We here in the US know a lot about subsidized model for electronic goods. The big one is, of course, cell phones. You pay a low price for a top of the line smartphone, but you are locked into your carrier for 2 years and must pay a minimum fee. Well, Microsoft's looking to try that out with the
Xbox 360.
The Verge has news that you'll be seeing a launch next week of a $99 Xbox 360 w/ Kinect bundle from Microsoft with a monthly cost of $15. That gives you a 2 year warranty on the 360 as well as access to Xbox Live Gold.
If you were to buy it outright right now, the it would cost you a total of $420. The new way will cost you a total of $459 over two years. For those that can't fork over the money up front, this is a way to do it if you want the 360 and Kinect and have the ability to budget in a monthly payment for two two years.
This is pretty damn interesting and something we'll have to keep an eye out to see how well it works. Maybe this is a beta test for future consoles and you can be damn sure Nintendo and Sony's watching to see how well this takes off for them to consider this model.
