Circuit City receiving limited Xbox 360 replenishments

by Ben Striegel { Dec 12th 2005 at 8:30AM }

According to several tipsters, Circuit City has just received a new shipment of Xbox 360s which are available to be specially ordered on a first come, first served basis. Here's the catch: the warehouses that service several states each are only getting about 170 units per distributor, so don't expect your local store to receive more than 2 or 3 boxes. Both premium and core bundles will be for sale, though the ratio of premium bundles to core bundles is still unknown. The good news, though, is that anyone placing a special order for the 360 right now could presumably have their hands on a box within the next few days to a week. Of course, there's a chance that you'll have to settle for a lowly core package, though a crippled 360 is better than no 360, right? Just so we're clear, that there's what they call a rhetorical question.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

kingmanor @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Instead of a global launch microsoft should have shipped all those japanese xbox360 units here instead where people will actually buy them. I know they wanna be there first but waiting until an RPG is ready would not have been a bad idea

Anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

This is the only bad thing about the internets. Well not the only bad thing. Anyway, I work at C.C. on the weekends and we are not taking ANY special orders on the 360. They are solely on a first come, first served basis. Our computer system will not even accept a special order for them. The serial number must be scanned to complete the transaction, and you can't scan a serial number for something that isn't physically there. They will not even let the employee's that want one have one yet. We have to wait until they are in regular stock. Meaning they have to sit there for a few days and if no one buys them then we can purchase them. I really think that is a dumb rule, we do not get any kind of discount on game systems anyway. I don't know if that is just my store doing that or if this rule has come down from corporate.

TiaMaster @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Gotta love Joystiq and their opinionated writers with their same 'ol rhetoric about "crippled" Xboxes.

I have a Core System and have been playing COD2 and PDZ since launch day, and also been streaming music from one of my home PC's and my wife's iPod.

Somehow, Joystiq, I'm getting by without feeling crippled...
I wonder why that is since you're sure that the Core System is so inferior...

Oh, WAIT - I get it...because there are people out there who want BC and D/Lable content, then the whole idea of a Core System must be foolish.

I guess you could apply that same theory to anything -
Some people out there actually don't read this blog (yes, its true) so then by that same logic Joystiq must be an inferior and "crippled" blog.

Todd H. @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Good post #2! I am leaning more towards the Core System for the cost, I figure if I want to play my old Xbox games I can just leave my Xbox hooked up too.

Does anyone know if its possible to still play Halo 2 on the Core system? Also, what is the performance of Live on the Core System?

Also, what's the benefit of the memory card for the 360 other than saving games?

Todd H.

Macon Cheese @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Sweet lord, an opinion? On a blog?! Someone call the FCC, we can't let this go on!

Dude, chill out. The core package is "crippled" because of the very fact that the 360's HDD is now no longer mandatory and included on absolutely every system, so now game designers can't rely on it being there when they're creating the games, hence crippling the game's overall potential in the process. In my opinion, this is the 360's single greatest weakness.

Oops, did I just state an opinion? I'm sorry, I might have somehow infringed on your rights and inadvertently warped your perception of reality. Please disregard all of the above statements at your leisure, as they may irreparably damage your arguments.

Pixelantes Anonymous @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

How many distribution centers does CircuitCity have? 20?

In any case looks like CircuitCity is getting less than 5,000 units, less then 10,000 for sure.

Let's see how Microsoft is going to spin this. The press release should appear on majornelson.com and other Microsoft employees' blogs in about 3 days, me thinks.

LR @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

It's funny, if you go to Xbox360fanboy.com they're running the same article, but with a positive spin and without the crippled reference.

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2005/12/11/xbox-360s-at-circuit-city/

Yet again, Joystiq blog writers continue with their daily requirement to bash the 360.

I seriously don't understand why this is necessary on a GENERAL gaming site. I realize there are those who specifically like a certain system (be it Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft or whatever), but does that mean we have to say something negative about Microsoft to appease everyone else? Why is Joystiq going out of their way to alienate 360 users or those who may buy a 360??

Am I alone in liking more than one system?
I don't know why this is bothering me all of the sudden, but I've noticed it's being done more and more lately. This is annoyance #010 (Joystiq hates the 360).

Please...Please...reconsider how this affects your readers. I know I for one will stop coming here if this continues by the time the PS3 and Revolution appear. Write the news! Be funny! Let the READERS bash if they so desire!

Neal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Crippled=wired controller,no back combat,no DLC,having to buy $40 mem cards for game saves.etc...
Come on, Tia master. This has all been covered extensively.
Sure you can buy a wirless controller and a memory card but that costs as much as the premium bundle.
Crippled by definition can mean; anything that is impaired or flawed.The core version has been impaired from having the same functionality that most Xbox users have come to expect and has been impaired from the same functionality as the premium bundle

Pixelantes Anonymous @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Could you fanboys please stop reading Joystiq, if you can't take negative OPINIONS on your favorite gaming platform, PLEASE! WTF is it with people not accepting there might be people out there not sharing their particular opinion on things.

Here's one: fanboys suck
Here's another one: Emacs r00lz over vi

Discuss!

Neal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"Also, what's the benefit of the memory card for the 360 other than saving games?"
Todd H, no benefit but saving games.
Although unless you want to start each game from the beginning every time you turn on the console then memory is necessary.

Neal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Joystiq ,
Please try not to upset any morons viewing this blog. If you run all the morons off then the comments might become interesting again.

Jeff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"Why is Joystiq going out of their way to alienate 360 users or those who may buy a 360??"

They're just calling a spade a spade. It's one of the reasons I started reading this site regularly. (Engadget, one of their sister blogs, is the same way - that's where I came from.)

I have no patience for marketing spin and I'd much rather read a site that calls companies out for the mistakes they make.

Microsoft doesn't get let off the hook just because people have bashed them in the past. If they continue to do things that are bash-worthy, then they should continue to get bashed. And they've made a lot of big mistakes with the Xbox 360 launch.

Neal @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

SelfConshus @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Costco stores all over have also been getting in loads of 360s but they're keeping it under wraps to avoid rushes. I picked up the premium bundle from there this past saturday. Too bad it's a freezing piece of shit thats being taken back.

eric @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Which is why the 360 was compared to a 20,000 DVD player and also the topic of a posting because it was not edible.

Yeah, I read Engadget too, and there's none of this crap there.

Rich @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

any news from ebgames, especially in the northeast?

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

A "crippled" 360 would be one that can't do everything a 360 can do. The 360, as defined by MS, doesn't have a HDD. The Core package is not "crippled". From a price standpoint, it's certainly not as good of a deal as the Premium, but using the term "crippled" to describe the Core is simply ignorant.

I suppose that since the PS3 has a removable - and optional - HDD (as described in Sony presentations), it's a "crippled" system? Is the PS2 a "crippled" system since it's HDD is optional?

Use your heads, people, and don't just parrot the crap you hear. I just removed Kotaku from my morning group of bookmarks, Joystiq is heading down the same path. Actually, it looks like all of the newcomers - Kotaku, Joystiq, and Digg - are well on their way to losing my interest. The old mainstays are the old mainstays for a reason, apparently.

Mullinator @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

heh heh, say one negative thing about a system when it is OPINION and suddenly people get all red in the face and make hilarious claims of "OMG THIS PLACE SUCKS AND I AM LEAVING".

Seriously go, the inability you people seem to have in regards to accepting that a console is not perfect will be a welcome thing to miss.

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

#17 -

It has nothing to do with "accepting a console is not prefect". It has everything to do with repetition of a false meme. See, what I do is use my head. Calling the 360 "crippled", and repeating it over and over, is simply propogating a spin that is anti-360. If that is what Joystiq is about - continuing PR spin - then great, but it's not my cup o' tea. My eyeballs will gladly go elsewhere.

But, oh defender of opinions, don't bash others for voicing their opinions in the public forums attached to this place. See the hypocrisy, jackass?

Take2 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Went to Circuit City this morning and they didn't know what I was talking about. They said they do not have any systems in stock and they gave the standard line, 'We don't know when the next shipment will arrive.'

Chris Fong @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"accepting a console is not prefect".
the xbox360 is not a prefect?...do you mean it is a perfect defect.

sensay @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

costco?...do they have bundles or are they sellin the units by themselves?

Chris Fong @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"accepting a console is not prefect".
the xbox360 is not a prefect?...do you mean it is a perfect defect.

DG @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I don't know about Joystiq having any major biases. I'm not going to do the research, but I figure there are just as many positive stories about the Xbox 360/DS/PSP/whatever as there are negative. And even if there aren't (either way), so what? Not every system has an equal amounts of pros or cons. I mean, a system can be more bad than it is good, right?

Mullinator @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

#17

Someone thinks it is crippled, they aren't going to just say it once and let it slide. You really think someone is going to only talk about the good things once and then not mention them again?

Also I am not bashing the opinions of others, I am simply saying that it is pretty damn idiotic to get so worked up because some people from a website don't agree with you. In other words if you are the kind of person who gets this worked up then I will not be sorry to see you go.

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

#24

You seem to be mistaking "getting worked up" for voicing my opinion. I think repeatedly, erroneously, referring to something as "crippled" is, quite simply, stupid. It has nothing to do with it being a console or not. Agreeing with me has nothing to do with it either. Facts are facts. A crippled 360 would be one that couldn't perform the functions of a normal 360. The Core version, while not terribly desirable to me, is a fully functioning 360.

And you most certainly are bashing other's opinions. It is my opinion that repeatedly calling the Core 360 "crippled" is misleading and ignorant. Repeated comments of this kind, regarding things other than just the 360 or MS or whatever, have lowered my opinion of Joystiq and will affect my visitation to this site. This is simply feedback for the people running this little show. As a simple blog, it's great. As a commercial venture, Joystiq is not-so-great, imo.

Now that line of thining sounds nothing like, and I quote you, "OMG THIS PLACE SUCKS AND I AM LEAVING".

splash @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

There seems to be some weight to this theory. Going back over the past few days, it does seem like 360 receives the bulk of negative articles on Joystiq. I counted articles attribed to each system using other if an article reported on all three systems or none of the systems. The number denotes number of articles about that system. In parenthesis is the number out of the total that said something bad about the system.

Sunday, December 11
Nintendo - 2
Microsoft - 3 (1 negative)
Sony - 1
Other - 5

Saturday, December 10
Nintendo
Microsoft 3 (2 negative)
Sony - 1
Other - 9

Friday, December 9
Nintendo 4
Microsoft 8 (1 negative)
Sony 5
Other 18

Thursday, December 8
Nintendo 6
Microsoft 3 (2 negative)
Sony 2
Other 15

Wednesday, December 7
Nintendo 5
Microsoft 10 (7 negative)
Sony 4
Other 18

Tuesday, December 6
Nintendo 2
Microsoft 8 (4 negative)
Sony 1
Other 23

If you look at both Nintendo and Sony during the same period, you won't find many negative articles, if any at all.

Conclusion? A) The 360 just sucks that much. B) Joystiq makes a point of creating a negative article about the 360 every day, if not more. C) The 360 is in the news so much, there's something negative to point out each day and we're gonna talk about each one of them dammit! D) People have been complaining there's too many 360 articles on Joystiq and thus they're being pro-Microsoft. Post something negative once in a while.

Granted there are going to be negative articles about all the systems, but is the 360 receiving more than it's fair share?

skibble @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

splash, going by those numbers (and subtracting negative articles from the overall score), the totals are as follows:

Nintendo: 19
Sony: 14
Microsoft: 18

Seems pretty balanced to me.

splash @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I wasn't commenting on number of articles per system, I was pointing out how a good number of the 360 articles are bashes towards the system or Microsoft (17 in 6 days); at least one or more every day (one of the days there were 7!!), where as the others don't seem to draw such criticism. Instead the Nintendo or Sony articles are more of the "what's new" or "rumor" nature.