Week of March 10, 2002
European launch review : Xbox for 399€ !
>> The evening of March 13 saw big Xbox prelaunch events taking place in most European countries, including a big event in central London, but Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates didn't appear at any of them. Another event took place in Berlin, where Microsoft teamed up with NBC Europe's TV show Giga to provide constant coverage of the Xbox launch. But these launch events were overshadowed in part by an uproar over the aggressive pricing strategies of some German retail stores.
Early in the morning on March 14, a major retail chain named Media Markt launched a nationwide TV campaign in which it announced it is selling the Xbox for the retail price of 399 euros ($352) instead of Microsoft's suggested retail price of 479 euros ($423). This price drop caused a major uproar in the industry, with many other German retail chains following suit, resulting in zero profit for individual retail outlets. Media Markt's strategy was to lure gamers into their stores in the hope that they'd buy more games or peripherals for Microsoft's debut console. Naturally, smaller stores had to stick to their pricing and couldn't give price reductions to people who preordered the console.
"We'll analyze the situation but retail prices are the trade's decision," Microsoft Germany's director Hans Stettmeier told industry paper MCV in response to the price drop. "We can't and won't interfere with that." Official distributors are now working with smaller retailers to offer them a solution. However, it remains uncertain as to whether the price tag will stay at 399 euros ($352) and whether smaller shops will have to follow suit. If that is the case, most shops in Germany are unlikely to make any profit on sales of the console.
Take Two Working on State of Emergency
>> Take-Two's latest results show they are making plenty of money from video-gamers. They also revealed that Fall/Winter product releases are expected to include new titles for the Company's Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club brands, State of Emergency for the Xbox, as well as the launch of MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch on a variety of platforms.
Looking forward, the Company plans to launch new brands, and continue to aggressively develop brand extensions for Max Payne, Duke Nukem', Smuggler's Run, Serious Sam, Railroad Tycoon, Tropico, Austin Powers and Oni, as well as additional extensions for Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club.
DVD Firmware Ripped
>> Other news from Xboxhacker :
"I have snarfed the dvd BIOS and pin pointed the microcode.
The modified instructions are for DMA and three 32 bit register manipulation. The microcode is that of a custom SH8.
I will not post the code. I will not send the code.
What I am going to do:
Compile a list of funtion calls and what is required to be passed on to the calls and what should be returned from the calls.
I am not going to write a driver for this. With the list of funtion calls you can write a windows driver for the drive. I don't do windows."
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(Thursday 14 March 2002 17:00 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Debug Xboxes Hacked
>> Xboxhacker.net informs that the debug Xboxes have been hacked so that they may now play retail game discs. Previously, debug Xboxes could not read retail discs. The hack relies on the debug kit's ability to run unsigned code.
This doesn't change anything for the retail xboxes , but it's a start ;)
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(Thursday 14 March 2002 16:58 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Xbox Launches in UK/Europe - Pricetag: $433
>> Richard Branson, the UK dude who is never slow when it comes to PR, presented the first ever Xbox to a young chap names Scott tonight. The UK launch is a much lower key event compared to the US and Japanese launches, however, many video-game stores opened at midnight to present Xbox to the UK faithful.
Broadcaster Jonathan Ross and Virgin Entertainment Group chief Richard Branson are at one of 300 stores due to open at midnight in Britain.
Microsoft have declined to give predicted sales figures or say how many consoles had been shipped to the UK, however britain's biggest high street electrical retailer Dixons Group Plc said it expected to sell up to 25,000 Xbox consoles in the first three weeks at its 320 UK stores...
Actually we wonder how the Xbox will do in Europe , with a console at 433USD (479€/299£) , that's 133USD more expersive that in the USA , and games at 65USD (70€/43£) , that's 15USD extra per game.
For european gamers it's cheaper to import an NTSC/J xbox (about 350$ with shipping & TVA) ...
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(Thursday 14 March 2002 16:51 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Playmore.com crashes under high load.
>> Seems like too many people try to access playmore.com (the EU xbox site) for news about the launch.
They will never learn it ...
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(Thursday 14 March 2002 02:57 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Playing hooky for Xbox U.K. launch
>> Over 90 percent of Xbox buyers are planning to take the day off work tomorrow, according to a survey conducted by Amazon.com.
Microsoft's Xbox gaming console is due to go on sale at midnight tonight in stores across the United Kingdom, and those who pre-ordered online should have theirs delivered in the morning. Almost all of those who will have one come Thursday morning are planning to take the day off.
In the survey of 3,000 gamers, 74 percent said they were intending to stay home from work and feign illness, said an Amazon representative. A further 20 percent said they also planned to take the day off, but had not decided whether they should own up to their bosses.
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(Thursday 14 March 2002 02:44 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Xbox Storms Europe
>> Mimicking similar events in the U.S. where Microsoft-founder Bill Gates challenged gamers at midnight in New York stores, European launch parties for the X-box are planned in over a dozen nations. The product will retail for 300 pounds ($423) in Britain and 479 euros in other parts of Europe.
In London, Virgin Megastores will pit celebrities and gamers against each other when shops open specially at midnight as it starts selling the first hundreds of boxes.
In Madrid the legendary Bernabeu soccer stadium of Real Madrid will be lit in ``Xbox green'' spotlights, and in Paris shops will open at midnight. Meanwhile a French team of six gamers will be locked into a house for five days, battling it out on the console in front of a TV audience.
In Germany cable TV station Giga will broadcast the local launch party live on its channel.
Microsoft said consumers would not have to pre-register for the nocturnal event. It had sufficient boxes available for impulse buyers. Even if retailers were to sell out in coming weeks, consoles should be available throughout Europe within 72 hours, supplied from a Hungarian plant of contract electronics manufacturer Flextronics which makes the box.
The Xbox has in any case been on pre-sale for many weeks at retailers around Europe and with online shop Amazon.com. Microsoft declined to specify demand in Europe, but reiterated it expected to ship between 4.5 and six million boxes worldwide by the end of June.
``We're really happy with the presales at Amazon,'' a European Microsoft spokesman said.
Nintendo Co. Ltd. will also bring its new console, called GameCube, to Europe on May 3, with a marketing budget of 100 million euros ($87.4 million) for the region.
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(Wednesday 13 March 2002 21:03 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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European Launch ...
>> in about 5hours ... we'll keep ya updated.
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(Wednesday 13 March 2002 17:40 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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UK Press Talk to J Allard
>> Is it true that on a recent visit to London you spent all night soldering circuits after blowing up an Xbox prototype?
Unfortunately, it is. Bill Gates announced we were doing Xbox and I was in London. We had these oneof-a-kind prototypes, all hand-made, worth between $30,000 and $40,000 each and I blew one up. We were up until 3am in the basement of the Metropolitan Hotel, soldering this thing back together.
When do you think the PlayStation3 will come out?
I don't know.
Do you really care?
No. Really, the Xbox represents the next big step forward in gaming and although I've already heard talk about the PS3, we think there is an awful lot we can do with the Xbox. We don't need to talk about the next one yet.
So, no Xbox2 on the horizon?
I didn't say that. I just said we weren't going to be talking about it.
You pushed Microsoft towards the Internet. Does that make you a visionary?
I think that's a pretty loaded term. I prefer to think that was more of a rallying cry, and I was speaking for more than one person.
Does that dream stay alive?
Absolutely. You have to dream. If you don't, you have nightmares. When I came to the company, what I really wanted to do was integrate the Internet into society, in a way that could open new communication channels.
I thought that, if I got my mum on the Internet and sending me e-mails, I would have achieved my goal.
And what happened then?
After I achieved that goal, I always had a soft spot in my heart for games. I've always been a gamer - that's what introduced me to technology in the first place. Looking at what Sony and Nintendo were doing, I thought both were doing evolutionary things and it was time for the revolution, so we launched Xbox.
Is everyone that works at Microsoft a millionaire?
I dunno.
How much money do you have?
Enough to keep me very happy with all my gaming.
Do you get letters from people asking for money?
No, I haven't really had much of that. I'm a pretty low-key guy.
Do you object to such letters?
No, feel free to send them on. It's important to give back to the less fortunate members of the community.
Does the job leave you with any time off. If so, what do you do?
I spend a lot of time snowboarding in the winter and have to admit I have an affection for racing go-karts and cars.
Does Bill Gates play games?
You know, he's not the world's biggest gamer, although he is starting to turn a new corner with Xbox. We're making him a believer now.
Any particular game?
He's hooked on Fusion Frenzy. He and his wife went down to Hawaii for a week, before we launched in the US, and he said: 'Y'know, I should really put my hands on this thing,' because we were going to send him to New York to play gamers. They ended up staying in the hotel most of the time playing Fusion Frenzy.
What about the Home Station, the other new rumoured MS product?
It's an old code name for a defunct product. Don't ask me where it came from - I have no idea how the press picked up on it, or why.
What's your current favourite game?
Gotham Racing. I've spent ages flying around Trafalgar Square in my F-50. It's a hoot.
What's your favourite game on the PS2 and Game Cube?
There's nothing I like on the Game Cube. With PS2, Jak And Dexter has some interesting game-play.
What game did you first play?
It was hockey on the Magnavox Odyssey, a 1970s game system. It was basically Pong.
Is there one thing you do every time you come here?
It wouldn't be the food. I'm a huge fan of British music. You guys get it right over here, especially dance music. I used to be a rabid New Order and Joy Division fan. I wish I could spend more time in clubs.
Didn't you have a clubbing description for the Xbox?
A rave in a nuclear reactor. Or the other one I've heard is 'better than a Norman Cook set on ecstasy'.
Is that from personal experience?
No. I just read about it...
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(Wednesday 13 March 2002 17:34 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Square comments on Nintendo agreement
>> Square of Japan has posted an official statement on its investor relations Web site that comments on the recently announced agreement between Square and Nintendo. The company said that it's currently preparing to release games for the Game Boy Advance through a new development house tentatively named Game Designers Studio, which will be headed up by Akiyoshi Kawazu. Kawazu previously worked on early games in the Final Fantasy series in addition to the SaGa role-playing series. The new development house will receive capital from Hiroshi Yamauchi's Fund Q to start development on "a new type of game." Square also reaffirmed that this will not affect PlayStation 2 development in any way and that the PlayStation 2 will remain the main platform for both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII.
Nintendo of America has also reconfirmed the news, stating that Game Designers Studio plans to release one game for a Nintendo system before the end of 2002, and that the game will make use of the connectivity feature between the GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Nintendo of America also said that a Final Fantasy game would be a logical choice, but did not confirm that a Final Fantasy game was in development for either the Game Boy Advance or the GameCube.
A Nintendo PR representative in Japan has informed GameSpot Japan that a port of Final Fantasy Tactics is a likely candidate for the Game Boy Advance. Reinforcing that story, Famitsu is reporting on its Web site that Square representatives have also said that Final Fantasy Tactics is a possible candidate and that Square actually plans to release three to four Game Boy Advance games before the end of the fiscal year.
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(Tuesday 12 March 2002 19:38 EST) - (Category: (default)) - (Posted by::
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Knows the Controller
>> Most gamers already know that the Xbox is in constant communication with the controller and knows when one is disconnected. But the console also knows what the controller looks like and can differentiate between the smaller Controller S and standard Xbox controller. The only difference gamers will notice is that on player select screens, the little controller graphic will match the controller you're using.
Xbox Sales Begin Again in Tokyo
>> Bic Camera, one of Tokyo's largest electronics retailers, said it resumed sales Monday of Microsoft's Xbox game console after suspending sales over the weekend because of a glitch that resulted in scratched discs.
Some other Japanese electronics retailers including Laox and Sato Musen had halted sales in the past week for the same reason, although those two have both resumed.
Microsoft, which initially offered to replace any consoles it deemed defective, responded to growing customer complaints last Thursday when it said it would unconditionally replace all hardware and any damaged software.
The scratches made to the edge of the discs do not interfere with game play, but Microsoft had not anticipated the negative response from Japan's notoriously picky gaming public.
"We have resumed sales but we are telling customers that there is a chance the machine could scratch discs and (we are) providing them with Microsoft's customer support number," said Bic Camera salesman Yasuyuki Sumita.
"It has not had an impact on sales," he added.
The software giant launched the Xbox in Japan two weeks ago, hoping to convince Japan's gamers and software creators that its machine could rival those of Sony and Nintendo on their home turf.
Laox halted sales of the Xbox for one day last week because it was not sure if it was facing a recall.
"We did not understand Microsoft's stance on the issue at first, since they had only offered to replace any items that they deemed defective," said Laox spokesman Iwao Yamashita.
"But after they explained that it was not a recall but they would replace any defective products, we decided we could sell the Xbox to our customers," he said.
Highlighting the importance of the Japanese market, Microsoft has made special efforts to cater to the public here with a specially designed, smaller controller and a limited edition of 50,000 translucent Xbox consoles available only in Japan.
The scratches, which Microsoft says were most likely caused by DVD discs spinning in the console, improper placement on loading trays or by the sliding tray itself, were also reported in the United States after the Xbox was launched there in mid-November
Xbox MediaPlayer Skin
>> For the real fans out there Microsoft released a new XBOX skin for windows MediaPlayer.
It's available here for free. (you will have to register tho)
If you wonder how it looks like :
Presales Xbox in Europe
>> Some interesting numbers from amazon.co.uk :
Metal Gear Solid 2 (ps2) (Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1) (released 07 March)
Halo (Xbox) (Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12) (release 14 March)
Xbox Console (Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 21)
PS2 console (Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 22) (release 14 March)
Quite normal that MGS2 sells more then Halo , alot more ps2 consoles have been sold. But weird to see that the Xbox is just one ranking higher than the ps2 ... it should have been much higher for a launch.
To be continued.
