Microsoft and Sony both launched their next generation of video game consoles in November of last year, going head-to-head for the hottest shopping period of the year. Sony has the edge on Microsoft in terms of price, but it seems Microsoft is willing to pay PS3 users to upgrade to an Xbox One.
The company is currently running a promotion that offers Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 E users a $100 Microsoft store credit in exchange for their console. Not at all unusual for a company to offer current customers a deal to trade in their last generation The kicker is that the deal also extends to Sony's PS3 as Microsoft attempts to lure fans of the competing platform to the land of Xbox.
People have complained about the price of the Xbox One since it was announced. The console comes bundled with Kinect, which obviously has an effect on the price, but Microsoft says it has no plans to sell the Xbox One without the motion sensing peripheral. As such, offering a $100 rebate is one way to appease shoppers. But is it a good deal? Not really.
Though the offer is advertised as $100 for trading in your old console, the fine print over on Microsoft's website implies that is actually the maximum trade in value and to get it, your console has to be in perfect condition and you have to buy an Xbox One at the same time. Check it out (emphasis added):
"To be eligible for trade in, product must power on and be in fully functional, working condition without broken/missing components, cracked display/housing or liquid damage, cannot be password protected, and include original chargers/accessories. To receive maximum trade in value, you must purchase an Xbox One at the same time."
A quick glance at eBay shows that a lot of Xbox 360s are going for $100 or more online. Depending on the condition of your Xbox and whether or not you're willing to throw in a few games (and why would you need those if you're getting the Xbox One, which lacks backward compatibility?), you can probably best Microsoft's offer or at least match it and get cold hard cash as opposed to a Microsoft store gift card.
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