New Proof of the $199 360 Rumor

"There it is (full size after the jump), according to VGChartz.com. (Thanks to eagle-eyed reader LoadedStatement). One of the site's members did a SKU inquiry on the 360 and got that screen, which shows the $199 price taking effect Sept. 7.
This apparently shows the SKU for the no-hard drive Arcade model. Other cuts are said to be coming for the Pro (60GB, $299) and Elite (120GB, $399), a development first reported by Ars Technica.
VGChartz follows the pic with a detailed analysis of what the new price points could mean for Microsoft, and the timing behind the price change. An excerpt:
The scheduling of the drop is telling as well. It takes place 1 week after Square Enix's 'Infinite Undiscovery' and 2 weeks before Harmonix/EA's 'Rock Band 2' - both exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform at the time of release and pricedrop (obviously, Rock Band 2 will ship in November for the other platforms).
The writer also peers into a crystal ball of sorts to guess at the production costs of the 360. Conclusion, down from $525 at launch to $140.15 to $182.19 today."

So this news isnt technically about a 360 related collectable but it is a 360 and thy can be collected. Before anyone gets too excited though this is the arcade SKU so it doesnt have a hard drive, just a memory card. Not a bad deal though, if true.

~Hotapplepie

Source: Kotaku