Xbox Shortages Continue, Console Meeting Goals

Eurogamer reports that Microsoft is finally beginning to get some more 360 consoles into the retail channel. From the article: "Xbox does not announce details of shipments, but I can tell you that we're on track to meet our 90 day forecast of 2.75 to 3.0 million units ..." Despite that level of success, Microsoft is still disappointed with production levels and sales.

Comments

Not a Happy Cristmas for MS

[rAiNsT0rm]

I don't want this to sound like bashing, just my humble opinion on the matter. You know heads are rolling at Microsoft this Christmas, this whole thing has turned into a powder keg that just keeps blowing up in their face.

The design flaws and bad press everywhere including mainstream media, and there is most likely more to come once more get opened on Christmas day (the media loves to beat a story like this to death, little tommy crying + pissed off parents == ???, Profit!)

Meager launch lineup with no must-have, and all the marketing money put behind Kameo which is average at best overall.

The factory troubles at almost every step of production. Super-low chip yields (this will be the real killer), single fabrication plants in Asia being relied upon (one problem and everything comes to a halt), delivery issues (flying your product overnight in a Boeing in a mad dash is not a well timed launch), and much more.

Not even factoring in the fact that they can't GIVE them away in Japan... which is actually TRUE! I have friends in Japan and a business was raffling one off as a promotion and they only had about 12 entries by the end of three days.

It just didn't work out. The online system is golden though (except for the pricing structure - or lack thereof - of the Marketplace). At first I thought there will be still time to fix things and right the ship, but with MS having to struggle to even pump out 1st gen units they have no chance of rebounding before Sony and Nintendo start their campaigns.

Again, power and speed to market do not mean sales and success. Learning lessons from history is something you'd think MS would eventually do, but again they prove this wrong. Tons of potential, poor exectution, marred by a number of problems... the Xbox 360 will be the next DC with Xbox Live Arcade being the only real option as it is now with Geometry Wars and such.

Re:Am I missing something?

[rAiNsT0rm]

And here is a perfect case of why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover! I, in fact was one of the alpha 360 hardware testers and am currently playtesting two upcoming titles.

The website in my sig is my personal website to cover inside information on the Revolution, because it is a console I am very excited about. Notice the .info extension?

I have very extensive relationships with all of my local game stores, and know the managers personally as well as most of the staff. So I'm not just some schlubb wasting their time, they tell it like it is.

I also ran two major PS2 news/review websites one which was sold and incorporated into rottentomatoes and one to IGN... there is a big difference between personal and professional... when I'm on /. it is personal, I speak *my* opinion and god knows I check my grammar/sentence structure at the door too.

Re:Am I missing something?

[rAiNsT0rm]

Wow, thank you relavence police. In fact it is all relavent, just that I have made you jealous or created envy/hatred because of my luck in life to do what I love. I have shown that I am completely IMPARTIAL and have no fanboy issues, I am playtesting for the 360... so obviously I don't *hate* MS or the Xbox and with a long standing relationship with Sony I have covered all the "competitors." From my POV I have no bias and if anything the Nintendo side is the one where I have the least ties and inside contacts due to their structure.

My credentials are what they are, feel free to downplay them or try to degrade me if it makes you feel better or superior in some way. I have no dog in this race, just personally really excited to see how the Revolution shapes up and how it is adopted by the public and developers. It could be the shot in the arm this industry needed to get off its laurels and bring game design, gameplay, and fun back into the equation.