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[shpankey]

just got back from waiting in line at wal-mart for 6 hours... I was two people out from getting the premium pack. they had 26 premiums and i was 28th in line. argh!

i decided I didn't want the core pack cause they don't even sell hard drives seperately or even component cables (i have an HDTV so those were a must)... so there was no point in me buying a core system.

i took pics of the whole deal, will upload em tomorrow after French class.

nevertheless to say, i'm pretty pissed about the whole deal.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Just got out of Fry's from work. Assholes were lined up outside and started harassing us when we were leaving to go home. NO WE JUST CANT FUCKING GIVE YOU ONE TONIGHT!

 

[DCharlie]

another thing - doesn't this demand show that MS were stupid for going with two packs? Or is this the whole ploy? following the sell out, there'll be nothing but premium packs and those who got core packs will get BF'ed?

 

[AJ_]

depends.

if they have big sales figures and it's sold out, yeah, i can see it.
but they might just piss everyone off.

If i had preordered in May, but then had to queue up to be in a raffle for a machine, i'd be SEETHING.

And then to have people who are just out to scalp other gamers ?

wankers, fucking wankers every last one of them.

Dunno. From PR perspective the absolute worst case would be to launch a console and not have anyone notice (Gizmodo experience if you will). Once you've done this it is next to impossible to regain attention (and very expensive).

Now MS is making waves. People notice those lines. People pay attention. Trying to reach the masses in US is not easy. At least MS is getting through and high level message is that XBox360 is really wanted.

 

[Syb]

Headline tomorrow:

NEW XBOX HAS ARRIVED p1.

50 KILLED IN LINE RIOT STAMPEDE p50.

 

[DCharlie]

"Dunno. From PR perspective the absolute worst case would be to launch a console and not have anyone notice (Gizmodo experience if you will). Once you've done this it is next to impossible to regain attention (and very expensive).

Now MS is making waves. People notice those lines. People pay attention. Trying to reach the masses in US is not easy. At least MS is getting through and high level message is that XBox360 is really wanted."

if they try this trick in Japan, i swear i'll smash them in the face...

 

[AJ_]

another thing - doesn't this demand show that MS were stupid for going with two packs? Or is this the whole ploy? following the sell out, there'll be nothing but premium packs and those who got core packs will get BF'ed?

I don't think two packs is really significant here.

BTW: This launch insanity in US is going to really influence Europe. Given that European launch will be in a couple of weeks after this kind of lineups I'm expecting pre-orders to shoot through the roof (because I just _need_ this console for X-mes vacation, right?).

 

[AJ_]

if they try this trick in Japan, i swear i'll smash them in the face...

Yeah. Japan is a lost cause for MS. Instead of wasting money they should simply ignore the market and focus to US and Europe.

 

[DCharlie]

"Yeah. Japan is a lost cause for MS. Instead of wasting money they should simply ignore the market and focus to US and Europe."

actually, i've been surprised by the coverage and the reaction to the launch. But if they pull the same trick with the Japanese (i.e. people with preorders not getting the machine) it will BACKFIRE massively and they will be even more f*cked than they ever were in Japan.

MS : PLEASE NOTE - JAPAN is _NOT_ the same as the US! Don't pull this shit in Japan.

 

[antipode]

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

http://frostitution.net/meeblemeeble/despair-02.jpg http://frostitution.net/meeblemeeble/Despair-01.jpg

I took the pic and Demi lightened it up for me, man I'm so freaking tired.

Was the "leaked Best Buy allocation document" completely off, or was that what people expected?

 

[cvxfreak]

actually, i've been surprised by the coverage and the reaction to the launch. But if they pull the same trick with the Japanese (i.e. people with preorders not getting the machine) it will BACKFIRE massively and they will be even more f*cked than they ever were in Japan.

MS : PLEASE NOTE - JAPAN is _NOT_ the same as the US! Don't pull this shit in Japan.

Let's be real here. The first one's sold 470,000. It couldn't possibly do 1/3 of that next month, right?

Hmm. If MS shipped like 200,000 "just to be safe" then Japan has nothing to worry about...

 

[Stinkles]

I just got back from the Bellevue WA, Best Buy, where it was a total mob scene. Literally hundreds of people and both parking lots - Best Buy and the adjacent Home Depot were filled. Folks were getting towed. there were radio crews, TV stations and all sorts of cops.

Then I got back here and found out that Peter Moore and Bill gates were there, so that explains that. For a few minutes I thought I was witnessing a "typical" store.

 

[Lardbutt]

I'm kind of worried that HDTV's are going to be selling thru the roof too...I think I better get mine soon...

 

[Matlock]

I just got back from the Bellevue WA, Best Buy, where it was a total mob scene. Literally hundreds of people and both parking lots - Best Buy and the adjacent Home Depot were filled. Folks were getting towed. there were radio crews, TV stations and all sorts of cops.

Then I got back here and found out that Peter Moore and Bill gates were there, so that explains that. For a few minutes I thought I was witnessing a "typical" store.

http://www.ga-forum.com/showpost.php?p=2294951&postcount=2107

There's the scene at Smalltown Wal-Mart.

48 seats filled at about 8:30. Probably 20 stragglers, and a guy at the front that was sad because he couldn't get a 360 since he came in at midnight.

...and the old woman who gave me the evil eye because I ruined his children's christmas when I partook on the selfish task of buying myself a console.

 

[element]

I just got back from the Bellevue WA, Best Buy, where it was a total mob scene. Literally hundreds of people and both parking lots - Best Buy and the adjacent Home Depot were filled. Folks were getting towed. there were radio crews, TV stations and all sorts of cops.

Then I got back here and found out that Peter Moore and Bill gates were there, so that explains that. For a few minutes I thought I was witnessing a "typical" store.

Damn it!! I was there!! I need your phone number so you can get me into crap!! I wanted to get some pictures of people with my game box I was about 10 feet from BillG too. Here are some photos.

Line at lunch. It went around the corner.

 

[Andy787]

Damn, if I would've known Bill Gates and Peter Moore were at the Bellvue BB I would've drove down there. :'( Geoff Keighley was down there, too.

 

[Mr Jared]

I just got back from the scene at my Best Buy here in Dublin, CA that is opening at 9am tomorrow. I interviewed Mr. 1st in Line to help with a bit of news, snapped some shots and snuck off.

Honestly? I almost wish I was in line. It was like a damned party. They had a full blown Halo tournament, poker games, Mario Kart, BMX Flatland kids and skaters, music blaring and a couple other oddities. It was pretty awesome and great to see the kids so excited about the launch.

I went to 2 Best Buys, a Gamestop and a Wal-Mart to scope out the launch scene. What did they all have in common? The first people in line were about as casual of gamers as you could get (The guy I seriously interviewed was there for Madden, maybe CoD and didn't know what the arcade was but liked the idea). This is seriously, one interesting launch.

 

[DCharlie]

"Let's be real here. The first one's sold 470,000. It couldn't possibly do 1/3 of that next month, right? "

i think the first one sold about 120,000 at launch.
This one comes with FF Beta and is legitimately getting more coverage, if they've went for 200k that's good - if they try to go with some stupidly low number and then come the old "oh, it's sold out everywhere!" they are going to look totally stupid.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Just got back. Got there around 3pm and was already 144th in line. Core pack for me=(. Oh well, atleast I got my system.

 

[Joe]

i see element brought his entire projection setup and fuzion frenzy

 

[erikevrhrd]

I got to the main Best Buy in NYC on 44th St + 5th Ave. (where the system had its launch last year) at 9am this morning for the midnight launch tonite and I was number 32 in line. By Noon there were 200 people in line and they closed the line. 150 of us got Premiums and the rest Cores. SO I waited for 15 hrs in the cold rain with some great people and got my 360 tonite and just hooked it up and played a little of all my games. I love it and it was worth the trouble and I would do it all again.

 

[cvxfreak]

i think the first one sold about 120,000 at launch.
This one comes with FF Beta and is legitimately getting more coverage, if they've went for 200k that's good - if they try to go with some stupidly low number and then come the old "oh, it's sold out everywhere!" they are going to look totally stupid.

No kidding. The Japanese can actually get up to date sales numbers in the magazine they buy every week. :lol :lol

Final week of December:
PS2: 120,000 / 2,300,450
GC: 25,000 / 210,000
Xbox360: 15,000 / 140,000

Everyone: LOL

 

[DCharlie]

indeed -
add to that DS and PSP and it could look very very sad for MS.

 

[Lardbutt]

Has any other American made electronics product ever sold well in Japan? I don't know why people are holding the X360 to such lofty standards.

 

[dorio]

What happen to all the people who called preorderers stupid?

Just walk in the Walmart the morning of launch and grab a copy. I've never had to preorder a game system.

I could strangle the people who talked me out of preordering.

 

[UncleScr00ge]

My Walmart report. This was in the upstate of South Carolina.

I called this morning when I got to work to see how many they are getting in. The electronics lady said there were 30 core 18 tard, and 4 people were already lined up in layaway! So I spent the rest of the afternoon getting things done at work and headed out to Walmart at 2:30pm.

When I got there, me and my line buddy were #15 and #16. By 5pm all 30 slots for the pre's were taken. FYI, the line for the cores did not fill up until about 11:30pm.

At about 8pm, Fox News (local channel) came by and did some interviews. They left and came back at 10pm and did a "live on the scene" report. I was told that this was a big deal that they were broadcasting live. Called my wife and told her to turn on the TV, and sure enough I was on TV.

At about 10:30 I got a call from my boss.
Boss: "Um, are you at Wal-mart"
Me: "Er, yeah."
Boss: "Yeah they just showed it on TV. Is this why you left early today?"
Me: "*stuttering* ummmmm.....kind of?"
Boss: :lol

Anyway, about 4 police officers showed up at 11:45 to make sure everything went smoothly. Got my 399.99 system at about 12:10 and it was hooked up and signed into Live by 1am.

I think I got pretty lucky.

 

[Azwethinkweiz]

Haha! You were at that summerville store? I think it was summerville. Maybe it was simpsonville. I saw that newscast too. Please tell me you weren't that doofus playing his GBA:SP 5 inches from his face. They had a close up on him, and let's just say it wasn't very flattering.

 

[UncleScr00ge]

I was the doofus next to him at Simpsonville. Playing my DS most of the time. Had a blue shirt, red jumpshorts.

I swear to you, that guy played Spyro for GBA for 8 hours straight. It was nuts.

 

[SuperPac]

Well I woke up at 4 a.m. and figured I'd see how the lines were lookin'. Target across the street from me, they're getting 12 systems and 12 people were in line. Circuit City, 20-25 systems, 25 people in line. Micro Center, *3* systems, 3 people in line. I figure if I waited I'd probably be stuck with a core system at this point anyway so I'm just gonna hold off and buy it when more shipments come in. How the hell does Houston get away with giving kids a whole week off of school for Thanksgiving, that's what I'd like to know. Why, in my day...

 

[SiNCeRe]

Just got back from my local Best Buy (Secacus, NJ) and they gave out the tickets last night so there no point in waiting in line. I guess my nephew will have to wait.

 

[Jewbacca]

Well I woke up at 4 a.m. and figured I'd see how the lines were lookin'. Target across the street from me, they're getting 12 systems and 12 people were in line. Circuit City, 20-25 systems, 25 people in line. Micro Center, *3* systems, 3 people in line. I figure if I waited I'd probably be stuck with a core system at this point anyway so I'm just gonna hold off and buy it when more shipments come in. How the hell does Houston get away with giving kids a whole week off of school for Thanksgiving, that's what I'd like to know. Why, in my day...

lol bud you got owned... if you want pm me and i can hook you up with a system by second shipment.. should be in 2 weeks or less..

 

[SuperPac]

lol bud you got owned... if you want pm me and i can hook you up with a system by second shipment.. should be in 2 weeks or less..

Nah, but thanks. Could've been worse. I could've wasted 10 hours waiting in line just to get a core system. Dragon Quest VIII and Mario Kart will help me through these trying times. No biggie.

 

[DaveT]

Just had the most horrible experience at Walmart. OK to start off I stopped by 4 Walmarts the first 2 said they only had 24 systems and they were all gone. The 2nd Walmart had a line of about 30 people. The 3rd Walmart said they had 30 premiums and 12 cores but that there was a line of 50 people in the back. So on my way to the last Walmart were my friend was past by Best Buy saw about another 50 or so camping and waiting. To the last and final Walmart were my friend lined up about 5:30. I arrive around 10 or so and he tells me that management said they only had 14 systems total. Keep in mind there was a line of about 30 people there. Then later they came back saying the had only 2 premium systems and thats it but shipment should be on the way. Well no one really believed they had only 2 but the employees kept changing the number on us. So midnight rolls around and sure enough they only had 2. After that chaos broke loose with alot of shouting at the employees.

That sucks and I bet you that they had more than that originally but either are 1) Selling them to friends, or 2) working together to buy them all themselves then sell them on ebay.

When the PS2 launch a similar scenario happened to a friend here in the SF Bay ara at a Sears. They told him they would have some good number at the time and it turned out he was the only one who waited in line there. all night. in the rain.....come opening time, some peeps who showed up for work brought their friends, let them in early, and sold all the PS2s to them plus bought PS2s for themselves...and in the end, no PS2s left....leaving my friend SOL on the whole situation.

 

[M3wThr33]

Damn it!! I was there!! I need your phone number so you can get me into crap!! I wanted to get some pictures of people with my game box I was about 10 feet from BillG too. Here are some photos.

Line at lunch. It went around the corner.

When I moved to Redmond, the Cube and Xbox had both just launched. The only big events that have occured were the DS, 360, and Halo 2 launches. I was at the Game Crazy for the DS launch. Got some gift certificates.
It'll be interesting to see how Nintendo gets the press out for the Revolution launch around here.

 

[bud]

When will we get the reports about the sales numbers?

 

[maximum360]

I didn't feel like waiting in line last night at some stores. Target already had at least 2 people in line at 8:30 last night. They had 20 systems and there were at least 25 people already in line at 6 am. I decided to just go to work. I'll check Sears later but I'm not worried. I'm on the second shipment at Gamecrazy and on the "whenever they feel like it" shipment at Sam Goody. One of those will turn up sooner or later.

 

[Shogun]

What happen to all the people who called preorderers stupid?

I could strangle the people who talked me out of preordering.

IAWTP w/ Exclamation Points en masse

 

[open_mouth_]

What happen to all the people who called preorderers stupid?

I could strangle the people who talked me out of preordering.

:lol :lol

 

[Rodriguez]

Got my 360 at EB. Love that pre-order.

But I wanted to buy another 360. Scoped out Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City nearby. Nothing left. I did find out that the stores handed out tickets at 6 AM and that a bunch of people got dicked after staying out there all night only to not receive a ticket. It was fucking 25 degress out there.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Just came from trying to score one. Every single store (small and big) had more people in line than systems available.

Don't go out today GAF unless you're in line already, waste of time.

 

[TheDuce22]

I think this whole core system thing was a scam to take advantage of desperate people.

 

[myzhi]

Yeah, don't go out. Damn stores are giving out tickets 6-10 hrs before the stores open. WTF is up with that. They could have save people's time by giving out tickets days ago. I am just going to wait for pre-order 2nd shipment to come in. Lucky, I didn't cancel like some people.

 

[Lo-Volt]

I think this whole core system thing was a scam to take advantage of desperate people.

I don't disagree, but I can't help but notice how well it worked for Microsoft for the launch. There's really no way it can be denied now, especially if there were people willingly buying Cores and hard drives to make it through the launch without going home empty-handed. I'd bet Microsoft and Sony knew damn well that it was gonna work.

 

[chinch]

I think this whole core system thing was a scam to take advantage of desperate people.

The Core was said to be a request from Walmart for the USA. Deal with it already.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

I made the treck outside at 4am with my buddies, but everything was filled to the brims. Stupid suburbia -- too many kids with too much time and their parent's credit cards. Thankfully, I accidentally came across the Costco in my area that was receicing 72 premium bundles, so I stopped in there (only five people in line!) and waited until 8am, when they handed out tickets. I have to go back in an hour to pick mine up. w00t. Lucky.

EDIT: My copy of PDZ just arrived in the mail now. I'm a happy camper.

 

[Kiyamon]

Buying the Core system with a HD is sure coming to be much cheaper than buying a Premium system on Ebay... If I would get a Core system if I could not get a Premium at Launch. MS or a third party will come up with a much larger HD in a couple of months... when one could either buy one of those or buy a used HD or by then they may have gone down in price a bit.

 

[TheDuce22]

I would rather wait than waste even more money on a core system.

 

[pixelfish]

As luck would have it our stupid store counted wrong and only had 14 premium systems and guess who got number 14, me! I would have gone balistic after waiting 14 hours in 30 degree temps if I didn't get a premium system. I was surprised that the people behind me waiting for premium tickets were only slightly dissapointed that they had to get the core system but after a couple of minutes everybody was happy and excited again.

Don't judge the core packs too harshly because you don't want one. There are many gamers who are happy today that they got an Xbox and they don't care if it's core or premium.

 

[Dave Long]

The whole thing is asinine. They should've charged more for the system because they obviously could've gotten it. If I was an analyst, I'd be reaming Microsoft big time for leaving piles of money on the table with this launch.

I'm also apalled at the number of 360s on eBay now. There are at least 5000 people who bought on only to put it up for sale immediately. That's just listings as of 10:30 this morning EST. I'm sure there will be nearly double that by tonight. Those folks reselling them are vultures.

Even if I had been lucky enough to get one, I'd still be seething at this completely fucked up disaster of a launch.

 

[Fongul]

After looking at the lines at Best Buy, Target and even Toys R Us, me and my friends are now betting on Costco for our launch systems. Too bad we couldn't have hired a squadron of bums ala the Japanese PSP launch to wait in line for us, then make them fight in the parking lot for our amusement after we showed up :lol