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9:03 AM on 02.14.2008

60 comments
Unheard of! Are we in the midst of an Xbox 360 shortage?
Gameboi

Unheard of! Are we in the midst of an Xbox 360 shortage? screenshot
The Wii may be winning the war, but it appears that they aren't the only ones who are struggling to keep up with consumer demand-- just ask Microsoft's head of global marketing, Jeff Bell: 

"We're literally out of stock in many stores. We think this will have an impact on our sales. It may cause the overall industry number to be down a little bit. Retailers have been really upset-- they are on allocation. It is a lag I think we're seeing in January and that may continue into February, then as spring ramps up, we'll be able to meet that demand."

This issue has even affected one of our own. Destructoid tipster Joe Burling can't find a replacement for his red-ringed 360 within a two-hour radius of his house. This sort of makes me wonder about that sudden surge in demand. It would be intriguing to see how many of those people interested in buying an Xbox 360 are staring at a cabinet full of games, now with nothing to play it on, and how many are getting the console for the first time.

With a ton of money invested in my own Xbox collection, it would without a doubt, influence me to buy another one if my current console crapped out again -- and with the track record it has -- that's just sad.

[Via Reuters -- Thanks Adam!] 



MORE IN OUR xbox 360 SECTION

Latest comment by Fading_Star |view all 60 comments
:(....



razerangel's Avatar
razerangel at 02/14/2008 09:01

Must be a US thing, here in Scotland there seems to more than you can shake a very sizeable stick at.
MissHinasaki's Avatar
MissHinasaki at 02/14/2008 09:06

Well they better have a fucking Wii AND a 360 when I decide to go out an buy one! Christ, this is worst than that unicorn shortage in '93!
Pagster's Avatar
Pagster at 02/14/2008 09:07

Same down here in England, we have 360's in every flavour
martinine's Avatar
martinine at 02/14/2008 09:07

In NC, I haven't seen a Pro SKU anywhere, but I have seen a lot of Arcade's and just a few Elites.
Takeshi's Avatar
Takeshi at 02/14/2008 09:07

They just trying to make it look the same as the Wii. They have a huge amount off 360's hidden somewhere.

Like In mah bazementz, next to Electro Lemon
michiyoyoshiku's Avatar
michiyoyoshiku at 02/14/2008 09:09

Going to Gamestop tomorrow I'll ask
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 02/14/2008 09:10

I just ordered my Elite from Amazon last year.
DrNutt's Avatar
DrNutt at 02/14/2008 09:17

I'm thinking maybe it's just a regional thing? I have seen the "Pro" units sold out but there always seems to be a ready supply of Elites and Arcades.
Ha-Puken's Avatar
Ha-Puken at 02/14/2008 09:18

hhhmmmmmm... I remeber when Sony used this tactic, they weren't moving enough consoles. I guess they think telling everyone that they are out will spark sales. Everyone wants what they can't have!
Corncobtacular's Avatar
Corncobtacular at 02/14/2008 09:19

That quote makes it sound like they desperately want to create the hype that the Wii's shortage did. Like "OMG people love us so much we can't keep up!!!!"
Ha-Puken's Avatar
Ha-Puken at 02/14/2008 09:25

Sounds to me like it isn't a surge in demand but a reduction of production. A scheme to reduce inventory without a sale?
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 02/14/2008 09:27

Sounds like they stopped making them for a while to get some profit, then they got off schedule. lol
TorpedoTed's Avatar
TorpedoTed at 02/14/2008 09:28

Probabaly becasue they had to replace a load with the warranty thing me thinks.
Or they have implemented the new cooler chips and begining new production methods.
Give it a couple of months to ramp up production.
Clockwork's Avatar
Clockwork at 02/14/2008 09:29

That's weird, there's tons of them at my Best Buy just 5 minutes from my house.
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 02/14/2008 09:33

Sadness!
decoyb's Avatar
decoyb at 02/14/2008 09:34

They're probably faking it again to get rid of the non HDMI 360's. I picked up my 360 in May 06 and it has a manufacture date of Nov 05 so they definitely fake shortages.

I've seen plenty of arcade 360's around and those work for replacement systems at least.
Justice's Avatar
Justice at 02/14/2008 09:38

Like Pagster said in the UK we have 360's a plenty!
BlackSheep's Avatar
BlackSheep at 02/14/2008 09:42

it's simple.

Bill Gates stole them.. check ebay soon
TheTurk's Avatar
TheTurk at 02/14/2008 09:47

I agree, there's nothing like 'accidentally on purpose' creating a shortage to bring in a bit of panic buying when bad news (RROD hits mainstream news, PS3 sales getting ahead of 360, PS3 has freeview TV with slingbox capability onto PSP). Poor Mr Gates !
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 02/14/2008 09:48

US sales have been up to around 75K post-holiday, past the typical weekly mark of around 50K (both very rough estimates from vgchartz.com), so maybe there is something to it.

If it weren't for the holiday shortages of 360s, I'd own one right now. As it is, I got a PS3 instead, and haven't looked back. Microsoft still does have sales to lose, so if it is a marketing stunt, I'm not sure it's working.
bipolar beers's Avatar
bipolar beers at 02/14/2008 09:52

lol do not want
Donoho's Avatar
Donoho at 02/14/2008 09:53

"We're literally out of stock in many stores."

Like Walgreens? The local Frys, Best Buys, & even Walmarts have plenty.
ScottyG's Avatar
ScottyG at 02/14/2008 09:56

Well of course they're short of stock. They've been sending them all out as replacements for any that's RROD.

Hur, hur, hur... :p

I do agree though. At the EB I worked at over the holidays we were quite often sold out. We'd continuously get more in, but there were always two or three days a week when we wouldn't have any.
qwerty's Avatar
qwerty at 02/14/2008 09:59

Scotty G beat me to it!
Y0j1mb0's Avatar
Y0j1mb0 at 02/14/2008 10:08

My neck of the woods they're literally spilling out the doors at the entrance of most Best Buys and Walmart.
kusarigama's Avatar
kusarigama at 02/14/2008 10:24

Is it just me, or is Microsoft really going all out with FUD lately? I mean, you've got this, the little "slip" with GTA IV's multiplayer, and the "WE OWN THE GTA LAUNCH".

I have noticed shortages at my own store (but we're also out of PS3's), but there are plenty at the local Walmart and Best Buy.
Woocifer's Avatar
Woocifer at 02/14/2008 10:27

Perhaps its because they stopped production to create an actual console that has a proper drive in it, ie: Blu-Ray... The whole ultimate 360 or whatever it was called with the HD-DVD player may have been a rumour but I bet M$ held their plans back to see what happens with the format wars so they can bring out yet another SKU...get rid of the old SKUs to make room for the new ones...
Drunken Haze's Avatar
Drunken Haze at 02/14/2008 10:29

Last year at this time it was channel stuffing we were acusing MS of, this year we accuse them of purposefully creating a shortage. Cant win can they.
mix's Avatar
mix at 02/14/2008 10:29

I think that's bull, I'm in Canada and I've never seen so many 360's. Walmart and Futureshop have like a freaking pyramid of em same with EB and The Super Store, full wall of them. Where there is maybe 5 or less Wii's and the same amount in PS3's
BS3 Owner's Avatar
BS3 Owner at 02/14/2008 10:32

Not only buckf1tches, but youkilledmyguy is having a HELL of a time in Chicago as well....

Weird things do happen.
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 02/14/2008 10:32

If there is a shortage, it seems like the Xbox 360 on Amazon would rank higher than #38 in Video Games > Bestsellers.

Especially when Wii is at #1 and PS3 is at #8.

[link]
Crapsh00t's Avatar
Crapsh00t at 02/14/2008 10:33

There definitely was in January. My DVD drive kicked the shit and I went to Best Buy to get the unit replaced and the store was out for a number of weeks. Was able to get it replaced online though, swooped in and bought one up but they were out of stock within the day. (No, I wouldn't pay for a 360 twice, it was a PRP so it was technically free.)
cbre88x's Avatar
cbre88x at 02/14/2008 10:39

Q.Why buy an extremely flawed console in the first place?
Barcode's Avatar
Barcode at 02/14/2008 10:41

Well consider me lucky. I got my sexbox 360 the day it launched and to this day, it hasn't crapped out once.
snotrocket's Avatar
snotrocket at 02/14/2008 10:47

I've been trying to find an elite for the past 4 weeks and nothing. I've seen 1 in an EB games in someones hands and that's it. I've seen lots of the arcade editions, but who wants that?!
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 02/14/2008 10:47

This just sounds like they're trying to copy Nintendo's PR-boosting strategy of claiming shortages from high demand. It sounds like maybe stores just aren't ordering enough.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 02/14/2008 10:47

This just sounds like they're trying to copy Nintendo's PR-boosting strategy of claiming shortages from high demand. It sounds like maybe stores just aren't ordering enough.
Konradl's Avatar
Konradl at 02/14/2008 10:49

*cough* marketing ploy *cough*.
Uncle Bill tries the old PS2/Wii shortage double bluff to boost sales methinks :\
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 02/14/2008 10:49

SIDENOTE: I was at Target yesterday and their 360 in the display area was redringed and flashing... I lol'd

Also, Necros is a dirty comment whore cheater
diversionmary's Avatar
diversionmary at 02/14/2008 11:11

I bought a pro in November from Best Buy, Team FDOU, lot 742 or something. It wasn't a falconpunch so I tried to swap for a few weeks. I couldn't ever find new pro stock/sku up until the January 31st window end. All BBuy/target had were old stock pros, tons of new arcades and tons of new halo se's.
LeonSK's Avatar
LeonSK at 02/14/2008 11:11

Thats crazy. I've had my 360 for 2 years now and absolutely no problems. I must be in the minority. But shortages suck for sure
manasteel88's Avatar
manasteel88 at 02/14/2008 11:14

I'm pretty sure its only on a certain product in certain regions which is more of a distribution error than an actual shortage...I still see the Pro and Basic model but not so much the Elite
vp360's Avatar
vp360 at 02/14/2008 11:24

no way!
VWGTI's Avatar
VWGTI at 02/14/2008 11:42

I dispise Microsoft and their shitty console. If Banjo-Kazooie wasn't coming out I would throw my 360 off a bridge.
JonDarkwood's Avatar
JonDarkwood at 02/14/2008 11:46

Maybe they're withholding supply so Live won't implode again. Hahah.
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 02/14/2008 11:54

Maybe it is all the swapping of old RROD xbox's with new ones. But it is for sure not because their over-selling. It is over-trading. There's enough xbox's in the world to beat the Wii in sales, and that is not happening thus the fact from VGCharts.
Doomtrain's Avatar
Doomtrain at 02/14/2008 12:09

I work at Best Buy, in the media department. Games, music, movies.

We don't have anything other than the Arcade in stock, and don't know when we'll get any Pro or Elite systems. We're also short of PS3s. No Wiis of course.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 02/14/2008 12:13

Tax return time in the US, you can't find ps3's in walmarts I've been to.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 02/14/2008 12:30

Just curious, but why would Joe need to buy a new 360? Isn't he sending his red-ringed one to get repaired?
toast!'s Avatar
toast! at 02/14/2008 12:44

i finally got me one yesterday. after about a week and a half of going to every store in gainesville FL looking for one and everyone being sold out :(
konchu's Avatar
konchu at 02/14/2008 12:44

I think its a compound issue. I have a friend that had issues getting one weeks ago and there are people here talking of issues back to the beginning of January so I suspect if this was a stunt we would have heard of it sooner. All the live issues were also supposedly due to more users so it does somewhat make sense. I do not doubt that systems issues may have played some part in this but really we will truly know with the system sales numbers. I think tax returns are responsible for all kind of sales on all systems.
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 02/14/2008 12:55

I don't believe it's because there's a high demand. That's crazy talk. It could be a clearance to get all those shitty consoles out of the market. Make way for the good 360s.
Capn Birdseye's Avatar
Capn Birdseye at 02/14/2008 15:34

I love how everyone is ready to shout that its a marketing ploy. You have no reason to think that at all, its just pure speculation, sorry ;)

It probably is sold out in specific regions, after all, xmas just came and went, and halo 3 WAS the biggest selling game of all time, remember?
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 02/14/2008 15:58

yeah a friend of mine tried to buy an Elite the other day here in Leuven ( Belgium ), but not a single elite was to be found in the whole city and he was only able to track down 4 premium-packs and about 10 of those arcade-crap-sets, for a whole city with quite a number of game-outlets, that's pretty unheard off... I mean its gotten so bad that its easier to find a Wii then to get a 360 elite :-)
Quest's Avatar
Quest at 02/14/2008 16:47

loll yeah right 360 sold out .... the wii trick not very hard to see that PS3 is starting to make them shake
nanowerx's Avatar
nanowerx at 02/14/2008 16:57

My local Best Buy in Georgia has had a short supply of 360's.....but goto the PS3 section and you will wonder how they get a stack of game consoles to go that high without toppling over.
Leathersoup's Avatar
Leathersoup at 02/14/2008 18:58

There's a shortage because they're sending so many of them out as "replacements"?

Dunno. I shouldn't complain. My 360 is still chugging along... well doing what ever it's supposed to with a lot of noise :)
Ashen Karshe's Avatar
Ashen Karshe at 02/14/2008 20:32

At my Best Buy, right after Christmas, We had nothing but PS3's. We always have PS3's, and we finally got 8 Xbox's today, but for the month of January we had none.
Fading_Star's Avatar
Fading_Star at 02/16/2008 02:47

:(.

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