Xbox 360

[photon]

That's the thing, the stores are saying they won't get more stock until after Christmas.. So if little Johnny wants an XBox 360 Mommy's going to have to sell her car...

I doubt that's the case, but who knows.

[ernie]

Not having more shipments until after Christmas is stupid. No shipments during the busiest shopping time of the year and the year when most games and consoles are sold....absolutely stupid. But guess what? I don't think microsoft is at all stupid.

They had their huge launch what with the Pepsi promotion and news stories day and night for the last week. They will magically find a warehouse with 5 million of the consoles in the next day or two. if they don't I guess they really are stupid because nothing kills game hype more than an extended period of unavailability.

But I just don't see them hanging people out at Christmas time by saying they will get the console sometime near the end of january. That's just big time bad business.

As for the games....basically the games made for the 360 such as Kameo, Call of Duty 2, PGR3, Need for speed, and perfect Dark are getting very good reviews. EA is delivering stripped down versions of games that have nice gameplay and graphics (but not good enough except for madden). 2k sports have made upgrades in graphics and brought all options along but are probably not worth purchasing until next year. Games made more for the old consoles are not gettign good reviews as the graphics aren't as expected for this generation.

Look to the games coming out in 4-6 months from now to really start to demonstrate the power of the machine.

[Bobblehead]

Here is the article about the opening day sales from the Herald:
http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgar...9-618c13226bfd

And one interesting quote from a Future Shop Employee:

"This first week they were sent out in short supply to create a buzz," says Aki Hatzistamatis of Future Shop, which also sold out in under an hour.
"But we're guaranteed to get more in the next seven to 10 days."

[photon]

Originally Posted by ernie

Look to the games coming out in 4-6 months from now to really start to demonstrate the power of the machine.

Yup.. I saw an article where a guy went back and pulled all the reviews for all the launch titles for the different consoles.. The 360 is actually getting on average better reviews than the PS2 got for its launch titles.

The first pack of games are always poor compared to what's possible on the hardware. It takes years to fully exploit the hardware, and its even harder this year with the fundumental shift in architecture (multi-core CPUs).

Originally Posted by fotze

Ahh I think you should read this thread before scalping xbox360s.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by photon

Yup.. I saw an article where a guy went back and pulled all the reviews for all the launch titles for the different consoles.. The 360 is actually getting on average better reviews than the PS2 got for its launch titles.

The first pack of games are always poor compared to what's possible on the hardware. It takes years to fully exploit the hardware, and its even harder this year with the fundumental shift in architecture (multi-core CPUs).

as much as the graphics on PG3 and perfect Dark are quite impressive the screenshots from some upcoming games are even better. Before the board went down i posted liinks to the screenshots of Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion. The environments look incredible. In particular I think the bottom right and left are outstanding. The building witht he stained glass is pretty impressive as well IMO (middle in the second row from the bottom).

http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obliv_pc_screens_01.htm

oops those are the pc screens...the 360 screens look impressive as well. Especially when you compare them to the regular Xbox screens.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obli...screens_01.htm

[Engine09]

EA's NHL 07 won't be out until Sep of next year, so I'll be waiting until then to buy a 360.




Xbox 360 on eBay? $5,000 and up
As retailers sell out, profiteers begin to cash in.
November 22, 2005: 3:04 PM EST
By Chris Morris, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – As big box retailers quickly sell out of the Xbox 360, some lucky buyers are seeing a nice turnaround on their investment. And more and more are seeing an obscenely profitable one.

<snip>

Article on CNN Money

one buyer was so eager to own one of the new systems paid $5,100 for a hard-drive enabled machine and a copy of "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" - and the eager beaver will have to wait another two weeks before the console is shipped, according to the seller.

This guy is going to feel like a jackass when WalMart has them back in stock before he receives anything in the mail. A fool and their money....

MOD EDIT: Do NOT repost entire articles without the copyright holder's permission.

[Wolfwood]

Looks like Microsoft is losing $126 per unit.

BREAKING IT DOWN. An up-close look at the components and other materials used in the high-end version of the Xbox 360, which contains a hard drive, found that the materials inside the unit cost Microsoft $470 before assembly. The console sells at retail for $399, meaning a loss of $71 per unit -- and that is just the start.

Other items packaged with the console -- including the power supply, cables, and controllers -- add another $55 to Microsoft's cost, pushing the loss per unit to $126. These estimates include assumptions that Microsoft is getting a discount on many components.

http://businessweek.com/technology/c...122_410710.htm

[Coelah]

Originally Posted by ernie

as much as the graphics on PG3 and perfect Dark are quite impressive the screenshots from some upcoming games are even better. Before the board went down i posted liinks to the screenshots of Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion. The environments look incredible. In particular I think the bottom right and left are outstanding. The building witht he stained glass is pretty impressive as well IMO (middle in the second row from the bottom).

http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obliv_pc_screens_01.htm

oops those are the pc screens...the 360 screens look impressive as well. Especially when you compare them to the regular Xbox screens.

http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obli...screens_01.htm

That's the one I was really looking forward to. Was majorly ****ed when I found out it was delayed and wouldn't be ready for the launch like they said. The good thing is it should be ready for primetime when it is launched and not a buggy rushed through game. I just wish they would have released one good RPG.

With the new release of the backwards compatabilty patch, I went out and picked up KOTOR 1 and 2 for the original xbox. Looks ok but not great. It is a little improved.

[Lurch]

Not to derail the thread, but I notice there is no outrage about people selling an X-Box on Ebay above retail. Sounds like scalping to me - why the apparent double standard?

[Coelah]

Originally Posted by Wolfwood

Looks like Microsoft is losing $126 per unit.



http://businessweek.com/technology/c...122_410710.htm

That's the way new console releases work. They cost alot to first develop, then after time the costs to produce them go down. Microsoft is making a killing with their accessories though. They want nearly 150 bucks for a wireless adapter. And they make up all the losses on the initial release with the cost of games..they are drastically marked up in comparison to the cost of making and distributing.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by Coelah

That's the way new console releases work. They cost alot to first develop, then after time the costs to produce them go down. Microsoft is making a killing with their accessories though. They want nearly 150 bucks for a wireless adapter. And they make up all the losses on the initial release with the cost of games..they are drastically marked up in comparison to the cost of making and distributing.

Not sure about the costs of running "Xbox live," but that could also be a cash cow

[Wolfwood]

Originally Posted by Coelah

That's the way new console releases work. They cost alot to first develop, then after time the costs to produce them go down. Microsoft is making a killing with their accessories though. They want nearly 150 bucks for a wireless adapter. And they make up all the losses on the initial release with the cost of games..they are drastically marked up in comparison to the cost of making and distributing.

Exactly, it is the hook them in with the System which they are guaranteed to lose money on and then make them pay through the roof when buying anything else. It is kind of silly but it has worked for quite a few generations of consoles now.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Lurch

Not to derail the thread, but I notice there is no outrage about people selling an X-Box on Ebay above retail. Sounds like scalping to me - why the apparent double standard?

Well, for one thing, it is a luxury item, a toy. No one is going to die, or even make you uncomfortable if the price goes through the roof. Another thing is the supply isn't fixed. It isn't like a Flames game where if you miss the Cup finals you may not get another chance; the supply is just delayed. You will see the shelves filled with them in the new year. The only people who are being gouged are the people who have to have them right now.

I would like one. I won't pay more than MSRP, so I am willing to wait. I just wish people had more patience. If nobody would pay the inflated e-bay prices then there would be no incentive for people to buy for immediate resale.

If more units are for sale in the next couple of weeks (like in the Herald article that I linked earlier mentioned) then all those people who bought just to try and profit may end up taking a loss.

That's why I don't have an issue with the eBayers.

[Trujew]

Originally Posted by fotze

Ahh I think you should read this thread before scalping xbox360s.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=17447

Yeah its regarding ticket sales. Whats that have to do with anything?

[Engine09]

Scooping up an XBOX 360 with the sole intention of selling it to gouge some poor fool is still sleazy.

I could never do anything like that. I'd feel like a peice of sh1t.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

Scooping up an XBOX 360 with the sole intention of selling it to gouge some poor fool is still sleazy.

I could never do anything like that. I'd feel like a peice of sh1t.

Why? All of retail is selling a product for a profit. In this case, they are using an auction to set the price. The ultimate in what price the market will bear.


But the profiteers better sell them soon. As per this link, Microsoft knows of the shortages and intends weekly shipments.

Peter Moore, Microsoft's corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing, had similar words on the subject. "Our goal is to replenish inventory in the channel every week," he said earlier this week during an interview with GameSpot at the console's launch event, Zero Hour. "So lots of Xbox 360s are flowing in every single week. It's not like we're shipping and then going dry for two or three weeks."

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky
Scooping up an XBOX 360 with the sole intention of selling it to gouge some poor fool is still sleazy.

I could never do anything like that. I'd feel like a peice of sh1t.

Why? All of retail is selling a product for a profit. In this case, they are using an auction to set the price. The ultimate in what price the market will bear.

You could make the exact same argument for scalping tickets (and I would and have previously). I personally think the reaction to scalpers is ridiculous, but scalping is nonetheless illegal. However, it seems to me that there is no reasonable distinction between auctioning an XBOX and a Flames ticket and any attempt to draw a distinction is at best misguided, and I would imagine both are illegal activities.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Lurch

You could make the exact same argument for scalping tickets (and I would and have previously). I personally think the reaction to scalpers is ridiculous, but scalping is nonetheless illegal. However, it seems to me that there is no reasonable distinction between auctioning an XBOX and a Flames ticket and any attempt to draw a distinction is at best misguided, and I would imagine both are illegal activities.

The distinction between an event is that each even only occurs once, so if you miss the game/concert/etc you aren't able to see the same event the next night. People who want to see that specific event can be taken advantage of, and they have no other recourse.

In the case of an XBox, the consumer can wait a week or two, or until whenever supplies replenish, pay normal price and still get the exact same experience that they could have had earlier.

So in the case of Flames tickets, if they charge 5x the value and there are no more tickets available, you have the coice to pay up or miss out.

I don't like that if I want an XBox right not it would cost me a large premium, but I don't blame the people selling. They are just earning a buck, no different than if they bought a limited edition artwork and sold it off and I don't see people getting POed at Sothebys.

[Lurch]

If you read your justification, you'll realize you butchered your own argument against scalpers very nicely. Hockey games are limited editions, so to speak, and no, people do not get mad at Sotheby's for auctioning a limited edition.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Lurch

If you read your justification, you'll realize you butchered your own argument against scalpers very nicely. Hockey games are limited editions, so to speak, and no, people do not get mad at Sotheby's for auctioning a limited edition.

Yeah, but you can enjoy the artwork for an unlimited time.
Once the game is over, you can't go back in time.

My point was no one gets ****ed at making a profit, and an auction is one way of attempting to get the most value.

Try auctioning a ticket to last nights game. Big difference.