From the Rumor Mill: X360 Production Stopped Relaunch In February

[Alpha_Spartan]

First of all:

According to a Target rep, Microsoft is having problems with the Xbox 360. Yes, the defect may be more widespread than was initially thought. Because of this, they have put a freeze on all Xbox 360 shipments and the console will re-launch in February.

 

[London Geezer]

hahahah...


....HAHAHAAHAH.......



...........HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA


HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH



Sorry but that must be the funniest rumour/joke EVER.

 

[Gholbine]

I don't think they'd stop production and shipment even if the problems were large and widespread. It would be a PR nightmare, even moreso than a few buggy systems.

 

[Alpha_Spartan]

Sorry, LB, but are you calling my source a liar? Either she told me the truth or she went out of her way to bash Microsoft.

 

[Alpha_Spartan]

I don't think they'd stop production and shipment even if the problems were large and widespread. It would be a PR nightmare, even moreso than a few buggy systems.

Microsoft won't officially announce it. It's PR suicide. She also told me that a limited supply of consoles are being shipped to their warehouses to cover returns. However, these aren't for public consumption.

 

[Hardknock]

Sorry, LB, but are you calling my source a liar? Either she told me the truth or she went out of her way to bash Microsoft.

Okay so some Target employee would know and leak this before various videogame retailers and people that work in the industry that are in the know? I call bullshit.

 

[Gholbine]

We'll know if this is true if we see no more new units available until Febuary. Sounds like rubbish to me, grandstanding if you will. Someone hoping the rumour will catch-on.

Supposing this is true, which component(s) do you guys believe would be causing the problem?

 

[Alpha_Spartan]

Okay so some Target employee would know and leak this before various videogame retailers and people that work in the industry that are in the know? I call bullshit.

I assumed it was bullshit as well, but it was a Target Corporation rep. Either they say, "I don't know" or "Yes" or "No". But her description was pretty detailed. Also, the initial launch shipment was a paltry 275,000 units. Thus, you won't hear Microsoft brag about launch numbers, but only "holiday sales."

Expect "holiday sales" to be less than 750,000 in North America. Microsoft just handed Sony the next generation on a silver platter. Someone should tell Microsoft that the whole point in launching first is to have more systems sold than the competition. Microsoft wanted 10 million units sold before the PS3 launched. They'll be lucky to get 5 million at this rate.

 

[London Geezer]

Sorry, LB, but are you calling my source a liar? Either she told me the truth or she went out of her way to bash Microsoft.

Well hey i don't mean to be rude or anything, but really, this rumour is even funnier than my "PS3 with no BDROM" and the other one i can't really remember...

 

[Gholbine]

I sort-of agree with you there, Alpha_Spartan. Microsoft's plan for their system rested heavily on generating a large installed-base before the PS3 arrives. If they don't make a significant lead, their console will be absolutely crushed. Steamrolled. If this rumour is true, and we see no new units until Febuary, then this marks the unofficial death of the system, and their official defeat in the systems wars. Barring no major Sony cock-ups, of course.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

I heard from my brother's friend's former roomate that MS will be increasing supply to 30 million units by Jan 1.

Really.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I'd have thought a public announcement would be needed. Certainly stockholders and software devs should be being told. As a possibility, it'd tie in with idea that there's not as many launch units because there's a high failure rate at the manufacturing phase. So as far as rumours go it seems more probable than most. LB's just jealous he didn't come up with this one!

 

[Gholbine]

Somehow related to the delay of Oblivion and other games?

 

[one]

Sorry, LB, but are you calling my source a liar? Either she told me the truth or she went out of her way to bash Microsoft.

Probably she's an eBay seller :smile:

 

[Alpha_Spartan]

I heard from my brother's friend's former roomate that MS will be increasing supply to 30 million units by Jan 1.

Really.

Jest all you wish. We'll see when week after week Microsoft isn't shipping out their ~90,000 units a week.

 

[drpepper]

I'll take the diplomatic approach, yet again, and say that I'm skeptical but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

However we will never know for sure because I don't think MS would ever admit to this until well into the future.

PS: I like your disclaimer, I think a lot of people missed that.

 

[London Geezer]

Well you have to agree that this whole thing is hard to believe so don't get all offended cause we're dissing your girlfriend!

What on earth could make MS halt production completely, other than an attack from Mars?! That's just such a major thing that we would have heard something very quickly.

 

[joebloggs]

This sounds VERY suspect. To take that drastic an action you would have to have serious problems with the hardware - something more substantial than a few reports of overheating consoles on some messageboards. A hardware problem that big would not go unnoticed.

Perhaps your source simply meant there would not be a really big flow of stock until Feb which is plausible as the worldwide launch has meant that supply is stretched.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I heard from my brother's friend's former roomate that MS will be increasing supply to 30 million units by Jan 1.

Really.

Oooh, think prices will drop?

 

[Synergy34]

Well you have to agree that this whole thing is hard to believe so don't get all offended cause we're dissing your girlfriend!

What on earth could make MS halt production completely, other than an attack from Mars?! That's just such a major thing that we would have heard something very quickly.

Serious, what could do that? There are working 360's, I would think they would just keep the supply up and just fix as needed, IF there was a problem.

I got it, the little Gremlins MS has placed inside the 360 to effectively destroy any and all consoles located within a 50 yard radius are dying because of the overheating issue. The Gremlins are now being replaced my small clones of Bill Gates himself.