Xbox 360 price drop: Is the proof in the print?

The Xbox 360 price drop rumor isn't really much of a rumor anymore. No one is calling it that, anyway. These past few days, the video game blogosphere has been circulating varied pictures of leaked print advertisements and paperwork from Toys R Us, Circuit City (which has been mislabeled Target in some posts), and Wal-Mart, all showing a $50 price drop on the Xbox 360 Premium system. Hell, if someone adds a GameStop or Target ad, we'll have a royal flush.

Even with these scans, we don't like to use words like 'confirmed' yet. It's not like we don't believe it, but followers of the U.S. holiday season's Black Friday craze can tell you that some items and prices in 'official' print ads never see the light of day. As for the real word on a price drop, we've been trying to plug away at our retail contacts, but no one will crack. No one will confirm anything.

The folks at Xbox Family say that they've heard that Microsoft is upset about these leaks, and that the company is trying to regroup and do 'damage control'. This also has not been confirmed, but is definitely interesting. They go on to mention that the time line could be moved forward.

Last week we told you about the Hollywood Reporter article telling us to expect a $50 price drop on August 8th. They felt strongly enough their tip to run with it and print it, and it all sounds right, but this still isn't official word from Microsoft.  

One thing's for sure: no one is going to be surprised about a $50 price drop when it finally happens. All we can do now is compile all of the leaked information and say "Look!" again until we hear official word. Let us know what you've heard.