Microsoft has distanced itself from suggestions that it plans to officially cut the price of the Xbox 360 Core System in the next few days, arguing that retailers have already chosen to do this of their own accord.
"Retail price is set by our retail partners," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer. "Retailers are already selling Xbox 360 Core System from £199.99, which we believe is outstanding value to consumers."
The Core System, which is a stripped down Xbox 360 sold without a hard disk, among other things, retails in most locations for £209.99, but various firms - most notably Play.com - have recently moved to a £199.99 price point.
The full Xbox 360 package, which includes a 20GB hard disk as well as an Xbox Live headset, retails for £279.99. Microsoft has repeatedly denied that it plans to cut the system's price in the run-up to Christmas.