Microsoft has announced another price cut for its Xbox 360 Elite games console, which will retail for about €250 from today.

This follows an €80 reduction in March. Last Christmas the Elite, which has a 120GB hard drive, was selling for about €450.

This year Microsoft has increased the services available through the Xbox to include Sky TV and social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Microsoft also announced that the Xbox 360 Pro, with a 60GB hard drive, is to be phased out, while the entry- level Xbox 360 Arcade will continue to sell at €200.