Wednesday, January 18, 2006

X360 Update

So the holiday rush is over, and Microsoft's supply of Xboxes is still short. But the ridiculously overinflated prices on eBay are coming down, which means one of two things: either the folks that were willing to pay ridiculous prices already have their Xboxes, and what's left are normal people willing to pay normal prices, or people are losing interest all together and exiting the market.

I don't think it's the latter. After all, the 360 was the "hot" toy for Christmas, and now that it's January, no one in their right mind would be willing to pay in excess of a grand for a gaming console and 3 or 4 games.

So what does this mean? It means two things. One, there's not much of a premium for buying a system at retail price and reselling it on eBay, which means Xboxes sold at retail are being sold to the end user. In other words, the demand isn't artificially inflated by folks just looking to make an arbitrage profit. This leads to two, which is that I should be able to get my hands on an Xbox when I want it, when the good apps finally hit.

Which brings me to the release calendar. There are a million of them, and you can't trust any one source. I'm looking at EBGames, Gamefly, and IGN.

First off, EBGames has a handful of titles I've never even heard of (The Darkness, Demonik, Dead Rising) listed as releasing on 1/31/06. Bullshit. The first date that seems credible on their list is Full Auto, 2/14/06, because it's the same (or similar) on the other two sites. EB also lists Fight Night Round 3 as 2/14/06, but the others have it down for 2/23/06.

The next game on EB's list is one I'm looking forward to with much anticipation, Saint's Row. They have 3/1/06. I'm no expert, but games usually come out on Tuesday. March 1 is a Wednesday, and there's no way in hell Saint's Row is hitting in March. IGN also has 3/1, but Gamefly lists TBD. As much as I wish it was March, it's not gonna happen.

All three lists have The Outfit and Burnout: Revenge around the middle of March. The next biggie is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which all 3 lists have at 3/20. I haven't heard anything about it being pushed back, so if this is the case, March 20 may be when I get a 360.

And right around the corner (supposedly) is Splinter Cell 4: Double Agent. Hot shit, I loves me some Splinter Cell. EB has it at 4/1, Gamefly is 3/31, and IGN lists Q2 2006. That says to me, it'll release sometime between the first day of April and the last day of June, so don't hold your breath.

After that, it gets too far out to tell with any certainty, and it's clear the lists are grasping at straws. Prey is slated for sometime in June, The Godfather and Gears of War maybe July, Scarface is...sometime, and Halo 3 is in there somewhere, probably around November (or whenever the PS3 launch date is, assuming it's sometime in 2006).

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