FIFA 06 on 360
Those of you disappointed by a lack of breathless speculation on the subject of next gen consoles yesterday need look no further.
That’s right, and this time it’s not unsubstantiated rumour or opposition trash-talk, it’s professional speculation from a company who make their living pulling figures out of the rarified air surrounding them.
Another one of these analyst companies you hear about, Piper Jaffray, deserves credit if only for finding a way of getting paid for something many gamers happily do for free on forums. And having turned their enormous, prescient brains to the subject of this year’s forthcoming 360 launch, they’ve managed to come up with not only a price point but initial unit numbers to be shipped to the three territories.
As far as the price goes, Piper Jaffray hasn't said much that has not been said already, simply going along with everyone else and parroting the figure said to leak last week from Walmart employees: $299. Perhaps feeling that it should embellish this a little to justify its fee, it goes on to say that it believes there will also be a ‘deluxe’ package, retailing at $399 and coming with an extra controller and larger hard drive.
The people at PJ have stuck their necks out a bit when it comes to the numbers of machines that will be shipped. America, they say, will get a million 360s, while Japan get only 200,000. Here’s the bit we don’t like; we Europeans are to receive no more than 400,000. You’ll recall that an allotment of half a million PS2s at launch in Europe led to a drought whereby it was impossible to get one for some time.
What Piper Jaffray hasn’t said is how many of these 400,000 will be the cheaper model and what percentage will be the pricier one. It’s true that Microsoft has in the past alluded to the possibility of tiered specifications for the 360, but it seems unlikely that it would introduce the more expensive one at launch; if MS only muster 400,000 for our territory then we can’t see it wanting to complicate things for itself further by shipping two consoles rather than one. It seems a little harsh for the consumer, too – the scramble for a new console is stressful enough without worrying that the chap ahead of you in the queue is saving $100, or more likely, £100.
In any case, don’t be too downhearted. With plenty of titles still coming out on the current generation of consoles, failing to get hold of a 360 needn’t ruin your Christmas. Out of interest though, how many of you do plan to get yourselves an Xbox 360 at launch? Let us know in the usual place.
That’s right, and this time it’s not unsubstantiated rumour or opposition trash-talk, it’s professional speculation from a company who make their living pulling figures out of the rarified air surrounding them.
Another one of these analyst companies you hear about, Piper Jaffray, deserves credit if only for finding a way of getting paid for something many gamers happily do for free on forums. And having turned their enormous, prescient brains to the subject of this year’s forthcoming 360 launch, they’ve managed to come up with not only a price point but initial unit numbers to be shipped to the three territories.
As far as the price goes, Piper Jaffray hasn't said much that has not been said already, simply going along with everyone else and parroting the figure said to leak last week from Walmart employees: $299. Perhaps feeling that it should embellish this a little to justify its fee, it goes on to say that it believes there will also be a ‘deluxe’ package, retailing at $399 and coming with an extra controller and larger hard drive.
The people at PJ have stuck their necks out a bit when it comes to the numbers of machines that will be shipped. America, they say, will get a million 360s, while Japan get only 200,000. Here’s the bit we don’t like; we Europeans are to receive no more than 400,000. You’ll recall that an allotment of half a million PS2s at launch in Europe led to a drought whereby it was impossible to get one for some time.
What Piper Jaffray hasn’t said is how many of these 400,000 will be the cheaper model and what percentage will be the pricier one. It’s true that Microsoft has in the past alluded to the possibility of tiered specifications for the 360, but it seems unlikely that it would introduce the more expensive one at launch; if MS only muster 400,000 for our territory then we can’t see it wanting to complicate things for itself further by shipping two consoles rather than one. It seems a little harsh for the consumer, too – the scramble for a new console is stressful enough without worrying that the chap ahead of you in the queue is saving $100, or more likely, £100.
In any case, don’t be too downhearted. With plenty of titles still coming out on the current generation of consoles, failing to get hold of a 360 needn’t ruin your Christmas. Out of interest though, how many of you do plan to get yourselves an Xbox 360 at launch? Let us know in the usual place.
Companies:
Microsoft
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Comments
king skins 9 Aug 2005 13:45
1/3
Me, me, me. I'll be getting one :) with PGR3 and then depending if it's any good Perfect Dark.
TwoADay 9 Aug 2005 14:27
2/3
The only way I might be getting one at launch is that either my wife (now fiance, but by then, wife) somehow scrounges up some dough for it, or someone else gets me one for Christmas. That is, not very likely. Fingers crossed, though.
The time to get one is a little bit before Bungie releases whatever they're working on. Let's face it - by and large, people bought the Xbox for Halo. I haven't seen anything to get me excited enough to NEED one at launch.
The time to get one is a little bit before Bungie releases whatever they're working on. Let's face it - by and large, people bought the Xbox for Halo. I haven't seen anything to get me excited enough to NEED one at launch.
way 10 Aug 2005 07:32
3/3
Yo, check this out!
Why don't they make laptop, portable versions. For PS3 you reduce the cell count to minimum and the speed, big power saving, now fits in laptop with Linux, or Tiger. For Xbox360 they do the same, but with Windows. Both land up better than any present laptop, and in a few years time the circuits shrink enough to put the full version in the laptop, and offer the previous laptop circuit shrunk as the next model of handheld, the PSP3. Who, says that's not the plan all along! Only pulling y'all, leg, yo! ;)
No, the man, the man from Japan, he's coming to get me, for revealing his secret. Yo, no, no he go, the man, the man from Redmond, has knee capped him. :)
Why don't they make laptop, portable versions. For PS3 you reduce the cell count to minimum and the speed, big power saving, now fits in laptop with Linux, or Tiger. For Xbox360 they do the same, but with Windows. Both land up better than any present laptop, and in a few years time the circuits shrink enough to put the full version in the laptop, and offer the previous laptop circuit shrunk as the next model of handheld, the PSP3. Who, says that's not the plan all along! Only pulling y'all, leg, yo! ;)
No, the man, the man from Japan, he's coming to get me, for revealing his secret. Yo, no, no he go, the man, the man from Redmond, has knee capped him. :)