Xbox 360 Arcade getting UK price hike AND less stuff

Not again! Hot off the heels of Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 price hike, it’s been revealed by a number of British retailers that Microsoft is planning to raise the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade in the UK. Not only that, but the five XBLA games previously bundled with the system won’t be there. More money for less stuff? That’s how Microsoft rolls.

The Arcade currently retails for £129.99. From September 1, the system will instead cost £159.99. A number of 360 accessories are also expected price increases of several Pounds.

Microsoft is apparently using the same excuse Activision did, hiding behind what it believes to be a poor Pound-to-Euro currency exchange rate and using it to justify gouging more cash out of British wallets. It looks like Modern Warfare 2 has set a rather grim precedent, which greedy ol’ Microsoft is more than happy to follow. 

Something tells me that this isn’t the last we’ll see of this sort of bollocks. Grim times are ahead for British gamers.