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XBox (Games) Businesses

Xbox 360 Launch To Be Gradual 38

Posted by Zonk from the not-many-consoles dept.
Gamasutra is reporting that low volume of 360 consoles will result in a somewhat gradual ramp up for the launch. From the article: "'The analysts were expecting more of a launch spike than we were... [we expect a] more gradual ramp toward' meeting revenue targets, presumably due to a lower volume of available Xbox 360 consoles than some analysts were previously estimating, and perhaps indicating there may be more severe Xbox 360 shortages than some have predicted this holiday season."
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Xbox 360 Launch To Be Gradual More

Xbox 360 Launch To Be Gradual

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  • It kind of makes sense... especially since reverse compatibility may not be absolute for the 360, people will probably want to see how the 360 actually is, anyway.

    - dshaw

    • Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Momoru ( 837801 ) on Friday October 28, 2005 @04:20PM (#13899393) Homepage Journal
      Something i've never quite understood is why reverse compatability is such a big issue...I used to think it was when I bought PS2, then I realized i never once played a PS1 game on it. Hopefully if you are dishing $400 out for a system it has enough games to keep you happy, and if not you still have the old system to play the old games on right? Just don't trade in that old system until you're sure you won't play the games anymore.
      • I know some people who each have a PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube, and plan on getting each of the 3 new consoles. Sure you can keep the old systems, but then you need to have 6 hooked up to your TV and spend money to get an adapter, or keep switching them out, which is pretty annoying. It's not like all of the old system's games are obsolete; many times a great game will be released for a console right before its next-gen comes out. I don't see why they can't provide the backwards compatability so long as th
        • I understand its an advantage, but seriously have you ever whipped out an old game on the next gen system? Games arn't exactly "built to last" these days.

      • Re:Makes sense (Score:2, Insightful)

        by LoverOfJoy ( 820058 )
        The reverse compatibility becomes an appeal when you DIDN'T have the previous system. I've known quite a few people who aren't hardcore gamers but do enjoy a game now and then buying the PS2 without ever owning a PS1. They bought a lot of cheap PS1 games from the clearance bins and only occasionally bought a new PS2 game when something really stood out (and they had enough money).
      • You've never understood it because you're right. It's NOT a big issue. Backward compatibility in consoles is about the least important feature there is. It's just one of those things that "feels right" to people even though it doesn't stand to scrutiny and is almost never used by anyone.
        • I played both Symphony of the Night and Front Mission 3 for the first time on a PS2, but that's about it. I still like Front Mission 3 better than 4... it was crappier looking but it seemed cooler. Both good though.
      • Something i've never quite understood is why reverse compatability is such a big issue...I used to think it was when I bought PS2, then I realized i never once played a PS1 game on it. Hopefully if you are dishing $400 out for a system it has enough games to keep you happy, and if not you still have the old system to play the old games on right? Just don't trade in that old system until you're sure you won't play the games anymore.

        I have a vast libarary of PS2/Ps1 games. I occasionally fire up an old Ps1 ga
      • It's a huge deal when your X-Box has broken right before the launch of a new system, and you don't know whether to buy a replacement X-Box just to finish your old games and couple new ones, or just hope that the new one will play older titles alright.

        I decided to cut my losses and pick up a gamecube (much, much cheaper) for my time without a working system before the new one comes out, which will "probably" be able to play older games.

  • 360 Launch (Score:2, Insightful)

    by GeorgeMonroy ( 784609 )
    This is no surprise. Microsoft is trying to launch in 3 territories nearly simultaneously. It is to be expected.

    • Re:360 Launch (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Pxtl ( 151020 )
      Yep. Consider the apparent success of the DS - the market wasn't trusting of it, so Nintendo didn't make it a big deal. But now that word is out that it's a solid machine, people are picking it up.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday October 28, 2005 @03:27PM (#13898946)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • yawn (Score:2)

    by Eil ( 82413 )

    Everybody always speculates that there will be shortages for an upcoming console launch and it rarely ever happens. So just... cut it out, for cripe's sake.

    Video game manufacturers announcing possible shortages of their new-fangled system on launch is nothing more than a marketing ploy. The rule these days, not the exception.
    • Not sure what you are talking about it never happening. Remember the PS2 launch?
      • As previous posted stated, the PS2 shortage was mostly self creating. Scalper buying them up to sell at a "shortage" premium created most of the shortage.
        • The shortage lasted a long time. Almost all the PS2's on ebay were selling at ridiculous prices. On top of that there still wasn't any in stores. Just because there were a lot of scalpers doesn't mean there still wasn't a shortage.
          • Re-read grandparent post.

            My brother stood in line at Wal-Mart for 8 hours or so for the launch with a friend of his. They had also reserved their's, but wanted them right away. Meanwhile, I did not pre-order and walked into a Target the next day around noon and saw three sitting on the shelf. I kindly asked the clerck if I needed a reservation to purchase one of those shiney PS2's and he replied that all the reserved PS2's were in the back. I thanked him and walked away. When I got home, one of the guy

      • The difference... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by KingSkippus ( 799657 ) *

        The difference with the PS2 was that people actually wanted a PS2.

        I may be wrong, but I just don't see the demand for a Xbox 360 at launch as high as the demand for a PS2 at launch, so I find it hard to believe that there's going to be a massive shortage.

        This isn't meant to be a ding against Microsoft; I have an Xbox and thoroughly enjoy it. And the same thing happened to Sony's PSP—lots of hype about shortages that never happened because the demand just wasn't there.

        And personally, I resent th

  • And games ? (Score:1, Informative)

    by ant-1 ( 120272 )
    I'm not scared by the shortage of 'three-sixty'. But a lot more by the shortage of launch titles. Not one seems gold 3 weeks from launch. And no editor dared to commit itself to having a game on the shelves for october 22.

    And I'm sure you can find more affordable DVD player than this rushed out console.

  • Why Christmas? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Mean_Nishka ( 543399 ) on Friday October 28, 2005 @04:50PM (#13899687) Homepage Journal
    I think Sony got it right with their release of the PSP outside the holiday season. They were able to meet the demand of the early adopters and had time to build up inventories for the holidays this year.

    I've always wondered why these console manufacturers wait until Christmas to release only a trickle of hardware into the channel. This stifles profit growth, as we all know they make their money on games vs. the hardware.

    Wouldn't it make more sense to release off season, satisfy the early adopter purchases, then build up inventory for the holidays while reaping the profits from game sales along the way?

    Maybe I'm just crazy.

    • Re:Why Christmas? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Daetrin ( 576516 )
      But if you do that then by the holiday season your game is old and busted, and everyone wants the hot newness that your competition just came out with instead. Marketing wouldn't be so stupid if people didn't respond to it so much.
  • Gradual Ramp = Artificial Controlled shortage
    Artificial controlled shortage = Perceived shortage
    Perceived Shortage = Everyone rushing to get one or else they will have to wait and then explain to little Johnny why he doesn't get an XBox360 for Christmas
    Everyone rushing = Sell out of consoles at launch
    Sell out of consoles = Major headlines
    Major headlines = More free marketing for Microsoft showing the XBox360 as The Next Big Thing(tm)
    Saw on TV that XBox360 is The Next Big Thing(tm) = People believe that XBox
  • I was mildly irritated with Nintendo's information release rate prior, but the steady stream of irrelevant 'information' from Microsoft is much worse.
  • I payed for my PS2 when it first came out by buying PS2s on my credit card and then selling them on eBay. Made enough profit to buy one for myself plus some gifts for friends. I had decided not to do it for the 360, since a few months back MS was saying they'd have huge quantities available, and because I don't know ANYONE who wants a 360. Figured the demand wasn't there. Looks like I was wrong at least on the supply part. Should've got a few preorders in early while I still had the chance. After all,

  • Something Is Going Terribly Wrong (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 28, 2005 @07:39PM (#13901224)
    If there is one person in a company that has no sense of humor and never makes any statements that aren't provably true, it's the CFO.

    Something terribly wrong must be going on with the 360 if the CFO is making such a dramatic statement about the system.

    I've been reading reactions to the system all over the net and I think there might be huge numbers of pre-order cancellations from people who have seen or read about the 360's public showing at stores. I really have never seen such strongly negative reaction to a next gen machine as people are with the 360. It's not just one or two games, it's all of the games that are being show are reported to look very bad. The amount of ill will and at best indifference is unprecedented for a new console. And I've never seen a console launch have so many PR disasters. It just doesn't seem to stop with the 360 and the Xbox team.

    Despite what many people like to think about Microsoft and the amount of money they are willing to throw at the Xbox, Microsoft has just barely been hitting targets each quarter, and one missed quarter, over the past year and a half. The 360 doing as badly as the first Xbox will have huge ramifications to their revenue/profitability/stock price. Wallstreet is watching the 360 release very closely.

    I would not be surprised if things don't turn around quickly for the 360 by early next year that they will take the dramatic step of pulling the plug on the project. The days of riding out losses from the Xbox's division are long over. The 360 was supposed to be the one that they got right and the Xbox team's second and last chance.

    I have seen signs that Microsoft is already putting things in place for a possible plan where the 360 hardware is killed off and the Xbox online service and development tools are used to attempt to turn pc gaming into a revenue stream like the console market. But with the mood at Microsoft these days just killing the whole project off and moving on to more promising areas of revenue growth is most likely.

  • A friend of mine works for a popular game company as a graphic artists. I asked him, "are you goign to get a 360" he replied "not any time soon". He was thouroughly undewhelmed by the 360. The company has received several Dev kits. He'll get it for Halo 3 but has few other reasons to get one, explaining it's like a 6 month video card upgrade on a xbox and very little more.

  • Kind of different... (Score:2, Informative)

    by biodeo ( 741781 )
    (first off, I work in video game retail)

    From what I've seen, most of the intrest in this console has been from the non-hardcore. Anyone who has acually taken the time to look into this knows that the initial line-up of games is nothing worth buying a system for (hell, the playable demos on the kiosks are a joke).

    Usually, it's the oposite, with the hardcore gamers wanting the system right away and the more casual folks and parents sitting back and seeing how it goes.

    Personaly, I've been telling people not to
    • Does there seem to be a lot of interest from customers just because they're looking for some new games? I've got the impression lately that MS/publishers have seriously mistreated the xbox these past few months and haven't released much for it, almost as if they want to starve xbox fans and force them to the 360... I love the xbox, but still can't see much to the 360 at this point, especially since I'm not terribly sold on the whole HD thing (s-video on a TV under 36 inches with a decent sharpness filter l
      • It's been the other way around for me. It's PC games that have been in season the last few months, with FEAR and Quake 4 being two recent purchases. Before that, it's been Pirates! and GTA San Andreas, which looks better on the PC than it ever did on any console. I'm also looking forward to Civ 4, which will come out in a week or so in Europe, and then there's the new Prince of Persia that I'll get for the Xbox. For the PS2... I have bought only one game for it the last nine months, and that was God of War,

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