Everyone by now is most likely aware of Activision blaming the exchange rate of the pound versus the dollar as its scapegoat for the £54.99 price hike while every other retail release stays at £39.99 with a base of £49.99 as R.R.P. which retailers sucker unaware parents into thinking they are getting a deal when they aren't. Now while this hike has been marketed down to low as £42.99 on some online retail outlets such as gameplay.co.uk you will be hard pressed to find even a penny knocked off the hardened edition going at £69.99.

People may or may not be aware that Activision though the guise of Infinity Ward announced a limited edition console which comes with what will be the basic retail version of the game I taste it in my veins. which has been US priced at $399 not including tax, [God that is the one thing I do not envy about us sales prices the added stealth tax.] as it currently stand Xbox 360's in the UK are retailing at £199.99 Elite (seeming premiums are no longer produced). This is where there is a potential added rapeage by Activision, if a limited amount make it to UK shores which I assume will be. The package could retail at £249.99 which is a basic £50 rounded up profit on top of whatever basic profit Microsoft already make on top of the console, which is most likey the truth of the matter however it has potential to be much worse.

If this console is indeed as limited as it proclaims to be. Truth is it could go as far as a flat rate price exchange of $/£399.99 simply on the basis this console is limited and comes with an apparent not sold seperately 250GB Hard Drive [HDD from here on], additional controller over the standard one [also possibly limited edition design] and the game of COD:MW2. If you add a basic hike up for the HDD from basic elite i maybe see £20 legit mark up on price, additional controllers stand alone retail is basically £34.99 wireless, add the no discount COD:MW2 price of £54.99 I foresee UK sufferers of FPS syndrome out crying like the fanboys they already are. Because you just know they went to HMV [the only store chain in the UK to be allowed to sell the Prestige Edition of the game at £119.99] the fanboy rage will be overkill and the travesty of it all is some will still buy both.

But the breakdown even at that horrible price hike could still be claiming a discount! Here is a breakdown without over complicating things with mark ups and total:

Modern Warfare Console Bundle Extras Breakdown:
~Additional controller - £34.99
~Basic retail copy of COD:MW2 - £54.99
~Minimum! expected mark-up on a 250GB HDD - £20
~Elite Level Console - £199.99
Total = £309.97

So even if a fanboy did get this they’d pay £300 for the bundle, but will obviously want a prestige edition for his fanboy love of the game because they have defended the quality of the night vision goggles for whatever reason and has a previous pre-order that is essentially £120 which is an actual total of £509.96.
That is bad, but what’s worse is the HDD. At current R.R.P. a 120GB HDD is £129.99, but is usually found marked down to £99.99 which is double the price of the previous price of the 60GB HDD for £49.99 with discount [undiscounted it works out at £59.99 R.R.P.] and I was generous with the £20 mark-up because of it would cost for PC upgrades if you went to part markets.

But Microsoft [or Micro$oft on this occasion] would likely follow the previous patter and double the market value if this after 6 months came as a solo product, could end up retailing at £179.99 stand alone it can’t sell the same as the console because visually people would cry out. But it could reach such a ludicrous retail price but you'll be looking at £149.99 realistically if an across the board discount was to hit the HDD's. take away the stand alone price of 120 GB HDD's and that’s a £50 mark up. So in a realistic worst case scenario a fanboy would shell out a whopping £539.96!!! for essentially a game and a updated Hard Drive.

That is more than I spent on a dreamcast on its midnight release date with 8 release games extra controller and memory units! Ironically this is merely speculation as its only just been announced in the USA but if you planned on getting it there and a prestige Edition copy of the game. That’s a staggering $549.98 before tax.