Xbox 360 sells 400K; Only 3% of units defective
by Blake Snow 
{ Dec 1st 2005 at 12:45PM }
According to Next Generation, technology research analyst P.J. McNealy estimates
300,000 to 400,000 Xbox 360s have been sold in the U.S in the last week. The analyst went on to say, "I
think [Microsoft] would have been happy to have sold another million if they could have. They just didn't have
them."
Apparently, major retailers have been left in the dark regarding replenishments, including Circuit City. And with the
upcoming European launch this weekend, shortages could be even worse.
In related news, Microsoft says the number of faulty Xbox 360s is less than 3% of total
units, this being below the average for new consumer electronic products.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Martez @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"Apparently, major retailers have been left in the dark regarding replenishments"
Best Buy (or at least many of the stores) get more on the 18th.
Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"Microsoft says the number of faulty Xbox 360s is less than 3% of total units."
And if anyone believes that BULLSHIT, then you are just the kind of idiot that Microsoft is counting on to shell out $500 for the Xbox 1.5 system.
CorrectingTheStupid @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Thanks for the update, now all the trashers and fanboys can shut up.
rico @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
ha ha ha sony fan boys it has begun. microsoft will rule
bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"Microsoft says the number of faulty Xbox 360s is less than 3% of total units"
The keywords here are... "Microsoft says", so now we know we can take it with a grain (or an overdose) of salt.
bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"haha microsoft will rule"
N64 sold half a million in their first day in Japan, and also half a million in their first day in America. Microsoft isn't doing that well for having such a hyped machine.
Jeremy Wright @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
bd: Actually, a statement like that, if proven blatantly false, is grounds for a BBB fine.
bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
It's a fact that the N64 did much better than the Xbox 360 in an even smaller market in less time.
Thanks for the warning anyway.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
While this low of a number is not suprising at all to me. I still have many beliefs that the numbers will be similar with the PS3, and quite possibly even the Rev.
The whole 3% thing is most likely "reported" units. Most people just send their consoles back and get new ones. Few people are stupid enough to call M$ and believe to get a real answer.
It is very easy to spot the "nerds" and/or "gamefreaks" out there. They are usually the people who are able to call a console, of all things, amazing. It is a box filled with metal that plays mediocre pictures. People only believe this to be "amazing" because of the lack of freedom within their lives.
The PS3 will be much different from the Xbox360. As you may already know, just look at the controller. I am not saying it will be better, I am not saying it will be worse. Mainly because I do not know. All I can say is that it will be an interesting ride.
Personally, I believe (and hope) that the good ol' Nintendo vs. Sony legacy will come back. I see good signs of it happening.
1. Gates is supporting M$ less and less (No gates, no publicity, buh-bye M$).
2. Praising Apple and using Linux is not something someone who practically owns Microsoft should be doing.
3. Vista and the 360 have a very obvious loss when it comes to support. Just look at some of the reports of hardware issues in the Vista betas. They may be betas, but they should not have so many issues.
Gates' is beginning to panic with Apple and Linux being such a major success. So he is trying to concentrate on his beloved Windows. If the Xbox (or 360) are doomed to be discontinued, that does not make a lick of a difference to him.
I believe the only company (or corperation) with enough "spunk" to lead us into our next-generation is Nintendo. Many people take stabs at Nintendo for making such a controller. But many, many more believe that it will be a complete success.
Personal survey:
11 of my friends ONLY want the PS3
5 of my friends ONLY want the Xbox360
27 of my friends ONLY want the Revolution
And... Well... 53 of my friends just don't give a shit.
You do the math.
bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Oh, and the percentage of defective N64 units was much less than that, even when taking Microsoft numbers as true.
Efren @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
You have 96 friends? Ha!
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Efren:
My school has over 2,000 people. I am adding my friends from there with my friends from my old school.
Stephen King @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
3% of 400,000 = 12,000 unhappy gamers
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Not Impressed (Demitri):
Can I be your friend? Wow, popular guy.
Mark B:
You are bitter man. Chill bro. Outside of freezing once in Madden football, my 360 has worked great. It has only frozen one time in 20+ hours of play and after I reset it, it worked fine. My brother in laws 360 has had zero problems.
Grindstone @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Unless Mark B and bd (former b) have any information to counter the 3% claim, they can keep their inflamatory remarks to themselves, as it seems they relish in causing strife here at joystiq, despite the declaration that they are gamers and not a fanboy to any consel.
Also, MS may not have sold as many as the Nintendo64, however, considering the number quoted above [300-400,000 units sold], I would stipulate that the 360 may be as popular if it were not for the shortage (myself being a prime example as I am #14 on a first shipment pre-order at Gamestop which has yet to be filled). Not that I am mad as the games I wanted have been pushed back to next year.
Nevertheless, regarding the report above, the analyst does state that he "thinks" that the 360 COULD have sold another million units if they had had them. Mark B, bd (formerly b) I await your analyst reports.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
In other news, Zathura, the movie where children play a board game that comes to life with some washed up comedian as their guide, is "the most original family movie of the year" according to a television ad I saw.
EdZ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
3% of 400,000 is still 12,000 defctive units. That's a lot of annoyed buyers.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I love how people on this site can never spell my name right, even though it is provided to you in brackets.
Jeff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"Actually, a statement like that, if proven blatantly false, is grounds for a BBB fine."
The BBB doesn't have the power to fine anybody. They're a private, independent organization (unlike, say, the ESRB, which can fine its own members - it is not independent of the industry).
All the BBB can do is give a company an unsatisfactory rating and publicize complaints against them.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"1. Gates is supporting M$ less and less (No gates, no publicity, buh-bye M$)."
Not Impressed (Demitri):
This is probably one of the most inaccurate, fanboyish statements I have ever seen on a message board. Thanks for playing though.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"Unless Mark B and bd (former b) have any information to counter the 3% claim, they can keep their inflamatory remarks to themselves, as it seems they relish in causing strife here at joystiq, despite the declaration that they are gamers and not a fanboy to any consel."
Let me counter by changing a few words to illustrate my point.
Unless the Liberal detractors have any information to counter President Bush's Iraq WMD claims, the Liberals can keep their inflamatory remarks to themselves, as it seems they relish in causing strife here in the United States, despite the declaration that they are patriots and have the country's best interests in mind.
Sometimes a healthy skepticism is wise.
Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
400,000 is NOTHING when you think about the fact that Sony sold 16 million PS2's LAST YEAR!! That was 2004, folks.
And this year (2005) Sony is expecting the PS2 to have sales around the 14 million range. Now THAT'S how you do it. Microsoft has a very, very long way to go before they can start bragging about a damn thing.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Not Impressed (Demitri...err...Dmitri)
And we love how you spelled the following words incorrectly in your post:
suprising instead of surprising
corperation instead of corporation
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
PJ:
How the hell does my post make me a fanboy?
Gates is already giving up on Microsoft. He uses Linux and praises Apple.
Inaccurate? There is a fucking video of him saying that Apple provides the best hardware known to man.
And he did a presentation at a university up here in Canada where he said that he believes Linux has the upper-hand and he prefers using it over Windows solely because of the fact that it is open source.
Know what open source is nub? Doubt it. So don't undermind my statements again.
Embassy Sweetz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
i think MS is content with the sales..i mean shit...they sold all they had and have who knows how many left on pre-order...i really wudnt complian about that..but then again..thats just me..and of course the N64 wud sell more..that system had so much hype and anticipation it was insane...especially coming from THE game company of the time whos last system is arguably one of th ebest ever...so yeh im not surpised n64 had such high sales...i know i got mine that christmas lol...
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Mark B:
Any how many PS3's was Sony able to deliver to their fanboys this year?
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
The fact that there were any unfilled pre-orders at all proves that Microsoft would have sold even more if there had been more. Personally, I'm number 96 on the second shipment at my local Gamestop. That's a lot of 360s that would have been bought on day one if they were available.
Except for the faulty consoles (something PS2 owners should be familiar with) I say the 360 launch was an unqualified success.
And one more thing, Linux is popular? What? The last I heard of it, it's main corporate use was for servers. And it's consumer use nears the zero mark.
tack @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Jeremy Wright
"Actually, a statement like that, if proven blatantly false, is grounds for a BBB fine."
LOL, the BBB can't fine anyone.
They are a membership driven (as a business, you can pay a yearly fee so you can say you're a member and get a sticker for your window) organization that keeps reports on customer complaints and if and how the companies deal with the complaint.
Now, in regards to the article, 3% = 9000 - 12000 defective units. What was the uproar over the iPod nano? .1%?
What I would expect MS to respond to is,
Is the cause for failure found?
Is it a problem with manufacturing or is a redesign in the works?
Are they going to (or have they) addressed it or are they just going to continue rolling out systems of which 97% of which work?
I'm one of the 97% club =)
LaughingTarget @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Sony did the same with the PS2 launch.
N64 and PS2 had the same launch unit sales, yet the outcome was very different. This means a whole lot of nothing.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Why do people bother to point out spelling mistakes? Does it make them feel like they have power over the initial target?
Congratulations! You noticed a spelling mistake!
Hooligan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Mark B says :"And this year (2005) Sony is expecting the PS2 to have sales around the 14 million range. Now THAT'S how you do it. Microsoft has a very, very long way to go before they can start bragging about a damn thing."
Dude, you must have a huge personal stake in the success of Sony to be so far up thier a**. Relax guy, when you grow up and get a job, you can buy every console, and enjoy them all. Don't blindly follow Sony/Nintendo/MS propaganda, you might miss out on a great game.
-Z- @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I think that should be more.. 3% is those who report or send in their defective consoles. so the real number remains unknown.
3% is still acceptable and 5% or more they might have some problem there.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Not Impressed (Dmitri)
Why do I think you are a fanboy?
Well, maybe because you have www.nintendo.com as your url link to your name...but that is probably irrelevant, right?
Or, maybe b/c of the "scientific" poll of your friends showed the PS3 and 360 way behind the Revolution, despite the fact that all other "scientific" polls show the Revolution in third place.
On the other hand, your post (#9) was SO objective, how could I doubt you man?
Unbelievable.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Personally. I regret buying a PS2, I really do. All it did was cause frusteration.
I wish I spent that money to buy a GameCube. Wouldn't have wanted an Xbox, since all my FPS games are on the PC. *cheapshot*
Laughing Man @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
So the constant word from MS is that they are on track to ship 3 million units in 90 days. They have managed to clear 10% of that in approx two weeks in one territory.
3% defective is 3k broken or overheating 360s.
That is given those numbers hold up. I can't remember where I read it but someone was questioning the methodology of those numbers based upon past speculations by that analyst.
As far as the BBB checking up on MS, no one's done jack to the company about their previous Xbox and it's ridiculous Thompson DVD drives; nor was anything done about the POWER SUPPLY THAT CAN CAUSE HOUSE FIRES until they issued a recall some several years into the product cycle.
Did anyone else notice that the first Xbox had a one year warranty. The new one has a 90 day warranty with an offer of extension for $60.
And did anyone else notice that Major Nelson's latest post in which he calls Xbox fans hoping to get their hands on one or those who preordered who didn't are nothing more than "Veruca Salts"?
What really fascinated me aboout that post, in which he basically turns on hardcore gamers and calls them whiners, is that it is nearly word for word similar to a post by an MSFT marketing guy on his blog. Obviously a memo is out and it shows that Nelson is nothing more than a marketing mouthpiece at heart.
http://www.majornelson.com/2005/11/30/replenishments-recall-rumors-and-replacements/
http://www.johnporcaro.com/2005/11/keep_checking_b.html
It's also funny because they state definitively there will be no recall. Um, for now, but who knows about three years from now?
It also goes back on the word one week ago that this week more units would be arriving in stores definitely.
And why do the 20 gig hard drives only have 13 gigs of storage?
And last of all, what's with the comment that "We have planned for this, and we have consoles, parts, and trained employees to handle the volume." when it comes to replacements. So they knew that 3% of their units are bad yields? They purposely withheld that many units as replacements?
They obviously have numbers or they're lying.
What it comes down to is this - MS are asking hardcore gamers, their actual base, to pay a premium and time and patience for this mis timed launch that had nothing to do with launching right other than beating PS3 to the gate. Look at the two biggest Japanese titles being delayed.
But they are delusional and think that 360 is going to be a lifestyle device for hipsters and multiethnic photogenic casual gamers.
Now they've made the device a frustrating to get, overpriced, obscure, somewhat technically difficult object in the zeitgeist - and that's to their base. Good luck convincing the hipsters who see Paris Hilton with one that they need 360.
Worst. Launch. Ever.
Clint @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
So...let's see...The PSP is the most successful launch this year! It sold 500,000 the first week in America. The Xbox 360 won't even beat the PSP this year. And all you fanboys thought Sony was worried about Xbox! LOL!
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Not Impressed (Dmitri):
LOL...you're killing me man. You took the whole forum to task for spelling your name wrong and then when we point out your spelling mistakes you come back with "Why do people bother to point out spelling mistakes?"
Honestly, that's funny dude.
Rymix @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
'Only' 3%?
This might be below the industry average, but I say this sucks, totally.
If my car was 'only' 3% unreliable, I would have to push it for three of every one hundred miles I drove. I would have thought 0.003% would have been an acceptable figure, and even that's poor.
I run webservers for a living, and if they are down for anything more than 0.001% of the time, I have to write a report for my boss.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Ok. So I want Rev > 360 and PS3. That is probably why I have nintendo.com on my URL. Also because of the fact that I own a DS which I play all the time on the bus.
Does that make me a fanboy?
I also owned a PS2 until I sold it and currently own a PSP which I never use.
Im sorry I support the products that I like?!
The poll is not a fake though. I asked many of my friends just for moments like this. When some jerkoff thinks he knows what is right and wrong between 3 products, one that has only released.
Personally. I want a rev because most of PS3 and 90% of 360 games will just end up being on my PC anyways.
Art Guy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
People have short memories.
The PS2 launched in the U.S. with 500,000 units, far short of the 1 million that was said to ship. There were a lot defective PS2s, more than the 360 is having, a least according to the info we have at hand.
For the 360 launch, we have 400,000 units for the U.S. another 300,000 units for Europe and an unknown number (to me anyways) going to Japan, in a span of a few weeks. So figure just short of 1 million units in the worldwide launch window.
All in all, not too bad of a launch.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Fair enough bro.
Embassy Sweetz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Your comments: laughing man...youve basically summerized EVERY launch from ANY company in the last 10 or so years...boo hoo...defects happen...shit goes wrong..if im microsoft id rather be hearing " we have to few systems dammit! sned more!" than " stop sending us these things no one is buying them!" ...so the shortage argument is stupid..its the holiday season..this was an inevitability...especially considering a " worldwide" launch...so stop acting like MS is the only company to have a few defects at launch and undershipments of product...its a major electronic device..its the holidays...the economy is gettin better...people have more cash to blow...this WILL happen...and did...
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Okay okay. People people people. I think we can all agree on one thing. 360 did not have the worst launch ever (or the Worst. Launch. Ever.)
I believe we all know that the honor of worst launch ever belongs to the Nokia N-Gage.
So dis on the 360 if you must, but at least qualify it as the 2nd worst launch ever. Probably 3rd if you count the CD-i.
Mark B @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Hooligan,
I have a PS2, Xbox, and a recently purchased DS. PLUS over 200 games the last time I checked. I'm doing better than fine.
And considering how LAME the 360's games are so far, I'm not missing out on anything at all. Bring on the PS3 and the Revolution!!
:-D
PickyPants @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Why do people never comment on the really good comments. Like SetupWeasels and LaughingMan's?
Because they make sense and are well informed?
If someone posts "THE XBOX IS TEH SUX" Everyone will jump on them and explain why they're wrong. But when faced with some real evidence, everyone kind of pusses away.
What is that?
Isurus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"And why do the 20 gig hard drives only have 13 gigs of storage?"
You don't actually own a 360, do you? Because if you did, you would realize that the 7 gig that are "missing" are actually taken up by content that MS pre-loaded onto the HDD. If you remove that content, bam, you have your 20 gig.
I have started to read this blog more for laughs than anything else now. The 360 is a great, fun machine. Only a fanboy, a non-gamer, or someone who has never had a chance to play around with it would say otherwise.
Dmitri, you are an MS hater. End of story. Odds are you are just one of those people who hate others that have a lot of success. Boohoo. Your quick "survey" is laughable at best. Apparently you have never heard of credibility, which your survey lacks on all levels. Why do you want only 2 consoles to choose from? Sony vs. Nintendo? What is so special about that? What about Nintendo vs. Atari or Nintendo vs. Sega? What is wrong with having 3 competitors? Competition too much for you? The fact you say your aren't a fanboy is also laughable. Take a look at the URL in your name links to. Someone might as well hand you a sign to wear that says "Fanboy".
I never hope for one console to do better than the other. That would be stupid (not surprising you do hope for that then, Dmitri). I simply purchase the consoles that look good and fun. 360 looked like a blast and it is, which is why I purchased it. If the others look good, I'll pick them up as well.
As far as the defects go, 3% isn't bad at all as far as I'm concerned. I can think of a lot more risky purchases that people could make. Besides, MS will repair them for free. How many other companies do that?
Don @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
hey #34...
you do know that there were so many defective psp units with dead pixels that sony refused to accept any returns from stores because there were so many.
also, in japan... the ceo of sony ADMITTED that there was a design flaw in the psp and people just needed to deal with it.
use any other system as an example here... but not the psp. that launch was a disaster with quality control. my personal first unit had 12 dead pixels.
diginutt @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I think that the funniest part of this little flame-war post is how no one read the article. They just saw the headline and immediately hit comments. No surprise, since it's the same people making the same ignorant statements every single time. If you took the time to read the article, the last sentence, while poorly written, states that the Xbox 360's defective unit total is below the average of 3%. Of course no one knows how much lower, but it is lower than 3%. Anyone care to flame me with the PS2's impressive track record upon its release? No please, really. ;)
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
LOL...PickyPants - hilarious man.
"If someone posts "THE XBOX IS TEH SUX" Everyone will..."
It feels good to laugh that hard. I'm too serious with my spell checker and everything...
Isurus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"The poll is not a fake though. I asked many of my friends just for moments like this. When some jerkoff thinks he knows what is right and wrong between 3 products, one that has only released."
No one said the poll is fake; they are saying it is meaningless. It is far too small of a sample, not to mention it isn't random. They are your friends and probably share many of your attitudes (hence, you are friends). Just because your friends feel that way, doesn't mean other populations do. What you are inferring is basically a logical fallacy. Basic statistics.
Also, to say you hope Revolution is better than other consoles does make you a fanboy, by definition. Especially given the anti-ms propoganda you are always spreading. Duh.