XBOX 360 HD DVD Drive to Retail for $199 in the US

Microsoft today announced that its HD DVD add-on for the XBOX 360 will be released in the United States in mid-November with a price tag of $199.99. This comes just a week after the announcement that the drive would launch in Japan on November 22 for 19,800 yen ($170 USD).

Can’t complain about $200! Some HD-DVD players run an upwards of $700, so this is a great deal. There’s a couple things to note… first off is that instead of paying $700 for an HD-DVD player, you could pick up the Xbox 360 and this add-on for $600. On the other side of the coin, the PS3 will run around $600 also, but forces their luxury player on people.