Xboxist

Microsoft Over-Charges for Accessories. Do People Even Care?

GameStop let news spill of a new wireless adapter for the Xbox -- this time using the 802.11-n specification. The bad news is that it's going to cost $99.99, even though the rest of the world has seen wireless-n adapters for years now and for way, way cheaper.

Microsoft's decision to price the adapter at a 100 bucks continues a disappointing trend of over-charging for Xbox branded accessories. The biggest transgressor is still their proprietary hard-drives whose price-point fall far out of line with the amount of space you get.

Recently, Microsoft's cost cutting strategies have extended to their console packages as well. Along with the price dropping for the Elite, HDMI cables were dropped as well, turning it into an incomplete out-of-the-box system for HD-minded consumers. Another bad show of their marketing and sales strategy is pushing people to buy a recharageable battery for $10 for their wireless controllers and squeezing another $10 for the charge cable (which even if sold at $2 is too much because of the molasses slow charge time) or $20 for the quick charger. Worse yet, even if you want to play it wired you need to buy the $20 charge cable kit just to get the cable. It's either get the kit or drop money into regular batteries that last 25 hours at best. These seemingly basic items come standard out-of-the-box for Sony -- wireless wifi included, rechargeable battery built into the DualShock 3 included, and USB charge cable included.

Our question is whether or not frustrating consumers is worth the nickles they are saving through these cost-cutting measures that force consumers to upgrade their accessories to make the system enjoyable on a basic next-gen level. Since accessories sales are a main revenue stream on any console system it is a corporate policy that helps feed the bottom line.

It seems strange how coolly the public accepts these hidden costs in pursuit of a truly wireless next-gen gaming experience. Microsoft must be doing right by it or maybe the public just doesn't mind having wool over their eyes. In this economy, not that we'd expect it, but it'd be nice if companies would throw us a bone now and then -- but certainly not take things away from what was traditionally included the console package. Sadly, this seems to be the direction things are heading for Microsoft. It seems the public doesn't care as long as their perceived value of the brand is high, regardless of the true market value of the products. Chalk it up to effective marketing to silence the outrage.