Xbox One price drops back to $349.99 again

Remember all that drama surrounding that “temporary” price cut that Microsoft offered for the Xbox One for the holidays? And the fact that it actually jumped back up to $399 a couple of weeks ago as the company originally planned?

Well, even after some healthy sales numbers for the month of December, Microsoft has decided to cut $50 off of the Xbox One console yet again. They are calling it a promotion this time and haven’t said anything regarding how temporary it will be, but Microsoft is clearly playing hardball.

Check out the announcement below from Phil Spencer, or at Major Nelson’s and the Xbox Wire.

I want to thank all of the Xbox fans who contributed to our record-setting holiday and making 2014 such a successful year. The Xbox One deals were quite popular and have inspired a new promotion starting January 16 where fans in the U.S. can buy an Xbox One for $349 at their preferred retailer.

Some interesting statistics about 2014:

? Xbox 360 became the best-selling seventh generation console of all time in the U.S.

? In 2014, users logged nearly 8 billion hours globally in apps across Xbox 360 and Xbox One, a
50 percent increase from time spent in 2013.

? Xbox One became the best-selling console in the U.S. in November and December and weekly average sales during these months outpaced Xbox 360 by 50 percent at the same point in its lifecycle.*

? Xbox One also sold more games throughout November and December in the U.S. than any other current-generation platform.*

? From November 24 to January 3, fans spent more time playing on Xbox than they ever have before, at any point in the history of Xbox.

? In the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta alone, 18 million games have been played to date.

The Xbox Wire has a great year in review summary and what to expect in 2015, including a few upcoming console titles and the future of PC gaming on Windows 10. You can find that article here.

* According to NPD Group