Amazon has cycled out the $479 Xbox One for the regular $499 Xbox One on their main page, but you can still purchase the $479 unit with free shipping]The standard edition of the Xbox One has been marked down to $479 on Amazon . The console's initial $499 price tag has been cut by $20.The 4% price slash may not seem like much, but there are plenty of people who may actually consider getting the console for $20 less, as opposed to going in right there on the tip of the $500 iceberg.Now if you think this is some kind of one-off sale or that perhaps this is just a single listing from a single e-tailer, think again.It's the new standard listing of the Standard Edition Xbox One. Keep calm, though, and don't get your Jimmies in a twist: the Titanfall bundle and other special editions of the Xbox One have been unaffected in their sales price. It's only the standard edition with a price cut.Moreover, you'll see that all the other third-party listings are all below $479. In fact, even with shipping included, the prices from places like “thesalesboss” offers the console for $429.99 with a $34.29 shipping tag. From there on, the price climbs all the way up to $479.87 with an $8.99 shipping fee.$499 is no longer the standard... at Amazon. You'll still have to pay premium prices at Gamestop. They don't care about your wallet!Even more than that, Amazon is throwing in a free digital code for, so anyone who orders from them right now will also get a free game, bringing the previous total value of $560 all the way down to $479.99 due to the free shipping. There's an additional two-year warranty available for an extra $33.70 that will push the Standard Edition back over the $500 line, but we can pretty much take this as Microsoft's unofficial price cut for North American gamers.This shouldn't be too surprising given that not too long ago Microsoft slashed the price of the Xbox One over in the UK down to £399.99, where it was previously £429.99 At that previous prices it just wasn't sustainable for the system to stay competitive. Microsoft is losing the eighth-gen race hand-over-foot to Sony and the unstoppable PlayStation 4 right now. Heck, even when the Xbox One “caught up” to the PS4 in weekly sales numbers, it was only because the PS4 was out of stock . It's a little like winning the first three rounds of a boxing match because your opponent stepped out of the ring to get the phone number of your trainer.Even more than that is the fact that the PS4's restocking came with a vengeance, asInterestingly enough, the surveys from back in July of 2013 estimated that within the first year of the PS4 and Xbox One's release, the PS4 would see an eventual 50% lead over the Xbox One in consumer purchasing. It looks like it's definitely becoming a reality, as the PlayStation 4 currently has a 37% lead in total sales over the Xbox One.If the PS4 keeps selling at its current rate, it'll hit that 50% mark before spring is out.These silent price slashes are like those hand-waves you give after cutting the cheese in a dark room, in hopes that maybe you can stealthily get the stink out of the room. Sorry pal, the silent fix rarely ever works. You either go big or you go home.Although, I have to ask: Is it safe to say it? Can I say it? “Desperation Mode, Activate!”