Will E3 Mean a Bargain Bonanza for Outgoing Consoles?

With all the hype over the PS4 and X-Box One releases and forums lit up with expectations, one thing that you can always depend on – new technology is preceded by price cuts in the current tech.

Michael Pachter, a gaming industry analyst for Wedbush, published a note to investors recently where he said to expect the big boys to slash prices on their current systems. He also made predictions regarding the upcoming systems and games price points.

Likely with their new models rev’ing up in the wings, Microsoft and Nintendo will be cutting the prices of their X-Box 360 and PS-3 models respectively. It only makes sense as the same fate befell the original X-box and PS-2 some years ago.

However, he also made a prediction. Based on the weak performance of the Wii U in the United States, Pachter postulated that Nintendo could drop the price as much as $50.00 off the Basic and Deluxe sets. As of today, Nintendo has made no formal announcement that it intends to do so. In the past Nintendo has opted to create bundle packs instead of dropping prices.

So, will there be a market for these bargain basement consoles? With word flying around that used games may become a thing of the past and game designers likely will redirect their efforts to the newer models, you could pick up a PS-3 or an X-Box 360 for a steal but then be stuck with no new games coming out and used gaming stores struggling to remain open.

They may have to make room in that Atari E.T. landfill for all those consoles.