Microsoft Plans Deliberate Xbox 360 Shortage 451
An anonymous reader writes "To ensure an immediate "sellout" of the Xbox 360 on launch day (therefore getting lots of media buzz about their new console), Microsoft will simply restrict the supply down to a trickle. My favorite part of the article: "In addition to limiting the per-store stock of consoles and having the retailers prepare to prominently note the unit's "sold out" status, Microsoft has allegedly asked Norwegian retailers to sign an agreement that they'll sell out of the consoles on the launch date."
Looks like it's not a rumour.
Corporate dishonesty (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Corporate dishonesty (Score:5, Insightful)
Becomming?
This is Microsoft...its the way they have always been.
Re:Corporate dishonesty (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Corporate dishonesty (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Corporate dishonesty (Score:5, Insightful)
WRT oversupply, I believe you're thinking about dumping, which is a situation in which a company will flood the market with product at a price below production cost in order to drive competitors from the market. There are laws and international treaties against this behavior because if the strategy is successful, it leads to a monopolized market, which is bad for everybody except the monopoly supplier.
It is not illegal in most cases to place arbitrary restrictions on supply (exceptions being public services, utilities and such). This is not an anticompetitive practice, as it has no effect on the ability of competitors to set their own supply levels and price points, and in an efficient market the excess demand will either shift to the competition or drive up the price. While you, as a consumer, might not like the higher price, it is really no different (from a market perspective) than if Microsoft had set the "suggested retail price" at the market-driven price point. In other words, Microsoft is free to charge $20,000 per X-Box if they want, and whether they get to that price point by setting it at the outset or by restricting supply is irrelevant.
While you might not like the tactics designed to generate hype over the product, keep in mind that it's not a guaranteed win for them; they are running the risk of pissing off their customers and driving them to wait for a PS3 instead of buying an XBox.
Just standard economics (Score:5, Insightful)
The sole reason we have price tags is because we have limited resources.
The economy works by supply and demand and if too much supply hits a market which erases demand then competitors leave and it self corrects. Its Microsoft's job to maximize every penny of profit as possible to establish its price equilibrium. To do that it must limit its supply so it can make more money.
But its an industry wide practice and not dishonest. Suppliers all the time decide how much to produce something and use what consumers are willing to pay for to set the price.
A Good Example (Score:3, Interesting)
Then the complaints began coming in. It seemed that some distributors were hoarding boxes of cards until the price had risen sufficiently to where they could break the box and sell the individual cards. WotC decided, therefore
Boo Microsoft! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:2)
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:3, Informative)
Apple too. Yes, I love Apple (so gimme all your mod points), but they do seriously oversell their products when they know full well they won't be able to meet demand.
I didn't think this was a marketing gimmick, but a result of Apple practising just in time [wikipedia.org] manufacturing. IIRC that has been their modus operandi for years. There was that period when they actually weren't producing or selling iMacs because they weren't getting the processors on time allegedly, and that wouldn't be a wise marketing gimmick
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:5, Interesting)
You can't blame the customer in situations like this. All they are are consumers who want a product. One metric of a good product is how well it initially sells, and all that's happening here is Microsoft falsifying that metric. It's just your every day corprate dishonesty. You could blame the media for not reporting on anything but the sellout, but it wouldn't suprise me if they just didn't bother digging any deeper to find that side of the story.
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:3, Interesting)
I dunno if I'd call that a very good metric. After all, how consumers know how good a product they've never used is ? I would have thought *long term* sales figures would be far more indicative of a "good product".
merely consumers? (Score:4, Insightful)
You can't blame the profit-driven corporations, if people want to be sheep/consumers, if they want to be told what they need and what they want, and not act like the free-thinking, self-realized human beings that they have the potential of being, then f*** 'em, let them be treated that way. Round 'em up.
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Boo Microsoft! (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, when the mainstream media begins to run stories on XBOX 360's selling out everywhere, you will get nervous parents attempting to secure one in case their child wants it for christmas. Parents do not raise their kids these days, they appease them. All large companies selling to that target know this, and take advantage of it.
What's to be gained from "selling out" if the actual numbers are low? While MS can say they sold out at launch, they'd just be opening themselves up to a lot of headlines lambasting them. More than usual
This may be true in certain tech media, but probably not in the local news arena. These big conglomerate types do not like to pick fights with each other, as there are very serious long term consequences to such actions. That may also account for a significant number of stories being "squashed" by editors.
I really hate to say it, but gamer bloggers may be the biggest asset when it comes to outing Microsoft on this crap.
Slashdot message applies to Xbox (Score:2)
Re:Slashdot message applies to Xbox (Score:2)
Re:Slashdot message applies to Xbox (Score:2, Insightful)
Beautiful, we have confirmation. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Beautiful, we have confirmation. (Score:2)
Bingo! (Score:5, Insightful)
There's no conspiracy here. Microsoft expects lower sales, and the PR machine is trying to explain why. Are they trying to spin the lower sales in the best way possible? Absolutely. Are the overzealous microsoft markedroids trying to turn the limited availability into positive thing? Of course. Are they deliberately driving down supply? No. The only news is that analysts and microsoft are restating sales estimates. Microsoft says that it's due to a late start in production (believable, given how late the new dev kits were). That might be the reason, or perhaps it's because the 1st gen content is lacking. However, it would be moronic to purposefully drive down supply in order to create "buzz".
I know I'm required to hate Microsoft, but come on. As long as we're throwing out logic, why stop at "Microsoft Plans Deliberate Shortage" when you can have "J Allard Responsible for Lingbergh Baby Kidnapping"?
Re:Bingo! (Score:5, Funny)
Steve Ballmer Responsible for Lingbergh Baby Kidnapping.
this....is....crap... (Score:2)
Re:this....is....crap... (Score:2)
I do, they're called parents, Christmas shopping.
This Is A Good Move (Score:5, Insightful)
I know slashdot and the nutjobs will make this out to be some part of evil conspiracy, but it's really just simple economics.
If anybody rails on MS over this, you'd have to scream about every oother company that does this too. But they won't because Microsoft is the devil.
Re:This Is A Good Move (Score:2)
But you're right -- it's just simple marketing. There's nothing particularly wrong with this -- if they produce fewer units then fewer units will be sold. It's a gamble they're taking in an attempt to generate demand. If it backfires, the only one who gets hurt is Microsoft, because they
re: "Apple does this all the time" (Score:3, Insightful)
On the other hand, the part that bothers me is the accusation that MS is intentionally ordering stores to "sell out" on a pre-agreed date, or trying to ensure that the "sold out" notices are prominently displayed.
There's a difference between announcing a new product and not really having much supply of it for a
Re:This Is A Good Move (Score:2)
See, you just feel good saying that, don't you?
Re:This Is A Good Move (Score:2, Funny)
Wrong, that would be Google!
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/03/131624 6&tid=217&tid=166 [slashdot.org] http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/01/18 14207&tid=217&tid=123 [slashdot.org] http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/01/142421 7&tid=217&tid=129 [slashdot.org] http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/31/192721 2&tid=217&tid=185 [slashdot.org] http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/31/14 14203&tid=217&tid=17 [slashdot.org] http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/30/186219 [slashdot.org]
Good Salesmen Do This? Sounds Like a Broker (Score:4, Insightful)
In previous cases with Apple, Sony, Nintendo, etc is that they were honestly out of product and production couldn't ramp up immediately. UPS would show up with a delivery of 10 units which where automatically sold. 10 more units would not show up till next week. There were simply no more units to buy no matter how long you stood in front of the electronics store or how many times you clicked refresh on Apple.com. What the article is suggesting is that MS doing is putting an artifical ceiling on supply (otherwise known as rationing). Is it a good thing to put rationing on a non-essential item?
I would perferably see a spike than to have MS trying to artifically monkey around with the market. In one case the worst they are accused is that they misjudged demand (hey it happens). In the other case there is something more meleviant is going on. I think that if they artificially hold back warehouses full of product they are looney. Make a sale today you have cash they can use now to reinvest. What would they possibly reinvest in you ask? Something wacky like increase production? If you bank on a sale tomorrow you might have twice as much cash...or they might go off and buy something else.
Oh no! (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't own an Xbox (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, I have missed out on a couple of years of playing the console but it'll still be fun for me. After all, Halo is brand new to me and I'll get the same enjoyment and playability out of it that you all did a while back.
p.s. I am the guy that buys all the games in the $5 and $10 bin, including the triple packs you can sometimes buy at Marshalls and TJMaxx.
What can $5 buy you nowadays? (Score:2)
Video games haven't made huge leaps in graphics and frame rates since the induction of the 32 bit era, and it's arguable whether these next gen games are any more entertaining either. Point is, the deals are out there if you can lower your standards a notch.
Re:Don't own an Xbox (Score:2)
I can only imagine the conversations at MGS (Score:5, Funny)
"Yeah, and they're the leaders of this generation..."
"Exactly, so you know what we have to do to beat Sony... release it even earlier, even buggier, and in even shorter supply!"
"Yeah, in fact, let's make the supply so damn low that it will sell out even if it fails sales targets! Then people will be impressed and buy the console once it gets back in supply."
"But how about the people who get one at launch? When they pay so much for a buggy system because of its short supply and there's barely any good games for it, won't they get pissed?"
"Yeah, but what are they gonna do? They already bought the console. And they'll completely forget about it once the good games come out (around the PS3/Revo launch)."
"Sounds good to me."
Time for auctions (Score:5, Interesting)
Auctions would reduce problems with insiders who buy multiple copies of the product at retail and sell scarce goods on eBay. It would also avoid mob scenes in which desperate parents storm the doors of stores known to have the much-sought product. Finally, winning bidders would have some assurance that they will be able to get the scarce item.
eBay does this as a secondary market (Score:4, Insightful)
Therein lies the challenge for a manufacturer auction, as their motives and marketing practices would be suspect (hence the parent post).
They're more environmentally friendly (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox360/xbox36
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:2)
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:5, Informative)
> If you only have one supplier, you have less price negotiation leverage.
> Multiple suppliers keep the prices competitive. The other thing is that
> this time we own the IP on the chips. So we can make them at our own foundries.
So it`s good for microsoft to have multiple suppliers so it keeps the prices they pay competitive, but they build their own products to make it as difficult as possible for other suppliers.
They are openly benefitting from a competitive marketplace while trying their hardest to take these benefits away from their customers.
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:2)
Manufacturers try to get in
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:5, Insightful)
This is sorta the opposite case of Apple's move to x86- having only one major producer of PowerPC chips made Apple dependent upon IBM's capacity to produce the chips in the quantities they need at a good price. Moving to x86 allows them to not only benefit from the Intel's massive production capabilities, but also the fact that there is competition in the market for chips that can handle the x86 instruction set, which drives down prices, and having the possibility of switching to AMD or another producer keeps their options open should Intel try to mess with them.
It's just good business. Funny how when MS does it, they get bashed... Yo, don't hate the playa, hate the game, dawg
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:3, Interesting)
What i`m bashing is MS`s constant moves to lock competition out of markets where they`re strong, their use of proprietary APIs and file formats to prevent competition entering markets where they`re dominant.
If your a microsoft customer, your in exactly the same situation apple was.. For whatever products you buy from microsoft (office, windows etc) your are totally dependant on them. There is no other competitor that
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:3, Informative)
WHOOOOSH!
That was the sound of the previous post's point zipping right over your head.
The original poster did not argue that multiple suppliers for every possible component is a good thing or that MS or anyone else should not do it. Obviously it is advantageous to any business to have multiple suppliers for everything they need and to use parts built to standards to ensure that they are getting the same thing from any given vendor. The advantages to price, availability, and future planning is enormous.
W
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:3, Funny)
"Xbox.com: Tell me another cool thing about the guts.
JR: Well, we want to discourage hackers, so this time around we didn't put any screws on the outside of the box and have multiple tamper evident labels. So with Xbox 360 we'll be able to tell if they've cracked the case.
Xbox.com: And of course, just like the original Xbox, cracking the case immediately voids your warranty.
JR: Of course."
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:5, Funny)
Xbox.com: Tell me another cool thing about the guts.
JR: Well, we want to discourage hackers, so this time around we didn't put any screws on the outside of the box and have multiple tamper evident labels. So with Xbox 360 we'll be able to tell if they've cracked the case.
Sounds like a challenge !
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:2)
Jeff Reents: It's tougher than the original Xbox® for three reasons. First, we had to pack twice the power of the Xbox into a smaller form factor. Second, it needed to meet much tougher environmental standards. And finally, we needed to be more cost effective.
Xbox.com: Let's talk about the power challenge first. Is Xbox 360 really twice as powerful as Xbox? JR: Yes. Xbox had less than 100 watts of power; Xbox 360 has over 200 watts.
Oooo! 200 watt gamestation! Twice as "powerful
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:2)
HATE (Score:5, Insightful)
Many older consoles (Nintendo, I'm looking at you) use tamper-proof screws for this supposed reason. Of course, any half-serious "hacker" will find a way in, usually because these screws aren't that hard to find bits for, thanks to the Internet. A lot of the original reasoning, which I can sort of understand), was to keep casual users from opening them up and messing with them.
Unfortunately, as our Zelda cartridges age, the built-in batteries (CR2032, for anyone who cares - one of the most common "watch" batteries out there) are mostly all dead. In order to use these games anymore, you have to open them up and replace the battery.
Tamper-proof screws make this VERY difficult.
Put labels all you want, if it's warranty you're worried about. But please, understand that these things do need repair from time to time, especially after they're out of their expected lifetime. ESPECIALLY with moving parts inside (Sony, I'm looking at you!). There's nothing worse than having to wreck the casing just to get in and fix a few loose wires
Re:HATE (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:They're more environmentally friendly (Score:2)
Really? I didn't get that at all. I thought he sounded proud of its environmental credentials.
2x The Awesome Power! (Score:2)
Ow! I feel like someone just sucker punched me in the marketing center of the brain. It's twice as powerful because it consumes twice the power...
Re:They're more environmentally friendly - RoHS (Score:3, Informative)
Basically, most electronic products shipped to Europe and operating under 1000V (military and medical products except for now) must not contain 6 restricted substances. One of the biggest is lead. There is a large push in many electronic industries to convert their electronic products to RoHS compliant products. It's a lot of work.
Sony and Nintendo have to do this too if they want to sell their units to Europe. From a general industry trend, Japan tends to be ahe
Re:Favorite Quote from Parent's Interview Link (Score:3, Insightful)
No, it couldn't. If it takes 200 watts, it must dissipate 200 watts as heat. There's just not that much juice going out over the audio/video cables.
so what? (Score:3, Insightful)
It isn't as if Sony and Nintendo don't do the same.
That and I'd wait for a while before buying it anyways. Let them work out the rev.1 bugs
That and who cares? If your friend gets one instead of you it means you can spend more time out of your house. It's all good.
Tom
Re:so what? (Score:2)
My point is the xbox360 will be as cool [or lame] a year from now as next week.
Rushing in to buy it now is just playing their game. [literally and figuratively]
Tom
Can you say... (Score:2, Interesting)
All of these are a scam (Score:5, Insightful)
The Xbox360 is the same way; it looks to me that at launch there are no games worth buying combined with a high price and an admission that later consoles will be better because they'll have an HD-DVD built-in and you get the impression that this will lay a big egg on launch.
Really, is anybody chomping at the bit to get one of these *now*? Maybe in about 6-12 months, but there's nothing compelling about this right now.
Re:All of these are a scam (Score:3, Insightful)
I think there is a reason they are launching in November.
Re:All of these are a scam (Score:3, Interesting)
Of all my friends and co-workers (100+ people, probably 80% gamers, more than half have Xbox) I know *one* person with a pre-order.
That's my bit of anecdotal evidence. To be fair, I don't know many people in the 16-19 year old age range anymore...
Re:All of these are a scam (Score:3, Informative)
Did anybody know that Halo would be so frickin awesome when the xbox launched? There may be a dark horse in the launch line-up.
I think people with HD TVs will be the first people to buy this system. We HDers have been wanting HD games for a very long time. So far, the xbox has been the only system to provide them (very few though).
If I had the money, and wasn't in my last year of school, I'd line up to buy it.
Duh!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Heck, look outside all the hot clubs. The mere fact there's a line makes people think it's the cool place to be. People are sheep. Get used to it!
Re:Duh!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Because they understand that by creating shortage they can dictate the pace and to some extent increase demand for the product.
This is all Mgt 101 people, not some grand plot to take over the world.
Re:Duh!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, convincing the public that there was a shortage of rocks was quite a feat.
It will really suck (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, it's a conspiracy... (Score:5, Insightful)
So, the slashdot summary seems to imply that this is simply an evil marketing ploy by Microsoft. Instead, I see it as a way of keeping the new Xbox in a position where consumers don't forget about it.
If the new Xbox sold out the first day (or two) & there weren't any more units for another month (like the PS2), how many consumers are going to forget about it? How much marketing momentum do you lose when everyone has to wait a month before they can hope to get the "next big thing"?
If, on the other hand, it sells out on the first day, but customers are told that there will be another shipment in 3-4 days, they'll be a lot less likely to forget about it. Not only that, but when when they do get one, they will still have the excitement of being an early adopter - and I'm sure that will translate to more accessories being sold.
If I were a Microsoft shareholder, I'd be happy with this rollout...
Re:Yeah, it's a conspiracy... (Score:4, Interesting)
Except that's not what happened with the PS2. The PS2 had a largish initial supply that sold out in pre-orders, then a steady trickle of consoles about the size (if not larger) than what Microsoft is planning. The K-B Toys in my local mall, for example, had over 60 they sold as pre-orders, and then had about 10 a day from then on. Those additional 10 all sold out within an hour of when UPS arrived every day. There was no period where there were no units for a month.
Re:Yeah, it's a conspiracy... (Score:2)
Not all press is good press, and I think that if people are going to hear abo
It makes sense. (Score:3, Insightful)
And anyway, who cares? If you understand this is a ploy it will not really affect you (unless you really really really wanted a 360 on day one). But, I doubt they would do it without having reason to believe it would boost the console's appeal to some people. People that might not have realized tactics like this are used regularly. And those people need to read some books, like "How to Lie With Statistics," to gain some perspective on advertising in genenral.
Just like Cartmanland (Score:3, Funny)
So much to do at Cartmanland, but you can't come! Especially you, Stan and Kyle.
Did anyone RTFA....anyone? (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Ship a boatload at once, then have a period where none are available
2) Stream out the shipments so that a constant, but limited supply are available
They saw from the PS2 launch, that the public reaction to option 1 wasn't very good.
So....they choose option 2.
It's a business choice made when weighing manufacturing constraints vs customer reactions.
Of course Slashdot wants to hype this up as yet another reason why Microsoft is evil, and people are biting.
Tell me, which organization here is the one playing psych games with their customers?
Re:Did anyone RTFA....anyone? (Score:3, Insightful)
So that whole... christmas sales things... that's not important? Are they literally saying that they're going to stockpile units during christmas, in hopes that more people will buy them after c
Instinct (Score:2, Interesting)
I am perfecting the fine art of stating the obvious.
Interesting Tactics (Score:5, Interesting)
Hold on, let me explain, put the pitchfork down.
Most consoles have huge date one allocations and sell out. There is then a huge gap while the manufacturer re-supplies, eventually things settle down to normal sales figures and supply can match demand.
If MS limit the number of sales on day one, they can keep units flowing into stores instead of having a slump. You'll keep people coming back and retailers won't have dry periods when they've sold out and are waiting for more stock.
It's a crazy plan, but it might just work.
Of course! (Score:2)
If they just spread rumors and hyped media bullshit, I wouldn't be terribly surprised, but knowingly limiting the number of consoles available? Maybe they're banking that what happened with the PS2 will happen with them, but they seem to miss a lot of why the PS2 is as it is now.
To ensure an immediate "sellout" of the Xbox 360 on launch day
That could be one way to look at it. Another is that even Microsoft doesn't think
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Deal With It! (Score:4, Informative)
here with the x-box it's a case of "omg get to teh store the first second it opens or you'll nevar evar get teh one!!!!11 evar!!!1". they don't care how many are sold just how quickly the first batch are sold.
Re:Deal With It! (Score:2)
Why is this any different to Apple's launch of the iPod, Sony's launch of the PS2 or Nintendo's launch of the Gameboy Advance? All of these "sold out" on the day of their launches.
I have no love for Microsoft whatsoever but they're just a big corporation marketing a product that they just want to sell lots of.
And if they leech money from the countless sheeple who just *have* to have something before anyone else
Moderator refresher course (Score:2, Insightful)
For me this wasn't a dupe since I hadn't read it already, yet the first comment I see is some offtopic crap about a duplicate post. What? You mean the
Note this is also offtopic, bu
Simple solution. (Score:2)
2. When the date comes, buy ALL of the supply. Just come to the counter and say "I want to buy XBOX 360. All of them."
3. Get outside, and sell them all to the crowd waiting, for $499 a piece.
4. If you have any left, sell on EBay.
5. Profit!!!
For better effect arrange the action in cooperation with a bigger team, so you would dry up whole city or a state, and you won't compete with each other in terms of price.
Shortage in supply and excess in demand naturally leads to increa
What would be funny (Score:2)
Jennifer Government? (Score:2, Funny)
Heh. This reminds me of the opening scene in Max Barry's novel, Jennifer Government [maxbarry.com]. In it, some (fictional) Nike executives get together and decide that they're going to:
a) restrict supply of their new super-super-hot Nike Mercury shoes to a trickle, so the kids go *nuts* for them, then:
b) unload a few hundred thousand on the market at a hugely inflated price, and THEN:
c) since Nike knows they'll lose that "can't-find-'em-anywhere, selling-like-hotcakes" prestige once people realize they can get Me
Yeah, but ... is this legal in the USA? (Score:2)
Can they just do that? Help us out here.
I heard Travolta and Cruise (Score:3, Funny)
Ebaying a console! (Score:3, Informative)
I saw through this last year with the DS and the PSP.
1 of 2 things will occur, neither good for you.
1. There will be too many consoles and the extra console will sell off at or below cost.
2. There will be SO many other people doing what you're doing that you won't be able to stickout from the crowd, and any potential profits to be made on the sale will get eaten from competition.
The idiots who start auctions out on items at 200% or higher of retail cost are the ones who'll learn the lesson hardest.
Good luck!
Hype, fools, money (Score:3, Insightful)
Every hyped gadget release is like this. Why do people buy into the hype? It's better to wait and gauge the reaction, especially after the hysteria has died down and been replaced by more level headed reviews and the number of game titles has increased.
Brilliant! (Score:3, Interesting)
(For those who couldn't catch a clue with a mitt, this is sarcasm.) (And yes, I do need to include this disclaimer.)
A simple add campaign that could shut this down (Score:3, Funny)
1 million units made, less then 100,000 unit sold. Do the math.
Nothing new. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why I won't buy an Xbox360.... (Score:2)
Re:Why I won't buy an Xbox360.... (Score:5, Insightful)
How is this "crooked?" They make the device. It's theirs. This is not some natural resource that only they have access to. They don't have to let anybody profit from selling it. There's no burden on retailers for this - those stores make money when people stand in line at their stores to buy things. If they don't want to be part of that process, they sure don't have to. They can sell plenty of competing products from other companies (providing, as they sign contracts with Sony or Nintendo, that they like the rules that those manufacturers expect them to follow - and don't think they're not just as restrictive).
But just like book stores that know they'd be foolish (despite a tightly controlled marketing/release plan from the publishers) not to sell the next Harry Potter book, or movie theaters that only have so many seats and have to wait until midnight to sell tickets for a new release, XBox retailers can either work with the product's manufacturer or not. They can agree to terms, and make the money, or not agree to the terms, and find another way to make money. Crooked? Crooked is telling a game manufacturer that they have to deliver a product according to your demands, and not their own wishes. It's so simple: if you don't like MS or how they deal with a product debut, then don't buy their game product as a form of entertainment. If everyone does that, then MS's wishes don't mean anything. But then, no one gets the cool toy, either. But let's try to keep a little perspective, here. It's a toy. You're getting cranky about a toy debut marketing plan.
Re:And the point is.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:And the point is.. (Score:2)
Re:Unbelievable (Score:2, Insightful)
No, that would be Ingvar Kamprad.
Re:Unbelievable (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Marketing asshats! (Score:2)
I strongly suspect Nintendo will do this too. Hell, I'd be surprised if they've not done this in the past.
Re:Woah... (Score:2, Informative)
If you get confirmation, it's no longer a rumor. If it's no longer a rumor, it's news.
Re:Woah... The key word is *enthusiasm* (Score:2, Interesting)