With the Nov. 22 launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s sequel to the popular Xbox video game system, the company promised to revolutionize the video game market. So far, relatively few fans have been able to get their own system, and some of those with a coveted Xbox have found that the system is still buggy.
Microsoft said it has received isolated reports of technical problems with the new console.
“It’s a few reports of consoles here and there not working properly,” said Molly O’Donnell, spokeswoman for Microsoft’s Xbox division. “It’s what you would expect with a consumer electronics instrument of this complexity. … Par for the course.”
Some owners complained that their systems were crashing during game play, sometimes with error messages popping up. On www.xbox-scene.com, one member reported that he could not even finish the first lap of “Project Gotham Racing 3.”
O’Donnell urged anyone with Xbox problems to call 1-800-4myXbox or go to www.xbox.com. If the problems can’t be immediately resolved, Microsoft will pay to ship the console overnight to a repair center, overnight it back once it’s fixed, or ship a replacement.
“They’ll be playing again in three to five days,” O’Donnell said.
Gaming fanatics lined up for hours to be among the first to purchase the next-generation system, which was in short supply despite its starting price tag of $299. Microsoft planned to sell 2.5 million to 3 million of the new systems in the first 90 days, but demand has outstripped supply.
Attempts to locate an Xbox 360 in local retail stores proved fruitless since store branches were given limited shipments.
“We sold out two hours before we opened,” said Issac Carlson, an electronics specialist at the Target store in Eugene. “We handed out coupons for the 12 consoles we had to the people who had lined up. When we opened they came in and took them all.”
The new Xbox 360 prices at an initial retail price of $299 for the core package and $399 for the premium package.
Carlson said the store received six of each system package and said Xbox 360s are sold out indefinitely.
In online auctions, one of the few places consumers can still find a console, prices have more than doubled. Premium Xbox 360 systems are listed on eBay.com with prices as high as $790.
The Xbox 360 is the first in a wave of next generation video game systems being released next year.
Microsoft and Sony, which is set to release its next PlayStation console next year, are pushing newer, slicker graphics capabilities as the reason to buy these new consoles, as well as the enhanced realism in physics and the way people and things behave in game worlds.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi said Sony’s goal is for “consumers to think to themselves, ‘I will work more hours to buy one.’ We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else,” according to the official PlayStation 3 announcement.
Microsoft and Sony both have guaranteed high-definition resolution in all of their games. PS3 will use Sony’s new Blu-Ray disk format which uses blue light waves rather than the wider red ones allowing disk manufacturers to pack more data on the disks and thus HD content. Xbox 360 will launch with DVD drives installed, and some feel this will leave it at a disadvantage with games taking up progressively more space and HD movies on the horizon.
Members of the technology community will debate as to which console is technically better.
PlayStation consoles have traditionally garnered wide support from game studios all over the world, giving them a huge library of games. But the support is especially strong in Sony’s home country of Japan. Quirky games such as “Katamari Damacy” and story driven role-playing games such as Final Fantasy draw up almost nostalgic emotions from gamers, swaying them towards PS3.
The console seems graphically superior as well to freshman gamer Skylar Koon.
“Games for PS3 look a lot better than the games for Xbox 360,” Koon said.
Xbox 360 is garnering support from Japanese developers this time around with some role-playing games already announced such as “Final Fantasy XI.” Microsoft also seems poised to win over the online gaming crowd with games like shooter “Perfect Dark Zero” and racing game “Project Gotham 3.”
For freshman Tyler Peterson, Xbox 360’s promise of strong online support will make gaming that much better.
“It’s always better to play with someone than by yourself,” he said.
For its “upcoming Revolution” console, Nintendo is trying to revolutionize gaming with a new controller that uses motion-tracking technology to tell how your controller is oriented in your hand.
“I’m interested to see Nintendo because they’re just totally going crazy,” Peterson said.