Two retailers - HMV and GAME - make bold price cuts on just ahead of the holiday, bringing the console's price down by more than a third.

Xbox 360 consoles are now available for 109.97 GBP at GAME and 109.97 GBP at HMV. That's a 50 GBP drop from the original price.

It's difficult to overstate how surprising this sale is, but it's worth taking advantage of if you haven't jumped aboard the 360 bandwagon already.

There's no indication of how long either GAME or HMV will be offering the console at these prices - neither listing says the price is a limited time offer. While it's hard to believe that such a low sticker will stay through 2010, perhaps pressure from are behind the move.

By Tracy Erickson