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Quote:

Toys R Us and Amazon sold out their first batch of Xbox preorders, but didn't disclose how many units that represented. We wonder if there are people planning on grabbing an Xbox and then reselling it above cost? Our fond hope is that such speculators get to speculate on what they're going to do with their extra Xbox units they can't sell. That probably won't be the case, unfortunately.

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First: Toys R Us and Amazon are the same enty online so it isn't like two companies sold out. Second, we don't know how many units they offered. Both EB and Gamestop have units still available. Gamestop a week ago had 900 some units available and just now they still have 792. So it isn't like there is a mad rush.

I've mentioned before that I am cursed. If I buy a system at launch, its likely to fail. I've bought the following at launch...

Intellivision
Sega Master System
Sega Genesis
Atari Jaguar
3DO
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast

Out of those 7, the only one that was sucessful was the Genesis. That means my curse is ~85% accurate. So as a public service, I feel I should state what system I planed to buy at launch. Now here is where it gets tricky. Because of recent problems in my life, I can't afford to buy one at launch. So its unknown if the curse applies to systems I intend on buying or just ones I actually buy.

Today, I make it official. I would buy an Xbox.
Just trying to help. :)

Rob, you should offer your services to the highest bidder. Think what MS would pay to have you actually buy a Gamecube instead! Sony might pay to have you buy both an Xbox and a Gamecube. Who needs a lottery when you have the right curse?

Rob,

Will you be buying Windows XP? I don't know how broad your curse is, but it might influence my XP purchase decision:-)

I have only owned one console, the Atari 2600. Decathlon anyone? I ruined many joysticks with that game.

-DavidCPA

I have a computer curse. Pre-PC, I had a TI-99/4A, Atari 800XL, Commodore 64, Atari 520 and 1040ST, and Amiga 500 and 3000. Of those, only the C-64 prospered. I *still* remember buying some Amiga software at Software Etc. circa 1991 and having the clerk comment on the Amiga surge in popularity at the store. I said I hoped I wasn't its death. He laughed, and said it was "growing by leaps and bounds." Within 6 months they no longer carried Amiga software.

It's shocking that I've owned PCs for 5-6 years before their demise has been loudly proclaimed. :-)

Carl

>I have only owned one console, the Atari 2600.

I also have only owned one console, the Atari 5200 (which actually was never even released where I live). Ah, Joust and Miner 2049er.

Then when I could finally afford a computer, I realized how the types of games available on a computer appealed to me so much more, and that's still the case. I like open-ended RPGs, Sims, strategy games and shooters -- not the sports and arcade-style action games that predominate on consoles. I also love multiplayer coop games, which is another reason I don't even really consider buying a console.

I do think, however, that in spite of being a decent hit in North America, the Xbox will be a major disappointment -- sales for this round of consoles are going to be very regionalized - the Xbox will be a no-show in Asia, do decently in North America. Nintendo will do well in Asia and decently in North America. PS2 will continue to do well worldwide. The real test for the xbox's viability will come post-x-mas, and I think Microsoft is going to lose a lot of money on the console. I really don't see the appeal of the xbox - cost, I guess, since it's really just a poor man's PC, with reduced functionality.

Stefan

I tend to agree with this assessment but I have to confess that there's something appealing about a game on a big TV screen, lounging on the comfy couch and having surround sound filling the darkened room. The price is right too.

I may go for the X-Box for sheer spectacle and the PCesque titles it offers but I don't think I'll be able to abandon my PC for it just yet. Too much legacyware and indieware as well as new PC exclusive titles.

I wish I could abandon the PC for a stable box without shifting parameters and driver requirements. I wish developers didn't have to spend more time in compatibility testing than in actual game design. But, well, that's just dreaming out loud.

"I really don't see the appeal of the xbox - cost, I guess, since it's really just a poor man's PC, with reduced functionality."

It's got a hard drive, but how will that be used, really? Are we really going to see patches and mods for Xbox games delivered via the Internet?

I suspect Microsoft's in it for the long haul, though. The Xbox2 may be their system that takes off.

"I may go for the X-Box for sheer spectacle and the PCesque titles it offers...."

What PCesque titles? It looks like a console to me. Halo, maybe, but most of the others looks like console-style games.

>Halo, maybe, but most of the others looks like console-style games.


Even Halo. I mean hell, there ARE console FPS games. Just because it started out as a PC game doesn't mean that it hasn't been thoroughly console-ized by now.

>It's got a hard drive, but how will that be used, really?

Gigantic memory card, streaming in level data for much bigger levels than 64MB alone would give you and reduced load times, ripping music off your CDs for your own soundtracks to some games. In a year, more advanced stuff like RPGs with big world persistance and online RPGs that require world changes to be stored on the hard drive.

It won't be used to "install" games or patch them. Mods are a big question mark. Simple official "mods" like ever-updating team rosters for sports games or new racing tracks/cars are a shoo-in, once the online service kicks off.

Bundles: the retail mark-up on game systems is extremely low, around 5%. Ask any EB or Babbages employee if their employee discount goes toward console system purchases. =) The bundle deals are designed to win for the manufacturer AND retailer.

Example:

MS gives additional marketing support to retailers who sell bundles with at least 1 MS first party game, 2 other games, and one accessory. MS gets the wholesale money from the first-party game, royalties from the other two, and big markup on the accessory. They instantly make back like $40-50 of the money they lost on the Xbox hardware.

The retailer made $10 on the Xbox, which didn't pay to ship, sell, and market it. But they get $15 on those three games and $10 on that $25 controller or DVD remote or whatever. Which were all much easier to ship and marketing is handled for them. So they're looking at $50 or more as well.

It's also better for inventory management and all that crap.

"I really don't see the appeal of the xbox - cost, I guess, since it's really just a poor man's PC, with reduced functionality."

Well, there's always the bonus that it ships with a controller massive enough to be used as a catapult projectile.

Well, hold on. Morrowind will be out on the X-Box. Bounty Hunter is an open-ended, nonlinear, title with both a space sim and man-to-man combat. There are plenty of other examples of games that aren't the usual sort of console fare that Desslock was talking about.

There are great console games but they are often great for different reasons than the games we tend to associate with the PC. The X-Box seems to want to bring us both styles of gaming.