We all know that the Xbox 360 suffers from a fairly high failure rate, as we've all known someone (or been someone) who has experienced first hand the devastating effect of the dreaded Red Ring. However, many of us haven't seen the widespread effect this failure rate is having on the gaming market -- in a recent convo with Reuters, Microsoft's Jeff "Jeff Bell" Bell reported that retailers are having a hard time keeping the system in stock, and that MS is "running short of product here in the United States."

Microsoft issued their own official announcement on the matter in their response to the January NPD report (the same response that those GameDaily gumshoes discovered was chock full o' statistical gerrymandering), saying that "due to this high demand, Xbox 360 is experiencing temporary shortages." We can't help but wonder how much of the shortage is caused by actual post-holiday demand for the system, and how much is caused by the high numbers of Red Ring replacements being shipped out.

Then again, we haven't bought any 360s in a while; the shortage might not be as bad as MS is making it out to be. Has anyone had a hard time getting their hands on Microsoft's console/radiator lately?

Never let it be said that lesbian sex scenes don't sell video games -- and epic space opera plots don't hurt either. Wysteria Lane's street-hardened Microsoft executive Jeff Bell reveals to GameDaily that Mass Effect has affected one million in global sales over the three weeks since launch. In the same breath Bell also said that Halo 3 has reached the five million sales mark.

There's still no word if the rest of the Mass Effect franchise will still be Microsoft exclusive, but with sales this strong we're pretty sure MS is going to try and keep Mass Effect all to itself. We'll see if some exclusivity money changes hands -- and if Sony decides not to partake in the process.

So, check this out, blogger's prerogative: We've totally flipped on Jeff Bell. Sure, when we first met Jeff Bell at E3, we rushed to judgment, laughing up our sleeves and revoking his Ghetto Pass. But as things went on, our understanding and appreciation of Jeff Bell (or, as he's known on the streets, "Jeff Bell") continued to grow.

First, he goes all troll on the message boards, asking a user what his contribution to society was, which was undeniably funny. Now, he's starring in the above Mass Effect take-off straight from Microsoft HQ. Bell's performance in the clip, a clear indication that he's got a good sense of humor, would have been enough to win us over. But it certainly doesn't hurt that his monitor is clearly displaying everyone's favorite video game blog. Your check's in the mail Jeff Bell. That's right, the rumors are true: Microsoft is on Joystiq's payroll.

Think twice before you start slingin' bombs towards Microsoft's corporate VP of global marketing, Jeff Bell. He might just show up on your message board and troll you right back.

That's what happened to NeoGAF user "a Master Ninja." Having heckled Bell amidst the Peter Moore departure, he awoke this morning to find a personal message in his inbox direct from Bell, proposing a curious question.

"And your contribution to society is ... what?"

The account, "bell801," was quickly linked to Microsoft's token white guy by both the community itself and the moderators of NeoGAF, confirming the account as registered to Bell's official Microsoft email address. "A Master Ninja" still hasn't said what his contribution to society is, but he has put forth a challenge to Jeff Bell to any Xbox Live Arcade game of his choosing.

For the sake of your recently revoked ghetto pass, Jeff. Do it.

[Update - NeoGAF administrator, Tyler Malka, has responded to the situation with an apology, stating "What happened in the Jeff Bell thread was a mistake and has been dealt with. I hope that NeoGAF can continue to be a community where gaming industry members wanting to remain anonymous can feel safe posting without "trusted sources" confirming their identities."]