$99 Subscription Xbox 360 Coming to GameStop And Best Buy, I’m Questioning The Value

$99 Xbox 360 subscription program expanding, at an expensive cost. Both GameStop and BestBuy will offer this subscription

There are now more ways to get a cheap Xbox 360, as long as you can pay for the next two years

If you’re in the market for an Xbox 360 this late, not only do you have plenty of options but you also have plenty of price points. The cheapest is the $99 Xbox 360, which comes with a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription and Kinect.

Sounds great, right? The bundle comes with a 4GB Xbox 360, Kinect and the two-year Xbox Live gold subscription, so you can do everything from trash talking on Call of Duty to streaming through Netflix. The catch? You’re going to pay $14.99, monthly.

In the age of a subscription-for-service business model, paying out another monthly fee may not be the most attractive deal. To be honest I like to pay for something I know that I own; the only time I pay a subscription is for Xbox Live, and my iPhone. That’s because the only option is a subscription for those services.

Better Options Available

One downside is that you’re locked into the two-year contract, unless you want to pay an expensive cancellation fee. The Durango Xbox is going to be announced next year – count on it – which means we’re getting a holiday 2013 or early 2014 release. The Xbox 360 launched Christmas 2005, but it was quickly sold out and inflated prices arrived on eBay. I know: I was one to buy the console in January, which was still incredibly early.

Comparing the bundle to the other options to buy the console, the Xbox 360 4GB console costs just $199.99 with Kinect on Amazon.com. The 12-month subscription costs $49.32 – two years is $98.64 – which in total means you’re paying $298.63. Factor in a 250GB or 320GB hard drive and you’re paying an extra $84.99 or $121.34 respectively. Compared to the $458.76 you’ll be paying for the $99 bundle, buying outright will cost a maximum of $318.97.

Though if a smaller form factor in the Xbox 360 Slim isn’t essential, by the Xbox Elite for $129.99 and a wireless adapter if needed for $43.82.