ahem) has absolutely no 60GB XBOX 360 SKU availability. Not even for faulty exchanges. All stores have had none delivered for weeks now. Just Arcade and Elite pricing. I'm sure we've all seen those photos from America regarding the new packaging (i.e. just having a picture of Arcade + Elite on the side)

    I hope Elite's will be available in white as well as black... surely they've got loads of white cases knocking about?

  • Gaol #18 3 years ago

    As ever, the best thing for all us plebs is that the big corps are in a price war in a very competitive market. Long may it continue.

  • Calgon #19 3 years ago

    "PS3 slim - it will retail for €100 less than the current models."

    Im sure there will be a price cut of some sort because they are the ones who need to stimulate sales most but Im not so sure if the PS3 slim is gonna be ready for this year. Also didnt they charge more for their PS2 slim when it was first released over the standard one... Id expect they'd keep the slim at the current price and drop the price on the older SKUs to clear old stock.

    I expect MS have thought about using the upcoming Valhalla chip revision to make a smaller SKU too, they'd beable to make it smaller than the PS3 Slim and it might be a good move for getting more userbase in Japan.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/09 @ 13:24

  • Darren #20 3 years ago

    @TheStylishHobo - I think you made the fatal mistake of declaring your preference for a rival format if money was no object. You know how incredibly sensitive (immature?) some of these Xbox 360 owners are. ;)

  • muscleblade #21 3 years ago

    @TheStylishHobo

    I wouldnt buy a PS3 even if it was a lot cheaper. I simply dont need one. To me money isnt an issue - i buy the console(s) i want no matter the cost. Next gen it might be a another brand. I usually stick to one console each gen as there is more games that i have the time to play anyway. I owned both a gamecube and a Xbox last gen though. RE4 and Ninja Gaiden where both games i couldnt do without. This gen its all about the 360 so i might aswell have three.

    @darren

    Yeah you are joking but in my case its kind of true. I couldnt wait three weeks to get my first Xbox 360 back so i bought another one. And i couldnt resist the bloodred RE5 Elite and needed a bigger Harddrive too.

  • StooMonster #22 3 years ago

    The rumour is that Sony will drop retail price of PS3 by 25% in Europe i.e. €100, bringing it down to €299. A similar 25% price drop in the UK would see the price reduced to £225; although I think £229 is more likely, maybe more.

    A 120GB Xbox 360 Elite for £170 is going to leave a clear £60-ish price gap between the competing consoles; the current price differential between 360 Elite and PS3 is £80, so even though Sony drop the price by 25% the gap between them will have only fallen from £80 to £60.

  • muscleblade #23 3 years ago

    There is no reason to buy a PS3 over a 360 other than the Blueray thing even if the price was identical on both systems. Its actually the other way around. If the 360 did cost more than the PS3 i would still buy a 360.

  • Xerx3s #24 3 years ago

    "Darren isn't rambling madly"

    First time for everything I guess. :p

  • Iain815 #25 3 years ago

    muscleblade must bath in money.

  • muscleblade #26 3 years ago

    @TheStylishHobo

    What exclusives?

    You mean you prefer KZ2, MGS5 and Infamous over Halo3, Gears 2 and Crackdown. Ok then. I dont. Ive played all of these games. I enjoyed LBP quite a lot when i tried that. I admit.

  • NotSoSlim #27 3 years ago

    @ The StylishHobo

    I am with you on that one. Prefer PS3 exclusive to be honest
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/09 @ 13:51

  • muscleblade #28 3 years ago

    "muscleblade must bath in money. "

    Thats not true - but i do have a decent income and games and consoles arent very expensive considering how many hours of entertainment they offer. My fitness lifestyle is a lot more costly compared to gaming. I eat alot of beef.

  • muscleblade #29 3 years ago

    @TheStylishHobo and NotSoSlim

    I dont believe you actually played the exclusives on both consoles. Sorry.

  • NotSoSlim #30 3 years ago

    @ Muscleblade

    Well as i have a 360 i disagree and my gamerscore will show those games you just mention on my playliset. I am sure its not ignornce but it is possible for people to enjoy the games the PS3 offers and are going to offer more than the 360 counterparts.

  • Eighthours #31 3 years ago

    Moving the Elite to the Pro's price point would be a smart move.

    Getting rid of the Arcade and slotting the Pro into its place would be even better. But that's not going to happen.

  • WinterSnowblind #32 3 years ago

    I don't see the point of arguing over which library of games are better, whether or not you've played both is pretty irrelevant, it just depends on what games you like better. I own both consoles, but personally prefer the 360 by a wide margin.. That doesn't mean I think the PS3's is bad though.

    But this move by MS is pretty obvious, as it seems very likely Sony are about to release a slim model for around £250. Dumping the 60gb SKU and bringing down the Elite as the standard model makes a lot of sense.

  • BlueDot #33 3 years ago

    I'm thinking/fearing that the PS3 won't drop in price by very much in the UK. After all, the £ has drop in value enormously compares to the € since the PS3 was launch so Sony may want to even out the pricing to stop cross border imports.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/09 @ 14:37

  • muscleblade #34 3 years ago

    @TheStylishHobo and NotSoSlim

    Okay you proved your point. I was wrong about you both. Ive seen so many PS3 fanboys lying about owning both consoles i didnt bother to check your profiles beforehand. I usually do. The PS3 exclusives are great no doubt. I do love the Gears of war and Halo franchises and dont like MGS so i guess we have different taste thats all.

    Peace.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/09 @ 14:43

  • WinterSnowblind #35 3 years ago

    I could see the slim being slightly cheaper, but the early reports stated it would be £270, which is about the same as what the PS3 currently costs bundled with a game.. Still, a smaller (hopefully less ugly) model is welcome, but even just dropping it to £250 would have quite an impact, I think.

    I really hope Microsoft come out with a slim line model next year too. Release a more reliable version with a bigger HDD, and I'd probably get one.

  • likebees #36 3 years ago

    strange, i work in argos and we got some 60gb 360s in this morning

  • NotSoSlim #37 3 years ago

    I think Sony will have a base release price for the Slim and once the 80gb sells out that will go down to the 299 euros. Still think UK price will be £230 which aint bad but if the Elite goes £170 then Sony are back to square one

  • BabyJesus #38 3 years ago

    Drop the 120gb hd price, you tight bastards.

  • DanWhitehead #39 3 years ago

    The arcade is rubbish and is an excuse to have the cheapest console on the market i guess.

    Or it could just be that there are millions of potential customers who don't care about online play or downloading games.

  • MiniAmin #40 3 years ago

    I already have 360 and Wii. I hardly have any time to play games: I still haven't finished ancients like Bioshock, and Farcry 2...

    But if Sony drop the price of PS3 then I don't know how i'll relent. God of War and Uncharted 2 look GREAT.

  • bdaggers #41 3 years ago

    PS3 slim in 3, 2, 1 .....

  • Gaol #42 3 years ago

    "there are millions of potential customers who don't care about online play or downloading games"

    So true, I know at least half a dozen peeps who only want to play the latest FIFA against mates in the same room. Still a huge chunk of folk who aren't even online at home.

  • CreepinJesus #43 3 years ago

    You better be able to get it in white OR black... I am not having that ugly black thing in my house!

  • Eighthours #44 3 years ago

    God, I hope that update to the story isn't correct. A true facepalm moment if it is.

  • davisorle #45 3 years ago

    I thought I read it here as well but anyways, for those interested to know what's been announced:

    The Elite will replace it as a standard version since it will drop it's price by a whooping 100$ by August 30th.
    [link url=http://www.tomsguide.com/us/xbox-360-elite-pr ice-drop,news-4426.htm
    ]http://ww w.tomsguide.com/us/xbox-360-eli...[/link]

    Too bad I've had the original version from day one :/ If it was broken I'd havea good reason to get the Elite now :p

  • patchbox360 #46 3 years ago

    a ps3 is always cheaper in cost over the years when you factor in free online

  • BabyJesus #47 3 years ago

    @patchbox

    That depends if you want to play online or not, I like playing online with my 360 but I could easily game without it.

  • EmiliasHorse #48 3 years ago

    @Patchbox.
    Free it may be...but is it any good? No it is not.

    I love the PS3 but hate the slow dreary service that Sony provide. I use both on a very regular basis and have only good things to say for XBL (even more since the new patch), PSN is just depressing. That free download for vidbox was a huge waste of my life that failed constantly and when it finally worked I wished it had kept on failing to save my disappointment of the final product.
    Edited by 2 at 14/08/09 @ 20:00

  • davisorle #49 3 years ago

    It's funny how the Sonytards are minus rating my post which only states news about the article. Oh well I honestly enjoy it every time they prove how pathetic those kiddos are :) Go ahead make ur pityfull lives are worthless gamers a bit more interesting by making me laugh again. ^^

    But yeah its perfect timing to make Sony's incoming pricecut invisible as possible. Deal with it.

    Personally I would just need somethign more than an Uncharted other than a huge pricecut from Sony. Paying even just 200$ for a PS3 would need an excuse. Uncharted and worst quality multilpatforms isn't a good excuse to swap consoles.

  • rogueJT #50 3 years ago

    I have a 20Gb model and can't even install a full game because of my xbox live stuff.

  • The-Bodybuilder #51 3 years ago

    "I eat alot of beef."- muscleblade

    Nope, doesn't sound gay at all. :p

  • Nephirion #52 3 years ago

    It's interesting but I would say PC hardware is easily starting to pull clearer of the 360 graphically, So logically it will be harder to sell new 360's because:

    a) Most people have had one since 2005
    b) The 360 has no Blu-ray support
    c) Reliability issues

    Unless you make it:

    a) Slimmer
    b) Much quieter
    c) More reliable
    d) Blu-Ray support

    The question is will MS force developers to gimp there games graphically so people still want to buy the 360 version and not the PC while MS work on a new generation console?

    Lets face it you wouldnt buy a new PC with a graphics card designed 4 years ago for gaming ^^

  • makeamazing #53 3 years ago

    Its going to be interesting. It does seem a slim is on the way (due to reports of no stock of normal PS3s in Japan) and it seems MS are going to drop a SKU and move the elite in its place.

    The problem for Sony is the surprise was leaked along time ago about the slim, so MS has already got ready with its reply to take the sting out (they had already dropped the arcade so much there isnt much they can do on that front). I think there will be two major factors here:

    1. How much Sony cuts the price
    2. How many potential Xbox customers would buy an elite over the already cheaper Arcade.

    I do think MS made a massive mistake with the Arcade, because most consumers will ignore the price cutting of the elite. IMHO the arcade is what the PS3 is competing against (from a consumer looking at price point of view).

    Well it does make gaming cheaper for everyone, but interesting times :)

  • Bravestinsane #54 3 years ago

    @Nephirion

    My PC is already more than capable of blitzing the Xbox 360 and the PS3, yet i still play more games on my Xbox than PC, i usually reserve RTS for my PC (Empire Total War is amazing btw) yet i prefere shooters on the Xbox.

    Talking about PC's having better graphics than the Xbox 360 is pointless, you think the average consumer is going to fork out £199 for an xbox, with games (bundles) or pay £999 for a PC that can play games just as good.

    The same goes with the PS3 unless a consumer wants those exclusives or a blu ray player they will always buy the Xbox because it is cheaper.

    Graphics on both consoles are very similar.

    PS3 users can argue up MGS4, Uncharted

    360 user can argue up Gears of War, and Splinter Cell conviction (Those graphics do look amazing as well)

    Bringing a PC into a console argument is completly pointless, it will always win with graphics, personally though i prefere a gaming pad rather than a mouse and keyboard. But thats just personal preference.

  • makeamazing #55 3 years ago

    I actually think its working the other way. I used to be PC gamer through and through, had a PS1 and PS2, but didnt really buy many games for them (probably had no more than 5-8 games). This generation, I have a PS3, Xbox and Wii, Ive only got about 4 games for the Xbox, at least 10 for the wii (kids have some as well), and lots of games for the PS3 (at least 15). Even the 4 on the Xbox is more than the total of PC games I have purchased in quite a while (Total War and Spore being the last two). Why the change, dont seem to be many big releases on the PC anymore, but probably the main reason is when you work with PCs for many hours which I am sure many people here do, you dont want to sit at them playing games. Just want a break from PC's.. consoles I can sit on my sofa and relax.

    I am not too fussed with PCs being graphically better, they are still in close proximity to the consoles anyway. By the time the difference is big enough it will be time for the next generation.

  • man.the.king #56 3 years ago

    @DanWhitehead

    "Or it could just be that there are millions of potential customers who don't care about online play or downloading games. "

    I think that goes against the majority of the 360 hardcore gamer market who tout XBL and online as one of the big reasons to prefer the 360, in addition to it's games. My opinion is that the Arcade works as two things:
    (1) parents looking to buy a gift for their children and looking to spend less
    (2) replacement 360s (for dead or banned 360s)

  • Avaloner #57 3 years ago

    My guess would be.. a new arcade model with the 20gb HD, a new pro model with 160gb and a new elite with upwards of 240gb

  • sharoncollinsr #58 2 years ago

    I think argos voucher codes are more important than ever to people trying to save money on their shopping online at Argos online store, I love shopping at Argos.