The Xbox 360's HD DVD player continues to drop in price, this time hitting $129.99 in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

I'll let you, Destructoid readers, speculate why the player has dropped in price again, this time with a $50 chop. I think I can remain neutral and say that $130 is a pretty good deal for a HD DVD player, especially when bundled with the 5 free movies deal (PDF file).

Best Buy offers a slightly better price on the external player, asking ten dollars less than the new suggested retail price. 

I think that Microsoft could do even better on the price. Regardless of wether they're dropping the price to reduce stock or make a push against Blu-ray, I think a sub-$100 price point would make more of an impact. Of course, there are many who will say that even this is too much for a "dead format." But I think there's still some consumer interest in the format. The only problem is that this price drop may not be enough to make a real difference.

Will you be rushing out to grab this discounted player? 

[Via Major Nelson]