Xbox 360 launch down to 400,000 units?

Just import the 360's from Japan. I'm sure no one there is going to buy them. They'll be collecting dust in store shelves.

They shouldn't have let Pepsi give away an Xbox360 every 10 minutes for 2 months..

To call Project Gotham Racing a weak title shows how ignorant you really are.

I work in an independant games shop in the UK. We had about 50 pre-orders and we're getting 6 machines.

#1

130 reserves? If you're complaining about how many you get on launch why don't you buy M$?

From my own research.

Places with MORE pre-orders, get MORE units.

For example, in Seattle, one of the busy malls, I preordered my system around April or so.

At that time there were less than 50 people.

Now there is over 200!

So we get like 60 units.

Also you can call your EB and ask how many units they are *confirmed* to get.

I hope I get mine before the end of the year. I was in the first shipment, then I got bumped to the second! I was like wtf? But then the manager told me they have 158 pre-orders and I am #50. It's because EB games was expecting around 55 xbox 360 systems and 10 core systems, but now their only getting 36 xbox 360 systems and only 1 core system! There is not enough systems to meet pre-orders. He also said that Microsoft wrote a letter to all game disributers stating that the second shipment will come about two weeks after the launch of the 360. I am still going to camp out at Best Buy, Circuit City, Target or Fry's to get it at launch. Good luck to those that want one!

#45, BobaFett - Sorry, but you have some problems with your arguments. Halo 2 was a game, not a console. DVD's can be pressed by the millions much easier then it is to do the same for a console.

PSP launched in March...hardly the mad shopping season that Christmas is. Launching in spring and launching right before Christmas are two entirely different things.

Don't like PGR or COD, fine, but they ARE highly anticipated titles. I've purchased each game in the PGR series and will continue to do so as long as the quality is there.

Show me a launch that had better games, and a better variety of games, then the 360 has. Do you even remember the PS2 launch titles? Probably not because they were crap. Launch games are always poor indicators of a systems true power and the 360's launch games are no different.

Maybe you need to lower your expectations.

Hey, I work at a non-chain Game store. We somehow have 30. And only 15 preorders. We only get 5 core systems, but 25 Xbox 360s. So I have been playing it in our back room. But we only have Kameo, but when PDZ comes, I will take the 360 home. We're allowed! Did anyone else luck out like me?

KLind

I bet M$ will ship very limited quantities and then will SPIN "SOLD OUT AT LAUNCH"

--

Uh, yeah.. that's the point.. they're sending very few X360s and kindly including massing "XBOX 360 SOLD OUT" signs. Isn't that generous of them?

;)

See you can't do that with software, but hardware.. here comes MS with very very old trick for getting headlines...

It actually makes me want to get my money back... seriously. I was already told I'd be on the 2nd shipment, and now this crap. If this is hype, it may lose MS business from people like me who just don't want to keep waiting for something for weeks/months. Launch day is supposed to be friggin launch day. I shouldn't have to think about this crap. If Gamestop calls and tells me I have to wait more than a couple weeks... screw em. I'll take my money back and wait for the PS3 launch. If I have to wait, I'll just wait even longer for either a superior system or a price drop.

i called my local gamestop and was told that im not even close to geting it on launch day, i preordered on 9/9 and they said there cut off day for geting it on day one was the 2nd week of may, i guess ill just wait for ps3 now. i dont like waiting in line to see if i can get a system but i do like the excitement of going to the store crazy early to pick up a new console (knowing im geting it then and there,not maybe) on day one and meet other real fans of the hobby, thanx MS for screwing that up for me.
p.s: im 26 years old and have a 6 year old son,so im not just some kid that wants his toy, i just really enjoy the excitement of release day for a console.

#52

I'm just trying to say the % of res to actual systems recieved is low...this sux for those that did preorder, cuz even if they weren't promised first shipment, there will be some pissed off people...

Ha ha! This is funny reading all these report from little EB and GameStop shops who never get large shipments of ANYTHING. My Best Buy doesn't know how many we're getting, but we know it's going to be damn well more than 30 or 40 units at launch, and we're not a "Buzz" store. Those will be getting tons more than others.

Want an Xbox 360? Be at your local Best Buy at 8:00 AM on Nov. 22 and you'll probably have a good chance of getting one. I get one no matter what since I'm working that day and I get first crack at them, before we even open the doors.

As it is, I just spent my whole shift at work today watching customers play Xbox 360 games! It's quite awesome. Everybody thought it was great, except for a couple hardcore Sony fanboys who were convinced they'd have a PS3 by March of next year (yeah, right). They kept trying to say the slow-mo on the King Kong demo was "slowdown" (It's not. It's a deliberate slow-mo effect to show the impact of the punches in the T-Rex fight.)

As for Wal*Mart, I hear several stores STILL aren't turning on their 360 kiosks. Now I KNOW it's because they are discouraging crowds from hanging out there. Wal*Mart continues to suck.

ZeroCorpse you're dead on my man

I cant stand EB's pretentious BS. Why would a hole in the wall issue 150 pre-orders? Im sure theyre going to out wrestle the big chains like BestBuy, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, and such which carry other non game related Microsoft products. I do have beef with Best Buy employees hogging systems, though I'd be doing the same damn thing. If demand is this high, I see good things in the 360's future. You hear that developers? GET TO WORK!!

ZeroCorpse you're dead on my man

I cant stand EB's pretentious BS. Why would a hole in the wall issue 150 pre-orders? Im sure theyre going to out wrestle the big chains like BestBuy, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, and such which carry other non game related Microsoft products. I do have beef with Best Buy employees hogging systems, though I'd be doing the same damn thing. If demand is this high, I see good things in the 360's future. You hear that developers? GET TO WORK!!

I'm a gamestop employee myself here in washington state. We got forty thousand preorders and can only fulfil 3 of them. We've been calling people all week and they didn't like the news. This morning a dead baby was nailed to our manager's car as a warning and what appears to be a .22 slug crashed through our window and hit a copy of Half Life 2. This is getting way out of hand.

I just spoke to a game stop manager in Brooklyn and they told me that while they are only getting a few systems per store on lanuch day (~30 or so) old news right... but what she did let slip was that microsoft isnt shipping them out in bulk to game stop in one large 35,000 unit shippment or something like that, but rather in a daily shipments of 15-20 per store, this I assume is to create the illusion of a storage, but by limiting the flow of there units they can keep up the illusion that there just arent any around.

i went to blockbuster video .. they have a dept. there called game rush .. walked in put down 100$ depo. and im solid they only preordered like 10 premiums and no cores they were realistic in thier preorders where as EB and Game stop are not .. i mean come on do you honestly think that an EB store is going to get 100 premiums on the 22nd .. your better off going to best buy ... blame EB for taking so many preorders .. i mean it doesnt take a rocket expert to figure out they should have held their first shipment cut off to like 20

JollyGreen = dedicated fanboy.

BobaFett = someone who doesn't need to rush out to buy 360 for a handful of crappy games.

"Sorry, but you have some problems with your arguments. Halo 2 was a game, not a console. DVD's can be pressed by the millions much easier then it is to do the same for a console."

I was using Halo as an example of a game that makes you want to buy a system. A motivating factor. I did not call it a console. Software drives sales douche.

"Don't like PGR or COD, fine, but they ARE highly anticipated titles. I've purchased each game in the PGR series and will continue to do so as long as the quality is there."

Obviously the term 'highly anticipated' means highly anticipated by you. Someone who feeds the industries ridiculous pattern of churning out pointless sequel after pointless sequel. 'It's just like the last version with a couple new things and a little bit better graphics!!!' Idiot. Let me guess - you have every Madden as well......

"Show me a launch that had better games, and a better variety of games, then the 360 has. Do you even remember the PS2 launch titles? Probably not because they were crap. Launch games are always poor indicators of a systems true power and the 360's launch games are no different."

Wicked argument to buy. This is the best of a long line of lousy launches and the games are going to get way better because the launch titles always suck. Wow. I cannot wait to sit around and play Kameo and tell everyone how the next games are going to actually be 'next gen.'

"Maybe you need to lower your expectations."

Precisely the problem. I will not blindly accept another Microsoft marketing blitz like you will.....

OK I got lots to say about everything in this story and the comments posted, first off I think the 400K number is dead on what everyone needds to remeber is this is a GLOBAL LAUNCH, every system launch up to the 360 was never GLOBAL it would be North America first then a few months later Japan then a few months after that Europe, it has never been all these in a matter of a month. So low unit numbers should be expected.

Now onto EB not being able to meet pre-sells, this is a prime example why I HATE EB,GAMESTOP, and those small places liek them, they start pre-sells the day a rumor is started then they take boat loads of pre-sells then the system or game get deleayed, shipments get reduced, then a load of people are screwed. Toys r us did there pre-sells right, they waited till this week when they knew there shipment numbers and are pre-ordering the exact number they are getting, now people don't get screwed. As far as that goes my insiders at TRU tell me that they will have no XBOX360 systems for sale on the 22nd. the Core systems will be the only systems they have for first come first serve, all 360 systems go to pre-sells.

i just called my gamestop that I preordered the 360 from, and they said "Yeah you were originally scheduled to get it on the 1st wave, but for some reason Microsoft lessened our shipment, i dunno maybe to raise demand or something like that, like, its not us, it was microsofts decision, but you should definately be getting yours before Christmas"..............!!!!! HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!

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US May See As Many As 1,098,200 Xbox 360's On Launch Day
By Ron Swerdfiger
oxm.co.uk is reporting that the USA will get 1,098,200 Xbox 360's while the UK well only see 50,000 on launch

If you live in the UK, you might have a bit of a wait getting an new Xbox 360. The latest estimates suggest that the UK will only be getting a dismal 50,000 Xbox 360’s for launch day. Compare that to the Sony PSP which sold 185 units on its launch weekend in the UK.

The US however will be getting a lot more. It is expected that the US will see 1,098,200 units with 20% being allocated to core bundle packages. Large retailers such as Wal-Mark and Best Buy are expected to receive the majority of the shipment. Again, compare that to the Sony PS2 sold around 185,000 consoles for its launch back in 2000.

These numbers are coming from a booklet sent to Microsoft stock owners. The booklet also mention that Microsoft intends to sell 4-million Xbox 360’s within 5 months and expanding their Xbox live user base to 14-million.

This is shaping up to be a letdown, although it won't stop me from eventually getting my 360. Like many others, I have a core group of people that I game with online and unfortunately I'm the only one smart/stupid enough to pre-order the thing - if the pre-order even means anything at this point.

So even if I do get mine, none of my other friends will be getting it at launch. Seems in my case, I'll be playing emulated XBox games with my friends online if one of my pre-orders magically comes through.

It's sort of stressful and lame to have to cope with this shortage, and not get a 360 before the new year, but if it's honest and unavoidable, I guess we have to deal with it. It takes on epic proportions to us here as we visit this site and others every day and read about the ups and downs of all of these systems, but for the average Joe, it's just sold out until they can get it.

I have said it before and gotten flamed on here before, but it seems the 360 is being rushed out - these are the fucked-up things we have to accept. Instead of having the time to manufacture more boxes, then ship, Microsoft is taking the path of early release. Unfortunately, it's sound business: the only people that really care are the excitable early-adopting hardcore video gamers like you see on this site - and some of these people will get it on launch, so some of the hardcore will be happy too. The rest will wait and get it when they can, thrilled that they finally got the 'it' object. Your disdain and claims of abstaining until the PS3 ships will vaporize when you get a call saying your 360 has finally arrived.

By the way, I'm feeling it will be this way for the PS3 as well.

Why does everyone shop at EB and Gamestop anyways? Just go to some local brick and mortar non-gaming store and walk in on launch day.

if u go to some local brick and mortar non-gaming store, then be prepared to pay more than its really worth.

ill trooper is a wise man. I will name my baby after him. EVERYBODY read number 74. this man should be hired by microsoft. but anyway yeah im bummed about this shortage stuff as well, but gamestop informed me that it would take them to get me mine 7-10 days after launch. I was informed directly by the manager of a G.S. that they WILL be receiving daily shipments of 360's so hopefully everyone who ordered from there will get theres before x-mas. BTW i ordered mine on 9/19, so a week and a half aint too bad.
Good luck to everyone getting a console too...

After reading every comment here it's really hard to know what to believe. I reserved my 360 and PGR3(My system seller) at gamestop on the first or second of august. They told me right then and there that I would not be getting it on day one.

Of all the rumors the one that seems to make the most sense, or at least the one that I hope is true, is the rumor that all these stores will be recieving daily shipments. Makes sense really; make the system hard to get but, well, not hard to get.

If I have to wait a few more days or a week staring at the PGR3 case i have before me now, so be it. I have other things I can do in the meantime, like get laid ha ha!

4 years: 20 million units
5 years: 90 million units (twice).
Uh yeah.....it all boils down to preference. I guess my preference just happens to coincide with the majority.
Heh-Heh-Heh. Take that as u wish.
Bye-Bye!

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/668/668446p1.html

ENJOY! :-)

Maybe I was the luckiest XBox 360 "buyer" in the world. I was able to walk into my Target Store in Hiram Georgia on Nov. 23 (The day after release) and walk out with a unit. I called every friend I know and ended up with 5 units in 2 hours. Of course now they are all sold out and I still have 4 units left. I sold one on ebay and doubled my money already, and the rest are all in line for sale on Ebay... so Thanks MS.

Personally I don't even care about the XBOX 360, I am a die hard Nintendo fan for life (that's right i'm a Mario loving, mushroom eating, Zelda geek for life!) and I will wait my ass off for the new Revolution. I still love my game cube, and after doing a head to head comparison of the Game Cube (with HD Cable) and XBOX 360 on my 62" Plasma, I can rest assured there will be no XBOX taking my attention from the Nintendo.

As far as the shortage goes, it's no big conspiracy, the 90 Day Global Launch (Over Ambitious even for Microsoft, who is manufacuring these units at a nearly $160 LOSS per unit) was way to much pressure for the time frame. Anytime your relying on an entire network of people to "Get it Right" there is bound to be a few fumbles.

I think a few more units will roll in before christmas, but it won't be until very late Jan. or early Feb. before you can buy one off the shelf. When you factor in employee theft and filling delayed pre orders, could be as late as March.

Happy Holidays from a Non Xbox playing Nintendo FREAK!