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back to article O2 offers Xboxes instead of phone upgrades

O2 has become a games shop. The one-time mobile phone specialist said today it will allow its subscribers to upgrade to an Xbox 360 and Kinect add-on instead of a new phone. Pay-monthly customers can take the Xbox upgrade if they cough up £190. That nets them a 250GB console, Kinect and a choice of either Dance Central, …

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  1. Alistair MacRae

    This is pretty cool...

    I already have an Xbox and PS3, wouldn't mind the kinect though, if they did the kinect on its that would be good for me.

    Interesting info though. I've heard from a few friends they've had trouble getting decent upgrades from o2, their not willing give away good handsets, so maybe this new strategy is why?

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  2. Craig 12
    FAIL

    But but but....

    That bundle is only £290 anyway. This is ludicrously bad value and I guess in that sense, it's true to say they have become a high street game shop :)

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  3. David Neil
    FAIL

    Not exactly value

    You can get the same bundle for £299 at Game.

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  4. Anne Frank
    FAIL

    because I like spending more than is necessary!

    I don't understand the point of signing up to a new contract with the provider, without taking a new handset, but paying out MORE than I'd need to pay for the same console bundles in GAME or HMV....

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  5. Wize

    Just in time for Christmas

    I thought everyone that wanted a PS3/Xbox already had one.

    I can see a few of them going on ebay as unused.

    Games consoles - The gift that keeps on costing money.

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  6. bluesxman
    WTF?

    Or...

    Take a month-to-month SIM only contract and spend the savings on your chosen package.

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  7. JasonW

    The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits

    ... and to buy the bundle from elsewhere with no ties?

    Very quickly I've found the same £390 bundle for £290 - I suspect that one can easily save £120 on one's mobile contract too...

    Makes me wonder if anyone bothers to look at the total cost rather than the ongoing monthly cost.

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    1. Shaun 1
      Reply Icon

      Total cost

      Whenever I'm due a new upgrade, I end up making a spreadsheet working out the cost over the course of the contract, the cost for the first year etc.

      I even used to work out using the number of bundled minutes, the cost per minute and the cost per text. Then I moved to flext and that became somewhat irrelevent

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  8. paul brain
    Grenade

    Here's a crazy idea

    Instead of handing out 'free' laptops, xbox's etc... Couldn't we just have cheaper call and data tariffs ?

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Not that crazy

      O2 already do it. I'm on their sim only Simplicity deal, paying about £20 less per month than I would if I had a subsidised phone from them.

      Why you'd sign up this new deal I don't know.

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  9. Lottie
    Boffin

    weird!

    I wonder why this is? IT's not like the phones would cost more than the Xbox.

    Possibly though, if the users keep their phones, the xBox works out cheaper than having to pay for postage and disposal/ recycling costs of all the phones that get sent back (I'm assuming here that it's not just orange that do the "send your old phone back for recycling" thing)?

    To be perfectly honest though, I'd have a new phone. The great leaps that are happening now in handsets mean that trading up from a 2 year old smartphone to a new one will be amazing!

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    1. david bates
      Reply Icon

      easy

      a games console does not use network data -unlike a new smart phone; which will use lots.

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  10. Jimmy Floyd
    FAIL

    Gimmick

    My bank offers travel insurance and breakdown cover.

    That's utterly ridiculous too, and I told the nice woman behind the counter so last time they tried to 'upgrade' my account.

    Particularly since both insurance and breakdown cover are pretty crappy alternatives to the more usual options.

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  11. JP@O2
    Happy

    O2 offer specifics

    Hi all

    My name's JP and I work at O2 - I think there's been a bit of confusion about what we're offering. The O2 offer isn't exactly the same as those at other stores - we're offering a 250GB Xbox 360, Kinect for Xbox 360 (including Kinect Adventures) and two out of the following three things - Dance Central, Kinect Sports and a 12 month Xbox Live membership.

    This offer can work for people who are happy with the phone they already have but want to get into gaming or boost the gaming kit they already have. Having said that it's not something people have to take and we'll continue to offer a wide range of phones for people to pick from.

    Hope this clarifies things a bit!

    JP @ O2

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    1. bluesxman
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      misunderstanding?

      So on the one hand you are asking £190 for a package worth in the region of £350 and yet still charging the same monthly rate they'd probably be paying if they got an upgraded phone instead, and they will presumably be paying this monthly rate for at least a year. Or you're asking a wince inducing £390 for that same package, but oh so generously offered with no commitment.

      In what way do you think either of these is even close to a good deal?

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