UK retailers stretch to meet Xbox 360 demand
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Oct 19th 2005 at 4:15PM }
Earlier we talked about the possibility that Microsoft may be faking a shortage of Xbox 360s in order to spur the American public to get out there and pre-order. Unfortunately, it's looking very likely that there will be a shortage in the U.K. Olly linked us to his blog with his experiences of dealing with several game retailers around the U.K.
In one post Olly found that independent and smaller game retailers are being offered a total of four Xbox 360s to sell. Even bigger stores like Toys R' Us only have around ten units for sale. The reason for this? Microsoft has only allocated 100,000 units to the UK in total. That's in comparison to the PSP's 250,000 units at launch; a console which is still suffering chronic shortages around 6 weeks after its launch.
So whilst it's likely that the U.S. will avoid the majority of shortages, the U.K. may not be so lucky. But then that raises the question of whether a temporary shortage is a better situation than having the U.K. launch delayed by a month or more. Is the chance of being able to pick up an Xbox 360 (with temporary shortages) better than having to wait six months to even see one in a store?
[Thanks, Olly]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TheMarioKarters @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
z0mg teh first post
SickNic @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I'd say that the hardcore gamers who preordered their xbox360 first should be able to get it on launch. If that means only 100,000 people will get it on launch and the rest have to wait, then so be it. The first people to preorder are the ones that have put their trust in MS the longest, and they shouldn't have to suffer because 1 million casuals decided they would give it a try...
BxJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Screw launch day, I'm not going to sweat over this one...I'll gladly get my XBox360 in January for my fucking Birthday than stress out over having to "experience" the first wave of the Next Generation. I'm too busy enjoying the current gen's final releases anyway.
SOCOM III
Shadow of the Colossus-TODAY!!!
Grand Theft Auto LCS-10/24
Soul Calibur 3-10/24
Resident Evil 4 (Extended)-10/24
that just this month alone....hmm...none of those kick ass titles are coming out for XBOX are they...jeez, that sucks.
takao @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
add Austrian retailers on that list as well.. so far one of the big-store retailer has "quite less than 10" premium packages per retail outlet and less than 20 core packages confirmed (no pre-ordering possible)... on top of that Microsoft Austria doesn't know if there will be an additional shipment before Christmas
this means perhaps 500 for them.. put in another few retail chains of the same size and you end up with less than 5.000 available for launch (or very likely until christmas) with perhaps 66% core packages
i guess we'll see "sold out" pretty soon and the whole craziness like with the PS2 all over again
OMGWTFBBQ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
I am still doubtful about them being able to meet demand in the states
http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/07/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm
anaylists (not just microsoft) are saying not enough units will be out
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Of course it'll be sold out. The trick for the marketing department is to deliver JUST ENOUGH Xbox 360s so that some people (not many people, just a few) go home empty-handed, determined to buy one as soon as the next shipment arrives.
This will sustain sales into the post-holiday season and will make those who DID manage to obtain an Xbox 360 much more likely to appreciate their purchases (and buy more games)!
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
damn it. i guess i should go to Saturn or Mediamarkt and place my order now so i'll have a wonderful birthday week. suck.
BenR @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Oh no, I'm so upset, I won't be able to buy an XBox 360. </sarcasm >
The UK market does seem to be very susceptible to this kind of hype - sad really, as it makes it harder to find good games in shops.
secretdubai @ Dec 18th 2005 9:42PM
Just imagine the wait for those of us in "unsupported" regions such as the Middle East and Africa.
My fear is that here in the Gulf we'll end up with a glut of NTSC boxes (everyone here uses PAL, except for a few American expats that may have shipped their US TVs over) and in particular we'll only get the crappy no-hard-drive models that I bet will hardly sell compared to the premium Xbox360.
I would try to ship one privately if it wasn't for the fact it will cost at least double the price in freight and customs "charges" (=bribes).