Analysts don’t exactly hit the bull’s-eye with every prediction, and Webbush’s own Michael Pachter is the perfect example of this fact. People in his particular line of work are often wrong despite their educated guesses, but it’s difficult to not at least hear someone like Pachter out when he claims that the Xbox 720 will only cost $99.
“Consoles will have to be multiple purpose devices,” said Pachter at Develop. “The Xbox 720, this is my prediction, is going to be your television as well [as your game console]. You’ll be able to tune into television through it.”
With Microsoft recently introducing a cheaper 360 with a two-year contact, there’s evidence that this could be the model the company sticks by in the future. Pachter sees the 720 as the centerpiece of the living room; incorporating TV, gaming and various social services.
“The next Xbox will be Windows for sure, and you’ll be able to open up multiple TV channels in different windows and you’ll use SmartGlass to shoot off different channels to how ever many screens you want. That is happening, that I’m certain of.”
Whether or not a subscription-based, contractual device will be the only model Microsoft sells is yet to be seen. As of now, all of this is speculation, but speculation backed by recent trends the current state of the industry.
Does this idea interest you? Would you buy a $99 Xbox 720 if there was a subscription fee? Let us know what you think about this concept in the comments below!