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[sonycowboy]

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuo...tfh03729_2005-11-27_13-00-23_l27236111_newsml

Sun Nov 27, 2005 08:00 AM ET
FRANKFURT, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) will have around 300,000 of its new Xbox 360 games console available for its European launch on Dec. 2, a Microsoft executive said in an interview published on Sunday.

Industry analysts' estimates of 300,000 Xbox 360s available at launch "were not far removed from reality", said Chris Lewis, the Microsoft executive responsible for the Xbox in Europe, in German weekly financial newspaper Euro am Sonntag.

Xbox 360s sold out in many U.S. stores after the launch there on Nov. 22 and are still in short supply, with the console selling at a premium to its $400 retail price on Internet auction sites.

Lewis said it was possible the console would sell out at its European launch too.

The console is the first new non-handheld machine in four years from a major manufacturer, and Microsoft aims to deliver up to 3 million units within three months of launch.

Rivals Sony (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nintendo (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) aim to release new consoles in 2006.

 

[SuperPac]

And now that everyone's seen the frenzy over the machines in the US, I'm sure the number of Ebay opportunists will increase for Europe. F'ers. Japan availability FTW.

 

[Prine]

I hope they allocate half of those to the UK

 

[Wollan]

Im going to visit my store early. My guess is that they will just get like 3-7 machines.

 

[Culex]

300k seems awefuly low for an entire continent.

 

[TeTr1C]

300k seems awefuly low for an entire continent.

That's because it IS low for an entire continent.

 

[Frankfurter]

The low initial shipment + christmas should guarantee that X360 is sold out quite fast.

 

[Juice]

300k seems awefuly low for an entire continent.

With demand what it is in America, I wouldn't be surprised if they just fly a few over to take some pictures with and then bring them back.

300,000 is quite a lot, complete manufacturing shortage considered. We still don't know how many made it to the US, but given the sob stories I've heard from people who normally know what they're doing at launches, I wouldn't be surprised if the US didn't receive much more.

 

[nubbe]

Ouch... Hope I get mine...

 

[Excelion]

Good thing i won an Xbox 360, but Sega is so poor it's a core pack and they're shipping it in January.

 

[johnjohnson]

What a stupid idea that worldwide launch was. Unbelievable.

 

[Ghost]

Every shop ive been into claims they wont have any to sell on launch day and they dont even have enough to fill pre-orders :-/


So if anyone knows of a store that is claiming to have extra let me know please.

 

[DCharlie]

"Japan availability FTW."

*strokes imported US X360 bought in Japan*
weird we got any units at all, but glad we did

 

[DrM]

Ouch... Hope I get mine...

yeah, me too

my friend is going to Austria around noon. We'll see...

 

[Uncle]

I should get mine. I paid for it last week and the clerk told me that I'm getting one on launch.

 

[Gamedude]

Belgium is too sober for this kind of things, I'll get mine without any problems.

 

[D2M15]

Not 360,360 of them? J's losing his edge.

 

[McFly]

What a stupid idea that worldwide launch was. Unbelievable.

With such small shipments ... even without a worldwide launch the 360 would be sold out.

Fredi

 

[Suerte]

Well I hope I can get one in time for the employee 20% off day at the place I work on the 6th of December, plus they gave me a £20 to use as well, eBay profit a go go!

 

[Tempy]

300k doesn't sound like much at all. Ah well, I don't have the money anyway. Maybe a nice payrise in January will change things. Besides, work will have a unit or two available for research purposes so I'll get to play one anyway.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Weren't there a million PSPs for launch across Europe? And that wasnt enough after a few days.

 

[Aizu_Itsuko]

Guys, this is Europe, not the US.

So far I've only found one guy in real life that is as excited about the new Xbox as me. If you ask them about the X360, most of the people I know will just shrug and then ask you about some PS2 game. I think the system has more sales potential than the original Xbox, but it's going to take MS making some GREAT things coupled with some MAJOR screw ups from Sony for things to change in Europe.

Good thing i won an Xbox 360, but Sega is so poor it's a core pack and they're shipping it in January.

:lol

 

[StephaneC]

300k only !!! first it was 500k ....

 

[bloke]

Anyone have numbers on how much original Xbox sold in Europe in it's first week (or month)?

 

[Prine]

Every shop ive been into claims they wont have any to sell on launch day and they dont even have enough to fill pre-orders :-/


So if anyone knows of a store that is claiming to have extra let me know please.

Try your local John Lewis.

 

[123rl]

300,000 for all of Europe is pathetic. I expect the UK to get the largest of any European country but I bet it's not much more than 40,000 for the UK.


Worldwide launch has been a complete disaster tbh. But of course they'll claim it's a sellout...it's easy to sell out though when there's nowhere near enough stock :lol

 

[Beowvlf]

This seems about right. I'm betting that we only got about ~50-100k more here in the US/Canada, based on how many units some of the stores around my home got compared to when the PS2 launched.

I'm thinking ~100k for Japan, because that may just have a chance of selling out. I'm hoping this is a manufacturing shortage, and not an intentional shortage, because if it is, MS pretty much sucks at it. Their shipments aren't even meeting the base demand (which is those who were going to buy the system regardless), and that is a big, big mistake.

 

[Wollan]

Sonys CES showing will probably have a much better impact now. Ecspecially with Europe in mind.

 

[dorio]

The worldwide launch is genius. It tells all 3 territories that you care about them equally plus the shortages will create buzz and you can claim a sellout in countries around the world. It's advertising 101 and just because they are launching with 300K doesn't mean that's all that will be available before the end of the year.

 

[dorio]

Sonys CES showing will probably have a much better impact now. Ecspecially with Europe in mind.

People will be too concerned about finding a 360 to care.

 

[Lo-Volt]

300,000 for all of Europe is pathetic. I expect the UK to get the largest of any European country but I bet it's not much more than 40,000 for the UK.

Is Britain really the largest video game market in the Eurozone when Germany and France should both have more people in their borders, and with larger economies than the UK?

 

[BorkBork]

Is Britain really the largest video game market in the Eurozone when Germany and France should both have more people in their borders, and with larger economies than the UK?

Yes.
From sonycowboy's post,

Installed base Western Europe - As of May 2005 (Eyeball numbers from a graph chart)
Region Units MarketShare
UK 7,150,000 27.82%
France 4,000,000 15.56%
Spain 3,900,000 15.18%
Germany 3,600,000 14.01%
Italy 3,000,000 11.67%
Scandanavia 1,900,000 7.39%
Other 2,150,000 8.37%
Totals 25,700,000

 

[123rl]

Britain has a bigger gaming market though and usually gets the biggest single portion of launch hardware. I wouldn't say Germany's economy is a reason why they would get more, because Germany is in a horrible recession with a lot of unemployment (isn't it the highest it's been in decades? I'm sure I heard that somewhere). I'm pretty sure France is in recession too.

Britain's economy is doing well though (relatively speaking)...which probably explains the raping that is our tax system And the market that usually buy games have a lot of disposable income to spend on games because they can't afford to buy a house or get a mortgage

 

[Wollan]

I think it's less than 30m(prob closer to 20) people living in Scandinavia so the install % there(here) is pretty high.

 

[jarrod]

Is Britain really the largest video game market in the Eurozone when Germany and France should both have more people in their borders, and with larger economies than the UK?

The UK is the largest console market, but when you bring in PC gaming and mobile gaming they start evening out with Germany, Spain and France. Germany's PC games market in particular is huge iirc.

 

[jett]

Not really surprised by the number. It's not like the xbox is popular over there.

 

[Ghost]

Please dont complain about the Global launch, its much better to have it this way (for europeans at least) where we do at least get the console and start getting games released at the same time as the US & Japan, even if not everyone can get one.


I dont want to go back to waiting a year just for the thing to come out.