360 Launch Mania Fiasco

This morning’s launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console was met both with
triumph and virtual tragedy. Considerable lines formed around major
retail chains across the country, as fans flocked to be one of the
first to pick up the high definition console. Unfortunately, most
stores won’t be able to fulfill their customers’ needs.

We spoke with several area retailers about their launch plans and their
stock. All of them wished to remain anonymous, and each mentioned a
policy in which they couldn’t reveal their exact product totals.
However, we were able to accurately piece together about how many each
store received on their initial shipment, though few admittedly didn’t
expect a second shipment for several weeks.

Best Buy: 100 units per store. No pre-sale.
EB Games: 35 units per store, all pre-sold.
Toys R Us: 20 units per store, 12 pre-sold
Wal-Mart: 16 units per store, no pre-sale
Target: 20 units per store, no pre-sale

Most of the major media outlets attribute the lack of inventory to a
decision from Microsoft to internationally launch the product on the
same day, limiting the amount of units available to the U.S., but we
call shenanigans. That excuse came from the lips of Xbox Executive Peter Moore, addressing internet conspiracy theorists’ claims to Microsoft creating a false shortage to drive media hype.

One fact that dismisses Moores reasoning is that Japan’s release date
is December 10th, weeks from their so-called full international
release. This backs the theory that it is Microsofts plan to
artificially create an overwhelming demand in order to catch the eye of
Japanese consumers, a group in which the original Xbox did incredibly
poorly.