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Issue #30 |
The Launch Edition |
November 26, 2005 |
I'm not the greatest person at remaining focused when trying to do work and play videogames, however, I jumped at the idea of once again hosting Currents.
For those that live in a canyon, far away from all civilization, this past week was Thanksgiving and while I worked much of the day (and got paid time and a half), I was able to eat two dinners that day, technically lunch and dinner. Also, tonight, I ate another belated one. I must say, the food gets better the longer you must wait. I hope that everyone had a safe holiday and that no one got trampled on Black Friday. I, for once, got to sit at home enjoying leftovers. Thankfully, I no longer work retail and I don't miss it at all.
As you have noticed, Elliot is not around, though he has been hanging around IRC for a few hours. He took a slight vacation and will be making his valiant return next week. For now, however, I bring to you madhtr's Currents.
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Peter Moore, Microsoft's corporate vice president, mentioned in an interview with Gamespot that he expects the company to have shipped 10 million units of the Xbox 360 by the end of 2006. Not only does it show how quickly the company expects to sell the console, but also has an added importance from Moore himself when he mentioned at the ELSPA game summit this year that he expected the first company to hit 10 million units would have an advantage in the next gen race.
Also, looking at a closer date, Peter Moore mentioned what the company expects to ship of the console by the beginning of January. "In the first 90 days, I believe we'll be somewhere between two and a half and three million units worldwide."
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Microsoft has announced that the company will be unveiling the Xbox 360, its next gen console, in Australia on March 2, 2006. The reason for the slight delay from the other regions was not officially announced, though signs point to a rumored shortage as the reason.
The Premium console will ship at AUD 649.99, while the Core system will cost AUD 499.99. Peripheral pricing was also confirmed for the wireless controller at AUD 79.95, the 20Gb hard drive and wireless networking adaptor for AUD 169.95 each, and the 64MB memory unit will be available for AUD 49.95.
The software launch list remains unconfirmed, though with an extra three months, the possibilities are there for more Australian launch titles. Stay tuned to RPGamer for more launch details as they're announced.
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Microsoft has announced that they are aware of the shortages and that they have plans to be able to ship replenishments. "We are well aware that many gamers are disappointed to have not gotten their Xbox 360 on day one. We are working around the clock to manufacture as many Xbox 360s as we can and are replenishing our retail channel week after week."
Peter Moore also mentioned that "[the company's] goal is to replenish inventory in the channel every week, so lots of Xbox 360s are flowing in every single week. It's not like we're shipping and then going dry for two or three weeks."
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An EB Games in Stafford, Virginia was armed at gunpoint earlier this week when a thief decided it best to not have to pay for an Xbox 360. Holding the store manager at gunpoint, he made off with two of the consoles, though was quickly apprehended by police.
The police consider the robbery to be an ongoing investigation, so most of the store employees were reluctant to speak about it. The store, however, is open for business and one employee mentioned, "We're all fine, and everything is cool."
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Ebay has become a popular site for many different people selling many different items and with a new console release comes a new set of items. This particualr item is for the Xbox 360 and bids can be found as high as $600-$700 for Premium systems and $500 for Core systems.
Some of the auctions reached highs of $1,750 for a premium system and $790 for a Core system. One Sony employee even purchased one of the original ten consoles released at this past E3, paying $3,000. This anonymous employee netted himself the Xbox 360 system, a certificate of authenticity, a copy of Kameo: Elements of Power, a limited-edition E3 Xbox 360 faceplate.
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Numbers are really bad for the game companies this week, with only EA and Midway gaining any, with Midway being at the top with an 83 cent gain. The top loser this week was Sega Sammy, with a 1.30 drop, followed by Nintendo which had a drop of 35 cents.
Most of the drops were much smaller than Sega's and Nintendo's, but it'll be interesting to see how the market picks back up again. At this time, it's tough to tell when things will get better.
Parentheses denote negative numbers. Prices as of market closing 11.25.2005
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And so ends my time entertaining you. I only hope that I was able to keep you interested long enough to be reading this. Stay tuned next week as Elliot once again takes over the reins and possibly even tells stories of his travels.
Billy Young
Carlisle@RPGamer.com
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