UK Xbox 360 marketing manager Dan Cornelius claims the Microsoft console is in a better position than the competition in the run up to this year's crucial Christmas season.

"With the launch of Elite and these price drops, the delta between Xbox 360 and PS3 in terms of value for money gets broader," Cornelius told MCV.

"It certainly puts us in a better position than our competitors going into the Christmas market.

"We now have a very powerful, high definition console at the same price point as Wii. That will really open the door to a broad audience going into Christmas."

The UK chief also believes the price difference between the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 highlights that Microsoft is not forcing consumers to "foot a huge bill for technology they don't need", referring to Sony's PS3 Blu-ray player.