Microsoft " misjudged" 360 Demand

Courtesy of some backwater gaming site... I think it' s called Kikizo.

After selling well over a million Xbox 360 over the Christmas period in the US, Microsoft now appears to be running low on stock of the two-year-old console.

" We are really running short of product here in the United States," Microsoft' s Jeff Bell told Reuters. " You could say we misjudged demand."

Bell said that the unexpected surge for Xbox 360s means that there will likely be fewer consoles available during February than the company would like.

He added that by the spring, Microsoft would be able to meet demand.

And just in time too. Grand Theft Auto IV, a game many reckon to be a contender for the biggest game of 2008, is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in April, and with Sony starting to catch Microsoft in certain regions, the last thing Microsoft wants is to leave potential customers hanging.

Alex Wollenschlaeger

Any ideas as to why their supply is as low as it is? I can' t imagine they just stop producing xboxes for months at a time, but my focus is more of the first round of a new set of machines, not how they keep turning them out.

I can' t find any Elites anywhere.

I don' t need one yet, but that' s what I' ll look for when my current box dies.

ORIGINAL: Eddie_the_Hated


Any ideas as to why their supply is as low as it is? I can' t imagine they just stop producing xboxes for months at a time, but my focus is more of the first round of a new set of machines, not how they keep turning them out.

It' s probably a combination of things.

Chinese New Year probably had some impact. I think all of the production fabs for 360' s are in Asian countries, and if all the fabs shut down even for a day or two, it could lead to shortages.

Increased demand

There are rumblings in many places that Microsoft are planning something for GDC. Most likely it will be a redesigned 360. In order to get enough stock ready for the new unit unveiling, they' d likely divert a lot of production to the new model, causing shortages in existing units.

True, but Microsoft' s Xbox division is horrible at keeping things under wraps (elite anybody?). It wouldn' t make sense to cut out supply this early, and then have to wait another 3 or 4 months after GDC for the new 360. We can pretty safely assume that they' re not mass producing anything right now. We would' ve heard about it.

Maybe it' s just spin. They anticipated an increase in the PS3' s momentum and they announced a manufacturing shortage a day before the NPD figures had been released.

ORIGINAL: Zoy

Maybe it' s just spin. They anticipated an increase in the PS3' s momentum and they announced a manufacturing shortage a day before the NPD figures had been released.

Or maybe its not and there really is a shortage ..

People want what they can' t have. Look at Wii.

People want what they can' t have.

Oh, the humanity!!!