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The '''[[Xbox 360]] launch''' marks the release of the first high-profile [[History of video game consoles (seventh generation)|seventh generation]] [[video game console]]. It is [[Microsoft]]'s second foray in console development succeeding their [[2001]] launch of the first [[Xbox]].

==Viral advertising and alternate reality games==
The promotional campaign for Xbox 360 began on [[March 14]] [[2005]] with the opening of an [[alternate reality game]] called [[Ourcolony|OurColony]]. Throughout March and April OurColony.net offered challenges to its community, rewarding solutions with cropped pictures of the console and game screenshots. On [[May 12]] [[2005]] the ARG section of OurColony closed, visitors were instead greeted with a promotional video hosted by [[J. Allard]].

[http://www.origenxbox360.com OrigenXbox360.com] was the next [[viral marketing]] campaign from Microsoft. Unveiled on [[27 September]] [[2005]] the website, hosted by talking rabbits ''Boss'' and ''Didier'' offers visitors an opportunity to enter in various contests. The initial contest was a raffle that required participants to answer three trivia questions regarding the Xbox 360 for a chance to attend a promotional pre-launch event. New contests include a ''[[Halo 2]]'' tournament and a competition to design a "Gamertile" ([[Avatar (virtual reality)|an avatar icon]]). Design for the website employs [[flash animation]] of a [[Bonsai tree]] and bland [[elevator music]] to create a serene environment that is punctuated by visually intense [[psychedelic]] episodes involving the host rabbits.

October 2005 saw the launch of "Hex168", another viral marketing campaign commissioned by Microsoft and executed by the Marden-Kane [[advertising agency]]. On [[13 October]] [[2005]], members of the [[TeamXbox]] forums were directed to the [http://hex168.com/ Hex168.com] website through mysterious messages posted by someone called "Lutz".<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/news/6135857.html "Rumor Control: World of Warcraft 360 and Vice City Stories], gamespot.com, 14 October 2005</ref> This website hosted a number of images that appeared to perpetuate obscure [[conspiracy theories]], but sometimes contained oblique references to Xbox 360. The campaign was later revealed to be a U.S. contest that offered participants a chance to win one of three hundred sixty Xbox 360 console bundles six days before the official launch.<ref>[http://www.hex168.com/rules.aspx "Hex 168 Contest Rules"], hex168.com, 18 October 2005</ref>

==Xbox 360 Lounge==
[[Image:Xboxlounge1.JPEG|thumb|200px|right|Xbox 360 Lounge at night]]
To boost Xbox 360 awareness in Japan, an "Xbox 360 Lounge" was constructed in [[Aoyama, Tokyo|Aoyama]], [[Tokyo]], close to a popular [[Omotesando|upscale shopping area]]<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/news/6137065.html "Xbox 360 Lounge opens in Tokyo"], ''[[GameSpot]]'', [[November 2]], 2005</ref>. The lounge was comprised of three main areas: a 256 square meter event space equipped with five large display screens, an area containing Xbox 360 game kiosks, and a 70-seat café. It was open daily from [[November 1]] [[2005]] to [[February 12]] [[2006]].

==Launch announcement==
[[Image:Mtv-xbox-360-unveiling.JPG|thumbnail|200px|MTV's Xbox 360 TV special hosted by actor [[Elijah Wood]]]]
[[Image:X360 BillG TIMECover.jpg|thumbnail|200px|[[Bill Gates]] on the Cover of Time Magazine with an Xbox 360]]
The official unveiling of the [[Xbox 360]] occurred on [[May 12]] [[2005]] on [[MTV]] in a program called ''MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed'' hosted by actor [[Elijah Wood]] with a musical performance by the band [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]]. The Xbox 360 was also featured on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's [[May 23]] [[2005]] issue with an article written by [[Lev Grossman]]. The cover shows Microsoft chairman [[Bill Gates]] holding up one of the units. In the article he says "It's perfect... The day Sony launches (PlayStation 3), and they walk right into ''[[Halo 3]]''."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1061433,00.html "Out Of The Xbox], TIME, 23 May 2005</ref> ''[[wikiquote:Bill Gates#Mixed|Read more at wikiquote.]]'' Microsoft executive [[Robbie Bach]] later clarified this statement, saying "Philosophically the point Bill was trying to make is that we're not just going to ship and not have great stuff coming up."<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61132 "Halo 3 ready 'when it's ready'"], Eurogamer, 4 October 2005</ref> Gates himself later clarified that "Halo 3 will ship when Bungie is ready."<ref>[http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13960 "Halo 3 will ship when Bungie is ready, says Gates], gamesindustry.biz, 10 January 2006</ref>

The system, along with some playable games, was shown off at [[E3]] 2005. The demos were running on "Xbox 360 Alpha Development Kits" which were [[Apple Computer|Apple]] [[PowerMac G5]]s, chosen due to the [[PowerPC]] processor architecture that the machine shares with the Xbox 360. Microsoft claims that most of the games were running at 25-30% of full capacity because they were not running on actual systems.

==Launch dates and prices==
{|class="wikitable"
!Date
!Location
!Xbox 360 System Price
!Xbox 360 Core System Price
|-
|[[November 22]], [[2005]]
|[[Canada]]<br>[[United States]]
|[[Canadian dollar|CD$]]499.99<br> [[United States dollar|US$]]399.99
|[[Canadian dollar|CD$]]399.99<br> [[United States dollar|US$]]299.99
|-
|[[December 2]], [[2005]]
|[[Eurozone]]<br>[[Norway]]<br>[[Sweden]]<br>[[United Kingdom]] and<br>[[Latvia]]
|[[Euro|€]]399.99<br> [[Norwegian krone|NOK]]3395,-<br>[[Swedish krona|SEK]]3995:-<br>[[Pound sterling|£]]279.99<br> [[Latvian lats|Ls]]320.00
|[[Euro|€]]299.99<br> [[Norwegian krone|NOK]]2595,-<br>[[Swedish krona|SEK]]2995:-<br>[[Pound sterling|£]]209.99<br> [[Latvian lats|Ls]]240.00
|-
|[[December 2]], [[2005]]
|[[Finland]]<br>[[Ireland]] and<br>[[Portugal]]
|[[Euro|€]]409.99
|[[Euro|€]]309.99
|-
|[[December 10]], [[2005]]
|[[Japan]]
|[[Japanese yen|JP¥]]39,795
|[[Japanese yen|JP¥]]29,000
|-
|[[February 2]], [[2006]]
|[[Colombia]]<br>[[Mexico]]
||[[Colombian peso|COP]]$1,200,000<br>[[Mexican peso|MXN]]$4999.99
||[[Colombian peso|COP]]$900,000<br> [[Mexican peso|MXN]]$3999.99
|-
|[[February 24]], [[2006]]
|[[South Korea]]
|[[South Korean won|₩]]419,000
|[[South Korean won|₩]]339,000
|-
|[[March 16]], [[2006]]
|[[Hong Kong]]<br>[[Singapore]]<br>[[Taiwan]]
|<br>[[Singapore dollar|SG$]]660.00<br> [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]13888
|<br>[[Singapore dollar|SG$]]535.00<br> [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]10888
|-
|[[March 23]], [[2006]]
|[[Australia]]<br>[[New Zealand]]
|[[Australian dollar|AU$]]649.95<br> [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]]718.95
|[[Australian dollar|AU$]]499.95<br> [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]]549.95
|-
|[[September 25]], [[2006]]
|[[India]]
|[[Indian rupee|Rs.]]23,990
|[[Indian rupee|Rs.]]19,990
|-
|[[September 29]], [[2006]][http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11595/Xbox-360-to-Launch-in-South-Africa-this-Fall/]
|[[South Africa]]
|[[South African rand|R]]3699
|[[South African rand|R]]2699
|-
|[[November 3]], [[2006]]
|[[Czech Republic]]<br>[[Poland]]
|[[Czech koruna|CZK]]11900.00<br> [[Polish złoty|zł]]1699.00
|[[Czech koruna|CZK]]8999.00<br> [[Polish złoty|zł]]1299.00
|-
|[[December 1]], [[2006]]
|[[Brazil]]
|[[Brazilian real|R$]]2999.00
|[[Brazilian real|R$]]1999.00
|-
|}

==Launch titles==
Eighteen launch titles were available for customers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico on [[November 22]] [[2005]]. The European countries had fifteen titles available for the launch date of [[December 2]] [[2005]]. Japanese customers, however, only had six titles to choose from by the time the Xbox 360 was released on [[December 10]] [[2005]]. This discrepancy is partially accounted for by the time needed to [[Software localization|localize]] the games.

{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!North America
!Europe
!Japan
|-
|''[[Amped 3]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Call of Duty 2]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Condemned: Criminal Origins]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Every Party]]''
|{{no}}
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[FIFA Series#FIFA 06|FIFA '06: Road to FIFA World Cup]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[GUN]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Kameo: Elements of Power]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Madden NFL 06]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[NBA 2K|NBA 2K6]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[NBA Live series|NBA Live 06]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Need for Speed: Most Wanted]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[NHL 2K|NHL 2K6]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Perfect Dark Zero]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[Peter Jackson's King Kong (video game)|Peter Jackson's King Kong]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Project Gotham Racing 3]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Quake 4]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Ridge Racer 6]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[Tetris variants|Tetris: The Grandmaster Ace]]''
|{{no}}
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|-
|''[[Tiger Woods PGA Tour|Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|''[[Tony Hawk's American Wasteland]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|}

==Regional sales==
===North America===
Prelaunch reports assume that Microsoft intentionally restricted supply<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051101-5510.html "More Xbox 360 launch and technical details"], arstechnica.com, 1 November 2005</ref> although there is no evidence to support this and Microsoft has said they are releasing all units into supply chains as quickly as possible.<ref>[http://www.majornelson.com/2005/11/30/replenishments-recall-rumors-and-replacements/ "Replenishments, Recall Rumors, and Replacements"], majornelson.com, 30 November 2005</ref><ref>[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/248871_msftsupply18.html "Questions surround Xbox 360 shortage"], seattlepi.com, 18 November 2005</ref> Evidence indicates that Microsoft launched with all consoles available at the time, and operating at maximum production capability (i.e. they did not withhold produced consoles). They did not, however, build up a sufficient supply of consoles to satisfy the entire demand at launch. This allowed them to launch several months earlier than would otherwise be possible, but also led to shortages.

[[Peter Moore (Microsoft)|Peter Moore]], Microsoft corporate vice president, predicts that shipments will reach 10 million units worldwide by the end of 2006.<ref>[http://www.gamebiz.com.au/news.php?action=display&id=7962 "Microsoft Aim for 10 Million Xbox 360 Units by End of 2006"], gamebiz.com, 24 November 2005</ref>

Immediately after the launch, reports about the new machine's technical [[glitch]]es started coming out. Some reported the Xbox 360 crashing with errors, some reported the hard drive does not respond in certain situations while others report [[error message]]s during various games or unusually fast overheating.<ref>[http://xbox360.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3145847 "Xbox 360 Crashes, Defects Reported"], 1up.com, 23 November 2005</ref> The manual contains warnings about not placing the Xbox 360 on soft surfaces or in enclosed spaces to avoid heating problems. Microsoft claims that these problems are to be expected on a large scale release for a console and the number of reports versus the number of consoles released was very minimal. Microsoft stated that they would look into the reports and offered assistance reachable by phone.

The high demand for the Xbox 360 led to some owners almost immediately re-selling their console for vastly increased prices. [[eBay]] in particular was a popular location for such offers with thousands of consoles going up for auction, some selling for many times the original retail price. It was reported<ref>[http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1779&Itemid=2 "40,000 Xbox 360s Sold on eBay"], Next Generation, 2 December 2005</ref> that 40,000 units appeared on eBay during the initial month of release, which would mean that 10% of the total supply was resold. As of [[February 18]] [[2006]] at 4:59 EST, major online retailers were sold-out of both Xbox 360 packages (including Amazon.com, circuitcity.com and buy.com).

According to the NDP Group, North American sales totaled 326,000 units in November.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7509 "U.S. November Game Sales Decrease Confirmed"], 14 December 2005</ref> In Canada, all 32,100 units available for launch were sold. By the end of 2005, Microsoft stated it sold roughly 900,000 units.<ref name="jp200601">[http://www.johnporcaro.com/2006/01/xbox_news_from_.html "Xbox News from Today's Earnings Announcement"], johnporcaro.com, 26 January 2006</ref><ref name="ms-webcast-200601">[http://microsoft.shareholder.com/webcast/MediaPresentation.asp?MediaID=18746&MediaUserID=0 "Microsoft Shareholder Webcast"]</ref>

Analysts believe Microsoft did not meet the original worldwide target of 2.75-3 million units sold in the first 90 days after launch,<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/news/6142087.html "Moore on 360 launch: "Nothing's perfect"], gamespot.com, 9 January 2006</ref> and Microsoft revised their initial 90 day estimate down to 2.5 million units,<ref name="ms-webcast-200601" /> though their 6 month sales estimate remained unchanged at 4.5 to 5.5 million consoles.<ref name="jp200601" />

===Europe===
Microsoft confirmed that 300,000 units were available for the European launch.<ref>[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10231050/from/RL.1/ "300,000 Xbox 360s planned for Europe launch"], [[MSNBC]], 27 November 2005</ref> As in North America, thousands of Xbox 360 appeared on auction websites like eBay, selling for more than twice their retail price.<ref name="bbc-soldout">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4491804.stm "Xbox 360 sells out within hours"], BBC, 2 December 2005</ref> The shortages led to some consumers criticising retailers, and others attacking Microsoft itself for failing to fill demand.<ref name="bbc-soldout" /> In turn, some retailers blamed Microsoft for failing to provide enough consoles in the Christmas period.<ref name="bbc-soldout" /> By the end of 2005, Microsoft stated they sold 500,000 consoles in the region.<ref name="jp200601" /><ref name="ms-webcast-200601" />

===Japan===
While other regions such as the United States or Europe enjoyed successful launches, sales in Japan have been very slow. In fact, only 103,990 units have sold by the end of [[April 2]]] [[2006]].<ref>[http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=6190 "Japan: Weekly hardware sales for 3/27 - 4/02"], 7 April 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5948 "Japan: Weekly hardware sales for 12/26 - 1/1"], 6 January 2006</ref>

Some believe this is mainly due to the other popular and prospective video game handheld consoles like the [[Game Boy Advance]], [[Nintendo DS]], and [[PlayStation Portable]], all of which have sold far more than the Xbox 360. Others have also attributed this slow start to titles such as ''[[Dead or Alive 4]]'' and ''[[Enchant Arm]]'' missing the launch date while others point to the marketing strategy that focused on selling the Xbox 360 as a fashionable item when customers were looking for an affordable or a high performance gaming console. It should also be noted that ''[[ToHeart2 (game)|ToHeart2]] XRATED'', a highly anticipated [[hentai]] PC port of the [[PlayStation 2]] game of the same name, was released one day prior to the Xbox 360's Japanese launch <ref>[http://bluemist.animeblogger.net/archives/xbox-xrated/ XBOX XRATED], 13 December 2005</ref>; this might also be a factor in the console's low launch sales.

For his part, [[Famitsu]] Xbox 360 editor-in-chief Munetatsu Matsui pointed to ''Dead or Alive 4'''s absence as the main factor behind the slow start. He even added information that over 60% of his readers had planned to buy the much anticipated ''Tecmo'' fighting game. The 2-day 62,135 sales figure of the Xbox 360 is a little past half of the 123,334 units of the old Xbox that Microsoft sold in the first 3 days in Japan in February 2002.

Initial predictions were highly optimistic as the highest rating launch game reviewed by [[Famitsu]], [[Namco]]'s ''[[Ridge Racer 6]]'', scored 35 out of 40 stars. Namco expects to sell 500,000 copies of ''Ridge Racer 6'' in Japan. It should be noted that this number is roughly equal to the number of Xbox units sold in Japan by November of 2005. Microsoft Japan executive [[Yoshihiro Maruyama]] stated that he expects sales of Xbox 360 in Japan to hit one million units sometime next year. Maruyama is widely credited for attracting support from Japanese game developers.

To entice people into buying the Xbox 360 some retailers are offering discounts on the system if they sign up for a 2 year broadband contract, similar to cell phone deals in the US.

On the day of the launch, [[Capcom]] unveiled their Xbox 360-exclusive sci-fi game ''[[Lost Planet]]'', which features South Korean actor [[Lee Byung Hun]] in the lead role.

=== Latin America ===
The Xbox 360 was released in Mexico on [[February 2]] [[2006]]. Retailers such as Liverpool, [[Wal-Mart]], [[Blockbuster (movie rental store)|Blockbuster]], [[Sam's Club]], CompuDabo, Game Planet, gdGames and Cyberbox started to sell consoles, games, and accessories. Some department stores are selling the console at 6,000 Mexican pesos (~US $550).

In [[Colombia]], the Xbox 360 was officially released on the same date as [[Mexico]]. With a price tag of $1,200,000 Colombian pesos (~US $520), the premium package pre-order was sold out almost immediately. Retailers such as Almacenes Éxito, Panamericana, [[Blockbuster (movie rental store)|Blockbuster]], Pepe Ganga, K-Tronix, [[Carrefour]], La 14, Vivero, and Hiperbodega Alkosto have since started selling the console, games, and accessories.

On [[December 1]] [[2006]], Xbox 360 finally arrives in [[Brazil]] [http://www.xbox360.com.br/]. The console is disponible only at Premium package with 3 games for [[R$]] 2.999,00. Games are available at [[R$]] 99~159(99 for catalog games and 159 for new games).

===Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan===
The Xbox 360 was released in South Korea on [[24 February]] [[2006]].

It was released in Taiwan on [[2 March]] [[2006]]. Promotions included one free limited edition ''PGR3'' faceplate bundled for the initial shipment, and a gamepad-game combo pack containing ''Kameo'' and a wireless gamepad.

The launch date for Hong Kong and Singapore is [[16 March]] [[2006]], delayed from original [[2 March]] [[2006]] launch date. In Hong Kong, there are promotions include: free ''PGR3'' faceplate with purchase of selected titles, ''DOA4'' collectibles with purchase of an extra game, and reduced price when purchased with cross-promotional items.

=== China ===
Microsoft have not announced any release dates for the Xbox 360 in [[China]], instead announcing that they plan to take a "careful approach" to the release in the region<ref>[http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=2068 "Microsoft taking careful approach to Xbox 360 in China"], Punch Jump, [[24 February]] [[2006]]</ref>. This is due to concerns about piracy.

===Australia and New Zealand ===
The Xbox 360 was released in Australia and New Zealand on [[March 23]] [[2006]], three weeks after the initially projected release date. According to [[GfK]], a German institute specializing in [[market research]], the Xbox 360 launch was the most successful in Australia's history at that time, selling over 30,000 consoles in the first four days. This title now goes to the Wii, selling about 2000 more units <ref>[http://au.gamespot.com/news/6163178.html]</ref><ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8723 GfK reports the Xbox 360 beats PSP Australia Launch Record] March 29, 2006</ref>.

Microsoft elected not to package an Xbox Live headset with the premium system configuration, a Media Remote is included instead. In addition to the two system bundles, Microsoft released a "VIP Pack" priced at AU$149.95, that contains [[Perfect Dark Zero]], a Faceplate, Wireless Controller, promotional DVD, and membership to the [http://www.xbox360vip.com Xbox 360 VIP website]. Purchased separately, the price of the items would add up to AU$209.85.

===Philippines===
Microsoft Philippines announced on [[May 8]] [[2006]] that it will officially launch the Xbox 360 in the country [http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=7&story_id=75112]. Although no details about pricing, launch games and Xbox Live were mentioned, Microsoft Philippines general manager Antonio "TJ" Javier stressed that his company intends to market Xbox 360 products and services to Filipinos.

"This is the best-selling hardware from the world's biggest software company. How can anyone not want to bring this in?", Javier stated dispelling speculation that Microsoft Philippines intentionally did not want to conduct a domestic Xbox 360 launch.

It is most likely, and most logical, that the company will sell the Asian edition Xbox 360 in the country. Still many people could only wonder how Microsoft Philippines will market the console and games considering the fact that most game retailers and specialty stores around the country are already selling products with competitive prices.

An estimated 2,000 units of Xbox 360 were already sold in the Philippines since December 2005. The figure includes consoles imported from the United States, Japan and Singapore.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>
{{Microsoft}}

[[Category:Xbox 360]]

Revision as of 06:03, 16 December 2006

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