Getting one this side of Xmas?

[Rapid99]

They're owned by GAME. Hence, I'd assume all ordering would be done centrally by GAME and then they'd allocate the appropriate number of units to Gameplay. I assume GAME are more likely to want to stock their stores in order to get people in there than Gameplay

As far as I know, they arn't owned by game at all.

[sj33]

They are owned by the same company that own Game, not owned by Game themselves.

They are still competitors however.

[gossi the dog]

Surely running GAME and Gameplay seperately is a bit stupid.

[sj33]

Speaking of Game... http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=5606

[Daragon]

Don't you mean Core? I'd guess Premium packs (or a 360/HD/component cable pack near-equivalent) will eventually become the standard pack that's sold. It wouldn't make sense for it to be Core.

I'd say it's very likely Q2 2006, 360 non-Cores will be far more available than they are presently. After all, what's the point of this lead time if Microsoft are going to face the shortages existing now well into 2006?

Actually, it would make sense for premiums to be the limited version, costing MS more to make than to sell. Each premium pack costs them an estimated $125 ontop of the RRP to make (apparently)

[Casual_Gamer]

I walked into the Game at Brent Cross today (Saturday) at 4.30pm, and just casually asked about the XBox360.

He offerred me a Premium pack with 4 games for ?450!!

Turns out it was a cancelled pre-order. I turned him down, but then a friend I was with had the brainwave of getting in and selling it on eBay. Alas, by the time we went back at 6.30pm, it was gone.

[gossi the dog]

Speaking of Game... http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=5606

And you believe that?

[GreenShirT]

The Core one is the standard and will be indefinatley. I asked the games buyer at work if we were getting more and he said they expected another 50 just after xmas but Microsoft have said they will only be offering Cores then. So unless they change thier minds soon they will be standard (Unless they do change thier minds or it was just for our company)

[marcus]

I went into Game today and asked an assistant about the 360 (surprisingly enough). He said follow me, and walked me across the other end of the shop. I was half-expecting him to say to me he had one left they could sell, instead it was to show me a little sign they had which said they didnt have any in stock. Bet the bastards pull that trick dozens of times each day

I went to HMV in Watford, asked about the 360, and was told that they wouldnt get stock till around Easter! (huh?) o_O

[Concept]

Actually, it would make sense for premiums to be the limited version, costing MS more to make than to sell. Each premium pack costs them an estimated $125 ontop of the RRP to make (apparently)

I disagree. It doesn't make long-term sense for Core to take priority due to the fact that it's (probably) counter-productive to Microsoft's future plans for the system.

I don't think the Premium packs will be the main pack to sell, but I do believe that a compromise will be reached that's more heavily weighted on its side. It's inconcievable that Microsoft (and developers for that matter) won't in the future rely futher on HD access, and so the system will have to come bundled with it. Throw in a component cable (though an advanced AV/RGB cable) more likely to further promote Microsoft's strategy of the 'HDTV' era and you're looking at a ?260-280 pricepoint again for the majority of next year.

[Concept]

I went to HMV in Watford, asked about the 360, and was told that they wouldnt get stock till around Easter! (huh?) o_O

I've been hearing similar things myself. I'd like to think they're being cautious and covering their backs, or simply playing the hype game.

If there's truth to what they're stating though, then what a mess... that's all I can say.

[SubparMario]

Tell you what's good fun. Listing over a thousand Buy-It-Now 360s on ebay and searching for a single person who's not trying to rip people off. What a load of bollocks.

[sj33]

Similar stories all over the place mind. Mate of mine got told March.

I know this has been covered to death, but it seems most people are picking up Cores simply because that's all they could get, not because it suits them (what mothers are going to be buying their kids a 360 this year? It's the gamers buying the 360 this Xmas). Suppose if they'd of abandoned the Core until next Xmas when the mainstream are going to be buying this machine, more people would have got Premiums. And less people would be paying for the separate HDD...

[Concept]

It's why I've taken the 360 off my want list. I know I'm not going to get one (HD included) for a very long time, and I'm not prepared to pay through the nose.

Microsoft are either facing serious production/distribution difficulties or treading a dangerously fine line. They don't have the time or the luxury that Sony have had with the PS2 (and to a lesser extent the PSP) to engineer a drip-feed game over the next few months.

Sony's response could quite easily be to provide lots of PS3's for launch and be safe in the knowledge they'll all sell out anyway, and then possess far larger user-base than what Microsoft may have initially been anticipating. Any errors of judgement made by Microsoft in the near future will be capitialised on. But then, I've been saying that of both sides.

You do have to wonder about the logic of only sending 50,000 units (a rumour, it may not be true) out of 300,000 available for Europe in the largest market (UK). People have been saying in other forums the 360 has been easier to get hold of in Italy, Germany and Holland.

I hope Microsoft don't use the UK as a promotions platform to the media to make it look as though the 360 is at constant sellout status for the next few months. I'd like to think they don't possess such contempt and arrogance for their intended overall consumer base.

If that's the case, and Sony take advantage of such short-sightedness, I'll have no sympathy.

[themanwithapc]

Despite me being royally peed off with M$ for this fiasco, I'm extremely skeptical about this not being repeated with the PS3. In fact, I'd think it'll be 10x as worse. By then, surely the 360 will be freely available on shelves, whilst the PS3 will face similar stock shortages, leading to people possibly picking up the 360.