Source: A post over at the garden of gaming knowledge known as the Gaming-Age Forums.

　　The official story: See below.

　　What we heard: Gamers love price drops--more go for less dough. With competition heating up in the console race, cutting the retail price of a system could mean the difference between first place and worst place. The price cut is a common tactic companies use to get a leg up on the competition, and it sometimes results in lower prices across the board.

　　However, those that are waiting for a price drop on the Xbox 360 will probably keep on waiting beyond this fall, as a Microsoft rep confirmed that the console would remain at its current $299 and $399 price points.

　　However, he never said anything about not getting more for your money. Over on the Gaming-Age forums, one poster who goes by the handle "Dr_Cogent" claims that a new Xbox 360 bundle with about $85 of throw-ins will go on sale beginning August 1 for just $399.

　　Allegedly, the new bundle will come with an Xbox 360, Project Gotham Racing 3 ($50 value), 1250 Xbox Live Marketplace points (just over $15), and a three-month Xbox Live Gold subscription card ($20 value). The post doesn't specify which Xbox the bundle will contain, but presumably it would be the 20GB hard-drive-equipped, $399 premium model.

　　The post also says that the original Xbox has been discontinued, but did not offer any evidence or reason.

　　The validity of the good Dr.'s source does leave a lot to be desired. Apparently a friend who is a Gaming-Age regular and works "for a large distributor" got the information, and asked Dr_Cogent to post the news for the community.

　　When asked for comment, a Microsoft rep would only say, "We don't provide details on our console manufacturing plans."

　　Even though the post reeks of eau du bogus, there are several reasons why this would make sense. Project Gotham Racing 3 was Microsoft's most well-received launch title, and because it's more than seven months old, it's losing value on store shelves. The game is also a part of a thriving online community, and is constantly rolling out downloadable packs for a price. Remember--this was the game that Microsoft used to pimp out its idea of microtransactions.

　　Adding 1250 Marketplace points and a three-month Xbox Live subscription gives new Xbox 360 adopters every reason to try out Marketplace, and could possibly convert some gamers into online shopaholics.

　　While this wouldn't be a true price drop, it is the next best thing and would be a brilliant move on Microsoft's part. And if it is bogus, Bill Gates should think about hiring Dr_Cogent into his marketing team--that is if Dr_Cogent isn't already a paid viral marketer.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Based on lack of any evidence, we're obligated to lean toward bogus, but our fingers are crossed for not bogus.