How Likely is a 250 GB Xbox 360?

Recently, advertisements have been seen on the German Amazon and on a South African retailers advertisement (see here) for a 250 GB Xbox 360 that includes two wireless controllers for about $400. The Amazon ad included Forza Motorsport 3. How likely are these ads to be true and if they are when will they be released?

Releasing a "Super Elite" console with a 250 GB hard drive would be a big change in Microsoft's strategy this generation. This generation they have focused on having cheaper entry prices than their competitors, and until recently have had the lowest price point on every level of their bundle system when compared to the PS3. Now that the PlayStation Slim has been released for $299, releasing a 250 GB console for $400 would make it not only the console with the biggest hard drive, but the most expensive console on the market. So far their strategy of having the cheapest console has worked extremely well, enabling them to get a sizable lead over the PlayStation 3 by targeting both those upgrading from Wiis and the hardcore gamer on a budget. Why would Microsoft change from such a successful strategy?

Maybe Microsoft feels they have the install base to gain more sales easily without being the cheapest console. Once a console has a certain undetermined amount of gamers with it, it begins to sell itself due to the recommendations of friends. This is especially true now that playing online has increased in popularity. If you have an Xbox 360, you're going to try to convince your friend to buy an Xbox 360 too so you can play online together. Is the 250 GB a sign of Microsoft's belief that they cannot be stopped?

Another possibility is that the 250 GB was planned to release soon but when the PlayStation Slim was released Microsoft realized that that wouldn't be a good move now that Sony's price is much more competitive. The released ads were released when they were supposed to be released, but Microsoft had pushed back or canceled the program. Unfortunately for Microsoft they forgot to notify the South African retailer and the German Amazon so they went forward with advertising the bundle. One problem with this theory is that Amazon.de advertised including Forza 3, which isn't going to be released till late October. Another problem is that the PlayStation Slim was one of the Internet's worst kept secrets, so Microsoft probably knew about it well in advance.

The most probably theory is that Microsoft has been planning the 250 GB release for late October in conjunction with Forza 3 and both retailers simply broke the news too early. There would be no reason that Amazon would include Forza 3 in the bundle unless it was set to release much later.

Sources:
http://www.newdesignworld.com/press/story/24399