XBOX Shortage...

i would think its way too early to be creating a shortage if the new one wont be around till christmas. also, have they even confimred it the new console is backwards compatible? if its not, microsoft has a good reason to keep the current xbox's around.
 
I noticed it was hard to find after X-mas.....of course I was looking at GameRush only really.

I have two XBOX's now....although I'll probably sell one when XBOX 2 comes out...hopefully it's by this XMAS....
 
[quote name='jalu6']i would think its way too early to be creating a shortage if the new one wont be around till christmas. also, have they even confimred it the new console is backwards compatible? if its not, microsoft has a good reason to keep the current xbox's around.[/quote]

No, starting the shortage around now and keeping it that way would be a good move on Microsoft's part, IMO.

Step out from your shoes for a moment. Most of us here fall into the "hardcore gamer" role. We wouldn't be here if we weren't.

There's a lot other demographics out there that Microsoft is targeting. A lot of those people won't want to buy an Xbox now and then buy the Xbox 2 in October or November. Why would they spend the $150 on the console now and also the $300+ it's going to cost for the new Xbox? Most of them won't do it.

By limiting the amount of consoles at stores right now, they are trying to start a frenzy. People will want the Xbox, but they most likely will have a hard time to get it.

So what do you think will happen in five or six months when we start seeing ads, game previews and other good information on the Xbox 2? Those people who were looking to buy the Xbox might switch their interest to the new and improved Xbox2. I think that's what Microsoft is betting on.

Also by doing this, Microsoft could create a big enough interest in their next console so they won't have to slash prices as fast and cut any kind of hardware profit they may have.

They want to jump out of the gate sprinting and build a big enough lead on Sony and Nintendo. You gotta remember who we're talking about here. This is Microsoft. They didn't get where they are today by playing nice with their competitors. They are looking for any and every opportunity to get ahead of Sony and Nintendo. Even if they have to be shady, they'll do it.
 
I agree with Grave 100%! Most people, or should I say the casual gamers, likely don't care about backwards compatibility and a shortage will likely shift interest to the XBox 2.

There are probably enough people though who still don't have an Xbox (like me) to make it worth it for MS to make them readily available. Maybe they have an exclusive deal with Best Buy for the bulk of their inventory. ;)
 
It's YMMV kinda thing.. some store has tons of XBOX & some has none... just look around... my walmart is always outta stock, then Toys R US & K-MART has tons of them...
 
It's just a matter of inventory control. The better they do in keeping supply no greater than demand the better the quarterly results will appear. If you order up a million units from the factory but only sell 600,000 those remaining units represent a debit dragging down that quarter. This is true even if those units get shifted in the following quarter.

Sony has done similarly in recent months but having an entire container ship go missing for a while was probably a bit worrisome. In that situation you'd prefer it sank than got taken by pirates (a seriously growing problem in some shipping lanes) since an insurance payout is better than a million or so stolen PS2's overwhelming the market for legit units. It wouldn't be surprising for the pirates to set up a little factory to install mod chips so as to make them more valuable in those market where stolen goods flourish.
 
hmmm...well i do see your point Grave, and its a good one.

But like you said, this is microsoft, and microsoft is a company that has built itself on selling you a product over and over again with minimal impovements. this is why there is a new version of MS Office every year or so. does anyone really use any of the features that have been added since Word '97?

I think my point is that i dont believe MS to be the sort of company that would be shy about selling you more stuff while they have the chance. I think they depend on their marketing department to do most of the hype building, and a price drop to $100 for the old version and a new halo (as rumored) for the next xbox will sell more consoles than any artificial shortage could ever do.

i just cant believe that any company would adopt the "anyone who would buy one already has one" metality. MS is the company that tries to constantly repackage and sell you the same thing.
 
[quote name='jalu6']hmmm...well i do see your point Grave, and its a good one.

But like you said, this is microsoft, and microsoft is a company that has built itself on selling you a product over and over again with minimal impovements. this is why there is a new version of MS Office every year or so. does anyone really use any of the features that have been added since Word '97?

I think my point is that i dont believe MS to be the sort of company that would be shy about selling you more stuff while they have the chance. I think they depend on their marketing department to do most of the hype building, and a price drop to $100 for the old version and a new halo (as rumored) for the next xbox will sell more consoles than any artificial shortage could ever do.

i just cant believe that any company would adopt the "anyone who would buy one already has one" metality. MS is the company that tries to constantly repackage and sell you the same thing.[/quote]

True, Microsoft, like any company, will always want to sell you something ... something that's profitable.

You have to think about the money Microsoft is still losing on every Xbox that's sold. And a price drop to $100 for the Xbox would only increase their losses. I think Microsoft is gearing up to put their main focus on the next Xbox.

The fact they don't have many first-party games coming out later this year clearly shows that, imo.

Not much can be won by them anymore in this generation in terms of hardware numbers, so why continue to fight a battle when you don't need to?

Microsoft can cut the number of Xboxes they ship, create a really high consumer interest in their product, then drop the Xbox 2 on us, and people will storm the stores to buy them.
 
It depends on where you live....when I tried to buy one in February in my area(Upstate of South Carolina)...I could not find one anywhere(new)...game stores, retail stores, the BB's, all were out. I finally ended up buying a slightly used one for almost the price of a new one. It's worked great so far, but it was irratating to want to spend money on something and not being able to.
 
Well, I'm in Atlanta this week and stopped by a couples TRUS looking for more of the 5.2" XBOX screens and everyone was out, I heard a minimum of 10 people asking for it at three TRU stores. There was a Best Buy off of I-20 (exit 74?) that had some and while I was in line buying Eternal Sunshine and Warcraft 3 (stuck in Memphis this weekend, needed something to do) People were actually going nutty that they had XBOXES and I saw 5 go out. One dude, atleast 25 y.o., was so excited he was opening it up at the register... He was getting Halo2 also.
 
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