Sharing the Xbox 360 this season may be difficult

John Walker WAL01008@BYUI.EDU A&E Editor

Nov. 22 may be like any other day for most people. But to millions of gamers across North America it will be much more.

The Xbox 360, the newest generation of gaming consoles equipped with the latest technology, will hit the market. The worry, though, is that there won’t be enough consoles for the high demand market, some sources say.

Local retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target will be selling the new gaming console and expect to sell out within days, if not within hours.

Eric Cavener, the Rexburg Wal-Mart store manager, said that the store will open at 12:01 a.m. to begin sale of the Xbox 360 but that quantities will be limited to a first-come, first-serve basis. He said he could not comment as to the number of units that would be for sale.

The south Idaho Falls Wal-Mart Supercenter believes they will sell out of units within hours. Mike Prophet, the electronics department manager, said they will begin handing out two types of tickets at 10 p.m. on Nov. 21.

One type will allow customers to buy Xbox 360 units with hard-drives that allow them to play original Xbox games along with the new ones. These units also will have wireless Bluetooth controllers.

The second type will allow customers to buy the standard Xbox 360 console, which will only play games designed for the Xbox 360.

Both types of consoles will have the same advanced graphics and advanced gameplay.

The Idaho Falls Target store will begin selling consoles at 8 a.m. on Nov 22.

Reed Wilding, the electronic department manager, thinks they will sell out — if not the first day — within the first week. He estimates that they will receive around 50 consoles, but he cannot confirm the exact number.

With all the estimating and guessing as to the number of supplies, at least gamers can know how much they will be expected to pay for the new gaming system.

The basic console starts at $299, but with a hard-drive and Bluetooth controller upgrade, the cost is $399.

Games will run about $50 a piece and extra controllers about $25-35 depending on the type of controller.