Ready for some poor sap on eBay to waste his money on.
I was the 2nd person in line...well, I was first, but they moved the line from indoors to outdoors and someone got in ahead of me. I got there at 6 PM...Nobody was there. WalMart started selling at midnight. The 3 other guys at the front were cool, even the guy who snuck in ahead of me. We all bought 5 dollar camping chairs while in the store, the older guy bought a deck of cards. I had my iPod to listen to, so that was cool. 6 hours, only one bar missing on my iPod, and I was changing volume and fiddling with it the whole time.
It got pretty hairy. An elderly employee said there was an all-out brawl last year for the PS2. Nothing happened this year, but one gangsta/homey type offered the guy in front $15 to cut in front. Then he started talking in gangsta-speak and said something along the lines of "Hey aight, I got a xbox dev kit in my car. I'll show it to y'all aight? It's silver. I'd use it but I got no games for it...blah blah" By midnight, there were a dozen or so shady looking people loitering around.
The store had ~40 XBOXes. A very good number, but they're also the largest WalMart in the area. There were nearly 100 people in line.
I was 4th out the store too, because I paid by check instead of credit card or straight cash. There was a WB20 news camera there...but by god, who watches WB news??? I declined an interview...heh.
[quote]Ready for some poor sap on eBay to waste his money on. <hr></blockquote>
Consoles for the poor? *holds out extremly large cup*
[quote] but one gangsta/homey type offered the guy in front $15 to cut in front. Then he started talking in gangsta-speak and said something along the lines of "Hey aight, I got a xbox dev kit in my car. I'll show it to y'all aight? It's silver. I'd use it but I got no games for it...blah blah"<hr></blockquote>
Buahahahahhahahahahahahaha!
[quote]There was a WB20 news camera there...but by god, who watches WB news??? <hr></blockquote>
See the last comment of yours I quoted.
[quote]I declined an interview...heh. <hr></blockquote>
<strong>All in all, it looks like PS2 is dead in the water, momentum-wise.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not at all. Sony is currently shipping upwards of 1.8 million PS2s a month. Microsoft projects to sell 1.6 million Xboxes by the end of the year.
PS2 is just hitting its stride, with Metal Gear Solid 2 out this week, Final Fantasy X in January, etc.
It's certainly true that Sega's support for Xbox will help Microsoft somewhat, but look at the Xbox-exclusive titles that Sega is making--Sega GT, Jet Grind Radio Future, etc. For the most part they're not the top-shelf Sega titles, such as Virtua Fighter 4 (currently expected to be a PS2 exclusive) or Phantasy Star Online (among the current three consoles, exclusive to GameCube).
It is extremely difficult to break into the console market, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Xbox. In Microsoft's favor, of course, is the size of their war chest; they can afford to wait a long time, if necessary, for the platform to become profitable, whereas Sega simply couldn't afford to stick it out much longer with Dreamcast, especially because of modest sales in Japan. But things can change quickly--sales of the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation were equivalent in Japan until Square announced that Final Fantasy VII would be a Playstation exclusive. That really was the beginning of Playstation dominance as the mainstream console.
The best thing to do to harm Microsoft is not to even touch the XBOXs. They have tremendous resources invested in the consoles (something like 5 - 10 billion), and if the BOXs fail, well, MS's investors aren't going to be happy.
There are a few Sega titles for Nintendo GameCube like Sonic Adventures.
It'll just be interesting to see what happens. But Sony has really locked onto the market. MS/Nintendo really need kickass games/consoles to break Sony's near monopoly.
I got my XBOX today, and its pretty cool. The EB I picked it up from didn't have the DVD remote in as they advertised, and since I had pre-paid for it, I got DOA 3 for free. It's a cool game. I also have Halo (which is really cool), Oddworld (haven't played), Project Gotham Racing (haven't played), Off Road (haven't played), and Air Force strike (haven't played).
There is an ethernet port on the XBOX, and apparently, you can hook it up to your home network and play Halo against someone else. I'm not sure if its just LAN only, but cool nonetheless. I also like the fact you can have split screen multiplayer.
The Graphics on the box are better than I expected. Halo and DOA3 are really sweet in terms of graphics and sound. I do have a 20" Sony flat screen TV, though, so this probably helps. I'd say it has better graphics than the PS2 (gasp) and if I get used to the controller, it will be a cool game system.
Apparently, btw, you CAN save to the HD of the XBOX. Don't know why they have memory cards- only thing I can think of is if you want to bring your saved game to someone else's house. But for $35 a pop, I don't think so. Another side note- the memory cards go into the controllers, and you can have 2 per controller. I guess that's interesting, but again, I have no idea why you'd need 2.
I can say that the XBOX must be made out of lead or something because the thing is HEAVY. When I left the local EB, I couldn't believe it. It was like carrying an anchor. Add on the second controller and games, and it was unbelievable. The bag had the XBOX logo on the side, and every person in the mall (elderly excepted), seemed very interested in what I was carrying. Plus, since this is the first M$ product I've ever owned (IE excepted), it was a little strange to carry it around and feel good that I had it.
Any way, my GCN shipped today from ebgames.com and I'll have it tomorrow. I've already got Sega's Super Monkey Ball for it. Now if I can just find a space for it by the TV, I'll be all set.
I don't plan on keeping either. They're bathed in styrofoam peanuts at this very moment. Bill Gates says only 400,000 were available at launch. </strong><hr></blockquote>
Ho ly shit. That has got to be the *easiest* money ever! Stand in line at Wallmart for six hours, plunk down 400 bucks, then get 366 for the frickin *box*?! What day is the GameCube launching? I'm going camping the night before.
I got my Game Cube from ebgames.com yesterday from UPS. It's very small and very cool. I got the black one. I've played Super Monkey Ball, which is way too addictive, especially in multiplayer mode, and Star Wars Rouge Squadron 2: Rogue Leader. That game is awesome. If you ever wanted the Star Wars game that they have in the arcades, this is it. The Death Star level is unbelievable. To anyone who gets a Game Cube, this game is a must have. (At least RENT it at some point if you even remotely like Star Wars: A New Hope).
The Xbox is all hype...have you guys actually played it. Munch's Oddysee looks like a good N64 game and its real boring. The graphics don't mean much if the gameplay is terrible and the controller is hard to hold.
Yeah but you got it for free. There's a difference between shelling out $900 CDN and getting it for free. If you spent money on it I'm pretty sure you'd be dissapointed.
I drove down to target at 4 AM, caught a glimpse of the meteor shower. I saw 4-5 really huge ones...they lit up the entire sky. Before this morning, I had never seen any that looked like more than a tiny speck and a faint streak.
At around 6 AM, an employee walked out a side-door to take out some trash...he came over and asked "Is there a big sale today?" After we told him we were waiting for GameCube, he schocked all 5 of us in line by saying they didn't receive any yesterday. We waited and got a hold of another employee who fetched us the manager. He said, "I got two trucks in yesterday and no GameCubes. Believe me, I wish I had them to sell to you. I still have s few of those ZBoxes though."
ZBoxes, hahahaha. It was even funnier because he had a Scottish accent.
We all migrated to K-Mart, which was barely a mile away. The employees let us in early just to get out of the cold. There was already another customer inside too. She was HOT...hotter than basically any >30 year old mom I had ever seen...hmm...
Sh said she begged them to let her in because she was there since 5:30 AM and she was afraid to be alone outside...and it was cold. She promised to buy one of every accessory, heh. Nice and fit too...she said her kids wouldn't suspect a thing because she goes jogging at 5:30 AM every morning.
And she wasn't particularly fond of Microsoft either...
<strong>I got my Game Cube from ebgames.com yesterday from UPS. It's very small and very cool. I got the black one. I've played Super Monkey Ball, which is way too addictive, especially in multiplayer mode, and Star Wars Rouge Squadron 2: Rogue Leader. That game is awesome. If you ever wanted the Star Wars game that they have in the arcades, this is it. The Death Star level is unbelievable. To anyone who gets a Game Cube, this game is a must have. (At least RENT it at some point if you even remotely like Star Wars: A New Hope).</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hey Fran441, have you got a GBA controller at all, and if so have you used it with your GameCube?
What's the verdict on that one - b/c I figure if I lash out on GBA then I may as well also go for a GC too at some stage later on and connect them up.
[quote]The Xbox is all hype...have you guys actually played it. <hr></blockquote>
Yes, and I enjoyed it very much.
Of corse, I don't know about the rest of you, but I cannot find a single place in Connecticut east of the river that has an X-Box available, or will even take a pre-order.
DoctorGonzo, perhaps that's because it has been 4 days since the first and only XBox shipment? The guy at Target I talked to was mistaken...they had GameCubes in that day. I went back today and they were all gone. The only games left on the shelves were a few copies of NHL Hitz 2002 and Luigi's Mansion. The XBox case on the other hand had plenty of almost every game except Halo.
They had 72 GameCubes.
So, of the 4 stores I visited...
WalMart: 44 XBoxes, 72 GameCubes
Target: ~20 XBoxes, 72 GameCubes
K-Mart: ~80 XBoxes, 12 GameCubes
Fry's: ~80 XBoxes, 100+ GameCubes
256+ GameCubes sold vs ~224 XBoxes. I think that's pretty even...It looks like K-Mart got a partial shipment as well. GameCube looks to be in higher demand and supply, so it looks pretty even. The eBay hording profits are in GameCube sales though...it's cheaper to horde and there are going to be fewer units available throughout this season. Nintendo has to split production between Japan and the US while MS only has to supply the US through March.
Microsoft had 400,000 XBoxes for launch vs Nintendo's 700,000 GameCubes. Nintendo expects to have 1.1 million available before 2002. Microsoft claims 1.5 million for the same, but I doubt they'll get anywhere close to that number. And even if they do, Nintendo's launch was bigger and they are in the lead for the short term.
I think the best way to gauge the popularity of a console is by the number of games sold. That's also where the profits are.
Comments
My unopened XBOX.
Ready for some poor sap on eBay to waste his money on.
I was the 2nd person in line...well, I was first, but they moved the line from indoors to outdoors and someone got in ahead of me.
It got pretty hairy. An elderly employee said there was an all-out brawl last year for the PS2. Nothing happened this year, but one gangsta/homey type offered the guy in front $15 to cut in front. Then he started talking in gangsta-speak and said something along the lines of "Hey aight, I got a xbox dev kit in my car. I'll show it to y'all aight? It's silver. I'd use it but I got no games for it...blah blah" By midnight, there were a dozen or so shady looking people loitering around.
The store had ~40 XBOXes. A very good number, but they're also the largest WalMart in the area. There were nearly 100 people in line.
I was 4th out the store too, because I paid by check instead of credit card or straight cash. There was a WB20 news camera there...but by god, who watches WB news??? I declined an interview...heh.
Consoles for the poor? *holds out extremly large cup*
[quote] but one gangsta/homey type offered the guy in front $15 to cut in front. Then he started talking in gangsta-speak and said something along the lines of "Hey aight, I got a xbox dev kit in my car. I'll show it to y'all aight? It's silver. I'd use it but I got no games for it...blah blah"<hr></blockquote>
Buahahahahhahahahahahahaha!
[quote]There was a WB20 news camera there...but by god, who watches WB news??? <hr></blockquote>
See the last comment of yours I quoted.
[quote]I declined an interview...heh. <hr></blockquote>
You obviously have some self respect
<strong>Make that two XBoxes. 6th in line at Target at 4:30 AM.
bastard!
Hmm, $399 for an iPod mp3 player or $299 for an Xbox? Or maybe i can get spoiled like Eugene and have both of them
<strong>Both of those boxes suck. It's all about the PS2 baby!!
Forget you! I have my Atari 2600!
<strong>All in all, it looks like PS2 is dead in the water, momentum-wise.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not at all. Sony is currently shipping upwards of 1.8 million PS2s a month. Microsoft projects to sell 1.6 million Xboxes by the end of the year.
PS2 is just hitting its stride, with Metal Gear Solid 2 out this week, Final Fantasy X in January, etc.
It's certainly true that Sega's support for Xbox will help Microsoft somewhat, but look at the Xbox-exclusive titles that Sega is making--Sega GT, Jet Grind Radio Future, etc. For the most part they're not the top-shelf Sega titles, such as Virtua Fighter 4 (currently expected to be a PS2 exclusive) or Phantasy Star Online (among the current three consoles, exclusive to GameCube).
It is extremely difficult to break into the console market, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Xbox. In Microsoft's favor, of course, is the size of their war chest; they can afford to wait a long time, if necessary, for the platform to become profitable, whereas Sega simply couldn't afford to stick it out much longer with Dreamcast, especially because of modest sales in Japan. But things can change quickly--sales of the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation were equivalent in Japan until Square announced that Final Fantasy VII would be a Playstation exclusive. That really was the beginning of Playstation dominance as the mainstream console.
There are a few Sega titles for Nintendo GameCube like Sonic Adventures.
It'll just be interesting to see what happens. But Sony has really locked onto the market. MS/Nintendo really need kickass games/consoles to break Sony's near monopoly.
There is an ethernet port on the XBOX, and apparently, you can hook it up to your home network and play Halo against someone else. I'm not sure if its just LAN only, but cool nonetheless. I also like the fact you can have split screen multiplayer.
The Graphics on the box are better than I expected. Halo and DOA3 are really sweet in terms of graphics and sound. I do have a 20" Sony flat screen TV, though, so this probably helps. I'd say it has better graphics than the PS2 (gasp) and if I get used to the controller, it will be a cool game system.
Apparently, btw, you CAN save to the HD of the XBOX. Don't know why they have memory cards- only thing I can think of is if you want to bring your saved game to someone else's house. But for $35 a pop, I don't think so. Another side note- the memory cards go into the controllers, and you can have 2 per controller. I guess that's interesting, but again, I have no idea why you'd need 2.
I can say that the XBOX must be made out of lead or something because the thing is HEAVY. When I left the local EB, I couldn't believe it. It was like carrying an anchor. Add on the second controller and games, and it was unbelievable. The bag had the XBOX logo on the side, and every person in the mall (elderly excepted), seemed very interested in what I was carrying. Plus, since this is the first M$ product I've ever owned (IE excepted), it was a little strange to carry it around and feel good that I had it.
Any way, my GCN shipped today from ebgames.com and I'll have it tomorrow. I've already got Sega's Super Monkey Ball for it. Now if I can just find a space for it by the TV, I'll be all set.
*Side note- XBOX size = VCR *
<strong>
bastard!
Hmm, $399 for an iPod mp3 player or $299 for an Xbox? Or maybe i can get spoiled like Eugene and have both of them
I don't plan on keeping either. They're bathed in styrofoam peanuts at this very moment. Bill Gates says only 400,000 were available at launch.
<strong>
I don't plan on keeping either. They're bathed in styrofoam peanuts at this very moment. Bill Gates says only 400,000 were available at launch.
Things look decent on the ebay front for you Eugene. This <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1293591459"; target="_blank">guy</a> got $366 for just the cardboard box from the xbox
SSX
SSX Trickey
MGS2
Dave Mirra FSBMX 2
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3
GTA 3
Air Force Delta
Half Life
Batman
etc.....
The Xbox is all hype...have you guys actually played it. Munch's Oddysee looks like a good N64 game and its real boring. The graphics don't mean much if the gameplay is terrible and the controller is hard to hold.
I own it and I like it. I also like the Game Cube and my PS2.
The XBOX has a lot of potential as does the Game Cube. Let's see what they do with that potential.
At around 6 AM, an employee walked out a side-door to take out some trash...he came over and asked "Is there a big sale today?" After we told him we were waiting for GameCube, he schocked all 5 of us in line by saying they didn't receive any yesterday. We waited and got a hold of another employee who fetched us the manager. He said, "I got two trucks in yesterday and no GameCubes. Believe me, I wish I had them to sell to you. I still have s few of those ZBoxes though."
ZBoxes, hahahaha. It was even funnier because he had a Scottish accent.
We all migrated to K-Mart, which was barely a mile away. The employees let us in early just to get out of the cold. There was already another customer inside too. She was HOT...hotter than basically any >30 year old mom I had ever seen...hmm...
Sh said she begged them to let her in because she was there since 5:30 AM and she was afraid to be alone outside...and it was cold. She promised to buy one of every accessory, heh. Nice and fit too...she said her kids wouldn't suspect a thing because she goes jogging at 5:30 AM every morning.
And she wasn't particularly fond of Microsoft either...
hmm...
So here's how the stores stacked up
WalMart: 44 XBoxes, 72 GameCubes
Target: ~20 XBoxes, 0 GameCubes
K-Mart: ~80 XBoxes, 12 GameCubes
Fry's: ~80 XBoxes, 100+ GameCubes
Weird.
<strong>I got my Game Cube from ebgames.com yesterday from UPS. It's very small and very cool. I got the black one. I've played Super Monkey Ball, which is way too addictive, especially in multiplayer mode, and Star Wars Rouge Squadron 2: Rogue Leader. That game is awesome. If you ever wanted the Star Wars game that they have in the arcades, this is it. The Death Star level is unbelievable. To anyone who gets a Game Cube, this game is a must have. (At least RENT it at some point if you even remotely like Star Wars: A New Hope).</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hey Fran441, have you got a GBA controller at all, and if so have you used it with your GameCube?
What's the verdict on that one - b/c I figure if I lash out on GBA then I may as well also go for a GC too at some stage later on and connect them up.
Thoughts?
Yes, and I enjoyed it very much.
Of corse, I don't know about the rest of you, but I cannot find a single place in Connecticut east of the river that has an X-Box available, or will even take a pre-order.
Plenty of Game Cubes to be had, though.
They had 72 GameCubes.
So, of the 4 stores I visited...
WalMart: 44 XBoxes, 72 GameCubes
Target: ~20 XBoxes, 72 GameCubes
K-Mart: ~80 XBoxes, 12 GameCubes
Fry's: ~80 XBoxes, 100+ GameCubes
256+ GameCubes sold vs ~224 XBoxes. I think that's pretty even...It looks like K-Mart got a partial shipment as well. GameCube looks to be in higher demand and supply, so it looks pretty even. The eBay hording profits are in GameCube sales though...it's cheaper to horde and there are going to be fewer units available throughout this season. Nintendo has to split production between Japan and the US while MS only has to supply the US through March.
Microsoft had 400,000 XBoxes for launch vs Nintendo's 700,000 GameCubes. Nintendo expects to have 1.1 million available before 2002. Microsoft claims 1.5 million for the same, but I doubt they'll get anywhere close to that number. And even if they do, Nintendo's launch was bigger and they are in the lead for the short term.
I think the best way to gauge the popularity of a console is by the number of games sold. That's also where the profits are.
[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>