Toshiba has upped the stakes in the battle for control of the UK MSX market with a £40 price-cut, making its HX-10 machine one of the cheapest.

The company has also extended its three year guarantee offer (longer than many people own a micro) until March 31.

Add to this the machine's bundled software and the Toshiba looks just about the best MSX deal this Christmas, with only the Goldstar undercutting it (by £10), and the Spectravideo rivalling it with slightly enhanced features.

No other MSX manufacturer seemed to be responding to the Toshiba price-cut as PCN went to press, but some outlets are promising to cut Sanyo prices by £60 soon after Christmas. Equally, the lesser known manufacturers will have to try to maintain a price differential to stop customers flocking to famous names such as Sony and Toshiba who, as far as customers are concerned, have a good track record in electronics.

Aside from price competition among MSX companies, the machines also face still competition this Christmas from Commodore, Sinclair and Atari, and it's difficult to see how sales can be anything other than disappointing while the machines remain above the £200 mark.

The JVC is among the pricier machines, and has so far sold only a few thousand. Toshiba has certainly sold more, but the company was unable to say how many. Most of the manufacturers haven't been in the country long enough for their figures to have any great significance.

But the limited impact of MSX so far doesn't seem to be discouraging the companies. The Mitsubishi is now in the UK at £245 for the 32K version or £299 for 64K, although its distribution isn't particularly wide at the moment. Kuma, which produces a number of books and add-ons for MSX machines, says it has already had a fair number of enquiries from Mitsubishi owners. This may be because customers view the 32K version as a cheap alternative.

Panasonic's machine should also be available by Christmas, while Philips will probably sell its MSX machine in the UK early next year. Considering the number of companies now involved it's difficult to visualise the machines staying at their current price level for long.

If prices in Japan are anything to go by there's certainly scope for cuts. Bottom of the market in the land of MSX is the Casio, which is going for £80-£90, and assuming the company is making a profit on this it shouldn't be beyond the wit of the manufacturers to sell MSX for around £150 here. This is a common price forecast inside the MSX fraternity, but its timing is another matter altogether.