Xbox 360 Launches In Europe

The Xbox 360 has launched in Europe, to similarly high demand as in the U.S. The BBC has details on the long lines and consumer reaction, and Next Generation has some information from Microsoft on how the launch is going. From the BBC article: "The technology giant has been forced to defend itself against accusations it has failed to provide enough consoles ahead of Christmas. Some 300,000 Xbox 360s are likely to be available for Friday's European launch, though demand is expected to far exceed this."

Comments

CD scratching appears to be the most common defect

[henk54]

Posted Dec 1, 2005 "Several members from GameSHOUT are getting fedup with Xbox 360 defects. According to Microsoft, they will not refund or replace discs that are scratched from the Xbox 360 video game console. However, they will offer "Perfect Dark Zero" for free. One GameSHOUT member, going by the name "Insanity Rulez" stated that the Microsoft Xbox 360 failed to save his "Call of Duty 2" video game. All stats are gone, and he got an error when making any attempts to resume his game mission. He stated, "I took out my game and checked it over and the 360 had totally ruined my game! It looks like someone took a pencil with the eraser side down [covered with sand paper] and touched the disk while spinning it! There is a perfect circle around the center of the disk and it prevents it from working on certain missions." It's not just one Xbox 360 gamer, it's becoming a daily thing now as more GameSHOUT members report their defects. CD scratching appears to be the most common defect." http://www.gameshout.com/news/122005/article1785.h tm

Advertising Taglines

[jevvim]

If the Windows tagline is "Where Do You Want To Go Today?", then is the Xbox360's "Where Have You Tried Looking Today?"

Re:Advertising Taglines

[/ASCII]

I preordered a 360 over a month ago, and was required to pay upon ordering. Turns out that instead of filling the preorders, the reseller instead held an event where they sold 360:s to random people. Don't know when they'll start concentrating on filling orders, but since they already have the money, I'm guessing they're not in a hurry. If you're from Sweden, I suggest you avoid shopping at Webhallen...

Give Microsoft a pass?

[imunfair]

I find it amusing that people are giving Microsoft an easy time because "they are doing something that has never been done before" - Referring to the launch in all the countries within a pretty close proximity timewise.

Sure it hasn't been done, but how does releasing in a ton of different countries make it much different than releasing in one at a time? Sure you *might* be able to get away with blaming shortages on that - but not stuff like overheating or scratching disks. The lack of reasoning in the present day and age is getting rather insane.

overheating

[subrama6]

i wonder if the overheating issues will be less prevalent in the uk given the necessary voltage differences in the power supply

Two complaints

[KDR_11k]

I'm not going to complain about shortages, I had enough opportunity to buy a core version today and didn't (and now I feel like an idiot because I could have made a big profit on eBay but whatever). What annoys me, though:

1. The demo kiosks have no games on them. Not a single one. All you can do is watch trailers (using faked footage, the kind they showed at E3, kinda ironic that they call the games section "the best games ever with movie-quality graphics") for a variety of racing and sports games. They could have put a 50 Euro DVD player in there and done the same.

2. The (non-MS) games cost 68 Euros a piece. As if 60 Euros for a console game wasn't enough of a ripoff, now they're increasing prices again! I was so tempted to put a few copies of the PC versions of those games on the same shelf so everyone who just bought the system can see they're paying 50% more than a PC user for identical or inferior (no mod support) versions. I mean, PC games are more complex and harder to test, yet they're selling for 40-45 Euros while console games cost 60 across the board so it can't be dev costs. Manufacturer royalties were less than 10$ a copy from what I heard so it would explain 55 Euros at best.

How Few?

[Supurcell]

I wonder how few Xboxes will be needed to create a simulated shortage when the Japanese release day comes.

Re:How Few?

[rAiNsT0rm]

12. I think that ought to do it, especially since most folks in Japan see the 360 as completely undesireable.

With 3 close friends in Japan and a couple colleagues, I can honestly say they really could care less overall. Sure they have their fanboy's but it is nowhere like here in the U.S.

The other funny thing is that the 360 is basically the *exact* same size as the original xbox PLUS the massive overheating power brick. Do they think the Japanese will be thrown off by the color white?

Also, Microsoft has gone so far out of their way to pander to the Japanese, yet really accomplish nothing. No Japan specific launch titles, nothing. I personally can't wait for the sales numbers to be as poor or worse than the Xbox 1, and for crap like the Wonderswan and GBC to still outsell it.

Re:CD scratching appears to be the most common def

[Keeper]

The dumbasses changed the orientation of the machine while it was running. The same thing will happen with any 12x dvd drive if you rotate it 90 degrees while the disc is spinnning.

Re:Meanwhile, the original Xbox drops in price...

[xtracto]

Just a little thought, early today I read this article at bit-tech as I wanted to see how was the Xbox 360 relase going in the UK. I find the review quite interesting. Specifically this snipet:

We hooked up via composite to a standard definition 20" LCD TV, a standard definition 30" CRT and a high definition 26" widescreen LCD panel. Frankly, the 360 looked atrocious with the composite. Colours bled everywhere, games were upscaled horrendously... the whole visual experience was frankly no better than the first Xbox. We'd go so far as to say that if you are limited to hooking up your 360 via SCART or composite in standard definition (eg with a 'normal' TV), don't even bother buying it. It looks bad.

Now, I am from Mexico and as far as I know, our buying power does not let the HDTV's be in the mainstream now (the Joe Average TV is a standard CRT 22''). I know that here in the UK people are wealthier but I was wondering in the USA how was it? does everybody have HDTV these days?

If that is not the case, some other parts of this same review state about the Project Gotham Racing were interesting as well:

The Gotham gameplay is still there and, to be honest, little has changed in that department. There's still the same races, the same Kudos Challenges, cone runs and the like - all the things we've come to know and love from Gotham. It's a little sad that there's no new gameplay mechanics, but then, I suppose we can't have everything.


So, no mayor changes in these games besides of the graphics uh? that means there is no REAL reason to buy the X360 if you do not have HDTV.

As for the Xbox, yep I think I may get one from Ebay after returning from vacations (2 weeks to Cancun and my country!! weeee). I was thinking it getting a GameBoy Advance from Ebay, as I will travel like 10 hours =oS, and they are very cheap these days (£15!!).

Personally I am waiting for the Revolution. I am no Nintendo fan, in fact my last console was a Xbox that I had to sell before coming to UK. But as I have no £££££ to spare in the 3 consoles, I guess I have to wait and see what will they do. And I am certainly waiting for the Revolution new controller, if not to play Nintendo's game, to plug it into my computer and make my game programmer imagination fly =o)

So?

[oGMo]

Most 12x DVD drives aren't in a consumer console that are typically subject to appliance-like treatment, not to mention an appliance that's built to stand either way. I have, for instance, moved my PS2 between upright and flat multiple times during play, and have experienced no such problems. If it's that big a problem, the 360 should detect when it's jarred or moved and immediately spin down the drive.

Re:So?

[Keeper]

A 12x DVD drive spins the disc at 7000rpm. You can't defeat physics; the disc will fight any attempt to rotate while spinning at that speed (recall the high school physics experiement where you try to rotate a spinning bicycle tire). Hardware isn't psychic; by the time it will have detected movement the damage is done.

You're correct, the 360 is built to STAND in either orientation. The unit isn't designed to MOVE while playing a game. It isn't build to withstand some dumbass showing his friends how cool it is that the green light changes its location when he rotates the unit around.

The manual tells you not to it. Common sense tells you not to it. Physics tells you not to it. Don't do it, and you won't fuck up your game disc. Crying about how much of a dumbass you are isn't going to help.

The PS2 doesn't spin the disc very fast. If you change orientation fast enough while the disc is spinning you will scratch the disc in the drive. People have done it, and they have complained about it just like these dumbasses.

Re:So?

[oGMo]

You're correct, the 360 is built to STAND in either orientation. The unit isn't designed to MOVE while playing a game. It isn't build to withstand some dumbass showing his friends how cool it is that the green light changes its location when he rotates the unit around.

Hey, I'm not talking how it's currently designed. That's pretty much a given: you move it, it destroys your games.

I'm talking about how, if Microsoft had a hair of forethought, they would have done what every successful console manufacturer has done, and design a console to withstand "normal" abuse. I'm not talking about dropping it off a table, but the reality is, kids are going to have this thing on the floor, the power supply is going to be on the floor, it's going to get pushed around and manipulated while in play.

It doesn't matter what they write in the manual in big red letters. Hell, most of the time, what they write in there comes down to "YOU MUST NOT EVER USE THIS FOR ANY PURPOSE AND IF YOU DO AND IT BURNS DOWN YOUR HOUSE, IT'S NOT OUR FAULT". People don't pay attention to that. People expect their console to be an appliance, not a highly sensitive PC that must be treated with the utmost care lest it destroy your media or overheat. (This is another reason Nintendo stuck with cartridges, despite it ultimately being a poor choice.)

The manual tells you not to it. Common sense tells you not to it. Physics tells you not to it. Don't do it, and you won't fuck up your game disc. Crying about how much of a dumbass you are isn't going to help.

The manual tells you not to do a lot of things. Common sense tells me this should withstand a reasonable amount of abuse. Physics? Most people don't know how fast the disc spins on their blackbox console, they just know they put in the shiny CD and the game plays. After all, your portable cd player never had any trouble!

This comes down to simply not being appropriate for the intended audience. You can build a car and write all sorts of things in the manual, but if you constantly have to monitor the gauges and be sure not to turn too fast, it's going to break. Not because the driver was stupid, because the designer was stupid.

The PS2 doesn't spin the disc very fast. If you change orientation fast enough while the disc is spinning you will scratch the disc in the drive. People have done it, and they have complained about it just like these dumbasses.

I have done it, and I haven't had any problems. Sure, I didn't shake it as hard as I could, and I treat my PS2s with hard drives a bit more carefully, but I haven't ruined any games because of it. I have two first-gen PS2s, and they still run fine, despite normal day-to-day wear and tear. There are no massive complaint threads about ruined games. (Disc Read Errors, yes, but Sony fixed that, too.)

Re:CD scratching appears to be the most common def

[Red Flayer]

" If you bought a turd in a box, the layer of said turd doesn't owe you anything."

Not true -- if you purchase a turd, you expect there to be a turd inside the box. And if there is not, you go to the seller to get a turd replacement. And if you used that turd as compost, just like the instructions said, and it killed all your plants instead of feeding them -- well, then, whoever sold you that turd and told you it was a nutritious compost supplement owes you some more plants.

This is not a "wouldn't it be nice if..." this is the way the law works in the US.

Re:CD scratching appears to be the most common def

[MrJynxx]

THe guys comment about the 360 not saving his call of duty 2 video game is true! Every single time i go to play that bloody game it NEVER saves my games properly.. I seem to always go back to the russian campaign and have to do that stupid training all over again..

My disc is fine, but the damn game WONT SAVE MY PROGRESS AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF!!!!

besides that, system has been awesome.. No cd's have been scratched, no over heating issues, no freezing, nothing.. Just been a great experience overall, actually it has been the best system i've used so far (and I've owned almost all systems since NES)

MrJynx