Come on, come all, gamers.  If you've never bought an Xbox 360 and/or a PlayStation 3, now is your time.  Last week we reported on the price drop for the PlayStation 3 along with its slim and sexy new design that should finally make the console fly off the shelves like it never has before.  But Microsoft isn't going to stand for that.  When it comes to gamers, they own this town and they're not going to let Sony, with its over-due price drop and fancy-schmancy re-design to step up.  No.  Not without a fight.  So hit the jump to find out how Microsoft is stepping up its game (-ing console's market share).

A slightly controversial system, the Xbox has always had a tiered pricing system for different models.  As it currently stands, the "Xbox 360 Arcade" is $199, the "Xbox 360 Pro" is $299, and the "Xbox 360 Elite" is $399.  Well, that's how it stood, anyway.  Today, Variety (I know, right?) is reporting that beginning today, Microsoft is dropping the Elite, with its 120GB storage drive, down to $299.  The Pro will drop down to $250 until supplies run out.  The Arcade will remain at $199, you cheap bastard.

This is great news for gamers because by expanding the market for both consoles, the competition benefits everyone.  Exclusives are probably a thing of the past and Xbox will have to find a way to compete with PlayStation 3's Blu-ray player.  My prediction is that they'll make HD movies available for download (they're currently only available as rentals), but that's just speculation on my part.  Either way, this holiday season we can really see a bloodbath as consumers tear each other apart for affordable videogame consoles.

The Nintendo Wii will remain at $250 with gamers continuing their policy of ignoring it while their grandmothers try to play Wii Fit without damaging their new hip (Yes, come to me Wii Fanboys and suckle at my hate-teat).

Finally, if you're thinking about buying an Xbox 360, get it soon, as Microsoft is dropping the HDMI cable.