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Official Xbox 360 Worldwide Launch Thread

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Kabuki Waq said:
802_0006.jpg













newcut0pd.jpg
 
SuperPac said:
Clerk at the local Best Buy told me that they're doing a midnight launch the night of the 21st. I'll probably make that my first stop and if they sell out before getting to me I'll do Target / Circuit City in the morning (since they are a minute's walk away from the front door of my apt.).
I still need to talk to Best buy about the midnight thing.
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Where are you getting this info, Kabuki?
 

Gc-Freak

Banned
krypt0nian said:
Gotta post this from the IGN forums...

King Kong PC demo - LCD screen photographed

KongPillarPC.jpg


Now the 360 build also photographed on a LCD screen

KongPillar.jpg




WOW!

The 360 version of the game looks great. Hope this wow effect will be at every game which is also available on the current generation.
 

SuperPac

Member
Press releases from third parties about launch games and no announcement from Microsoft? I guess all three of their launch games haven't gone gold, huh.
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Well, now seems to be the time where launch games would be going gold, and then shipping in a couple of weeks, so I'd expect to see some more announcements in the coming days. Anything that doesn't get announced, though..you have to wonder..
 

SuperPac

Member
Anyone think it's possible that MS won't release a BC list at all? It doesn't seem like they want that to be touted as a main feature, what with some stores telling sales associates not to mention it as a selling point and all.
 
Gamercards are ridiculously specific...

I've been watching Major Nelson's pop from:

Playing Kameo
Kameo - "Returning to The Mystic" to "Leaving the Mystic" to Rescuing Pummel Weed"

It updates your game position in real time.
 

neptunes

Member
I just think they're waiting until the very last minute to release this list, giving time for devs to recompile their code for xbox games and have as many titles backwards compatible as possible.
 
krypt0nian said:
Gamercards are ridiculously specific...

I've been watching Major Nelson's pop from:

Playing Kameo
Kameo - "Returning to The Mystic" to "Leaving the Mystic" to Rescuing Pummel Weed"

It updates your game position in real time.


Doa4- Taking a screenshot of Kasumi

Doa4 - Taking a screenshot of Ayane

Doa4- .......fap
 

SuperPac

Member
krypt0nian said:
Gamercards are ridiculously specific...

I've been watching Major Nelson's pop from:

Playing Kameo
Kameo - "Returning to The Mystic" to "Leaving the Mystic" to Rescuing Pummel Weed"

It updates your game position in real time.

If 360 works the same way as XB1 did, the debugs don't connect to the same XBL service as retail (debugs XB1's connect to "Partnernet" -- I would imagine it's the same with the 360). So...that must mean he's playing either a retail Kameo or a silver rev on a retail machine because otherwise it wouldn't show up on his Gamercard. You could infer this to mean that Kameo's gone gold too.
 

snatches

Member
EB in Surrey, B.C. (Canada) where I preordered my 360 and games has an interesting plan for the first 10 who preordered. Starting at 6:30AM they will be letting in people who preordered one at a time to have a solid chance to look over the accessories, games, etc., in peace and quiet. I have been given a time slot of 7am, which suits me just fine. I really like this plan and will enjoy bypassing the lineup both inside and outside the store. I just wanted to post kudos to EB for this thoughtful decision.

Oh, and confirmed....I have taken the 22nd off from work. SWEET. This was some feat as I work for a video game distributor so the 22nd will probably be a busy day....heh.
 

atomsk

Party Pooper
so it looks like i'll be heading out to walmart tomorrow to "fix" thier 360

they said they've got some kind of firmware upgrade. i doubt this.

has anyone heard anything along those lines?

do they really need to send me out as a technician for a simple firmware upgrade?

well, at least i'll get to see a 360 in person finally :lol
 
Nintendo X said:
I still need to talk to Best buy about the midnight thing.


My Best Buy is opening at Midnight, as well. They were also taking unofficial "no money down" preorders from valued customers, and I got on that list via my friend who works there, so it might also serve you well to ask at your local BB. I pre-ordered Kameo, COD2, Condemned, and Oblivion (before I heard about the delay) to get the bonus 10,000 Reward Zone points.* This will be the first time I've ever bought a system at launch, so I'm getting pretty stoked about it.


*Not rich - just took a small side job (I'm a painter) and sold off some things I no longer wanted.
 
neptunes said:
I just think they're waiting until the very last minute to release this list, giving time for devs to recompile their code for xbox games and have as many titles backwards compatible as possible.

I think that's the case. If they released a list now, everyone would just bitch about the games that aren't on it instead of talking about the games that are. I'm sure it's an ever-changing list, anyway, so it wouldn't serve much purpose other than turning off people whose favorite games aren't on it (yet).
 

SuperPac

Member
Eel O'Brian said:
My Best Buy is opening at Midnight, as well. They were also taking unofficial "no money down" preorders from valued customers

If true, that is such BULLSHIT. You either open it up to everyone equally or you don't do it at all. What, I have to have a friend who works there or be buddy-buddy with the clerks to get on the list? I hope Best Buy corporate has the wherewithall to demand that stores offer machines to customers who get in line outside before employees or friends of employees get a crack at them.
 
SuperPac said:
If true, that is such BULLSHIT. You either open it up to everyone equally or you don't do it at all. What, I have to have a friend who works there or be buddy-buddy with the clerks to get on the list? I hope Best Buy corporate has the wherewithall to demand that stores offer machines to customers who get in line outside before employees or friends of employees get a crack at them.

Notice I wrote "valued customers." Besides having a friend who works there, I do spend a LOT of money at that store, so of course I should be given more consideration than some random joe who may or may not ever shop there again. They even took a survey amongst the pre-order people to decide whether or not to open at Midnight.

Bottom line - it's the individual store manager's decision. He'll run his store the way he sees fit. I doubt they'd open at midnight if there weren't going to be plenty available for people walking in the door.
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Eel O'Brian said:
Notice I wrote "valued customers." Besides having a friend who works there, I do spend a LOT of money at that store, so of course I should be given more consideration than some random joe who may or may not ever shop there again. They even took a survey amongst the pre-order people to decide whether or not to open at Midnight.

Bottom line - it's the individual store manager's decision. He'll run his store the way he sees fit. I doubt they'd open at midnight if there weren't going to be plenty available for people walking in the door.
So, how would you become a "valued customer" if you don't have a friend at the store? I mean, how would they even keep track of that? Best Buys aren't exactly small stores. It's not like knowing the manager at an EB/Gamestop because you shop there a lot. You don't get "noticed" by shopping at Best Buy a lot.

Admittedly, I'd be all over this if I had the chance, but it really is bullshit.
 
vatstep said:
So, how would you become a "valued customer" if you don't have a friend at the store? I mean, how would they even keep track of that? Best Buys aren't exactly small stores. It's not like knowing the manager at an EB/Gamestop because you shop there a lot. You don't get "noticed" by shopping at Best Buy a lot.

Admittedly, I'd be all over this if I had the chance, but it really is bullshit.

My friend alerted me to the fact that they had a preorder list for their regular customers a few weeks ago, and I asked if I could get on it. It was pretty much that simple. And actually, I do know the manager, as well as most of the employees at the DVD/Game section. Not on a "going out for beers" basis, but we usually bullshit for a few minutes on just about every new DVD release day. Unless you live in a sprawling Metropolis with a mall-sized Best Buy, it's EXACTLY like knowing the manager at an EB/Gamestop. Not all Best Buys are the size of Super Wal-Marts. And it's not like I'm all over the store in a different section each time I go inside. I go to the same sections every week. Of course, if you regard every BB employee as nothing more than a blue shirt who points you to to correct aisle and never bother to speak to them, then I suppose I can see why you'd think that way. I also see the same regular customers shopping in the New Release section almost every Tuesday I go inside the store. We may not know each other's names, but we recognize teach other's faces enough to say hello.
 

SuperPac

Member
Eel O'Brian said:
Bottom line - it's the individual store manager's decision. He'll run his store the way he sees fit. I doubt they'd open at midnight if there weren't going to be plenty available for people walking in the door.

Do Best Buy stores even know how many units they're going to have on day one yet?

Regardless, closer to launch I'm sure they'll get their "plan of attack" e-mails and that will likely state that customers who are lined up are to be taken care of before employees or friends of employees -- just like they did before the PSP, PS2, GC and Xbox launches. Maybe that won't be the case in practice, but if I see a BB employee who wasn't in line walk out of the store with a 360 before I do, I am going to be a mega-asshole about it.
 
You're already being a mega-asshole about it. You've had how long now to plan your purchase, and you're giving me shit because I actually planned ahead? Again, I didn't get on the list BECAUSE I have a friend there, I got on the list because I spend THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR there.
 

SuperPac

Member
Eel O'Brian said:
You're already being a mega-asshole about it. You've had how long now to plan your purchase, and you're giving me shit because I actually planned ahead?

I'm not giving *you* shit about it. I'm giving Best Buy shit about it. There's a difference. If there're enough 360s to take care of everyone in line at launch plus employees and their friends, that's fine. I have no problem with that. But if they're allowing employees and their families/friends to purchase the product out from under customers who are going to be waiting in line, that I do have a problem with.
 

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Eel O'Brian said:
We may not know each other's names, but we recognize teach other's faces enough to say hello.
Yeah, honestly, I can't even fathom that. The store I go to is in Boston, and while I'm in there at least a couple of times per week, I barely even notice the same employees, let alone customers. And I have a very good memory for people.
 
SuperPac said:
I'm not giving *you* shit about it. I'm giving Best Buy shit about it. There's a difference. If there're enough 360s to take care of everyone in line at launch plus employees and their friends, that's fine. I have no problem with that. But if they're allowing employees and their families/friends to purchase the product out from under customers who are going to be waiting in line, that I do have a problem with.


Let me ask you something, then:

If your local chain game store employee or manager refused to hold a game for you for a few hours on release day because of a corporate "first come first served" policy - even though you shop there regularly, spend lots of money, and know them on a friendly basis - are you going to be cool with that? Or would you be a mega-asshole about it? Does your policy apply to situations like that in your own life, or are you just pissed because you have to stand in a line this one time?
 
vatstep said:
Yeah, honestly, I can't even fathom that. The store I go to is in Boston, and while I'm in there at least a couple of times per week, I barely even notice the same employees, let alone customers. And I have a very good memory for people.

Yeah, that would be a big difference. I live in a mid-sized town, and the Best Buy is about three blocks from where I live.
 

SuperPac

Member
Eel O'Brian said:
Let me ask you something, then:

If your local chain game store employee or manager refused to hold a game for you for a few hours on release day because of a corporate "first come first served" policy - even though you shop there regularly, spend lots of money, and know them on a friendly basis - are you going to be cool with that? Or would you be a mega-asshole about it? Does your policy apply to situations like that in your own life, or are you just pissed because you have to stand in a line this one time?

Sure I'd be cool with it. Why the hell wouldn't I be? I'm being treated like any other customer. Besides, if it's something I wanted that badly...I'd be in line with everyone else. If I wasn't able to buy it there, I'd buy it somewhere else. No harm no foul, all customers on a level playing field.

Let's say you're a loyal customer at a store but not buddy-buddy or friends with someone who works there. You get in line on the 22nd for the midnight opening. They end up having 50 systems to sell to the general public and you're #51 in line. You see an employee you know and his friends all walking out of the store with 360s and you know they weren't part of the 50 in line because they all got there after you. Are you pissed off at the store?
 
Not unless the employees and their friends got their systems for free. Otherwise, they're all paying customers just like me. And again, you seem to continually be missing what I said earlier - I only learned about the list from my friend. He didn't get me on it. I actually got on it because I spend a lot of money at the store. So, yes, I think I should be given more consideration over someone lined up outside just because every other store is sold out, whether you think that's fair or not. If not, I'll just take my money to a business which will show me that kind of consideration in the future.

And if anyone has planned ahead enough to be able to spend two or three hours of their life standing outside a store (at 5 am, 12 am, pick a time) waiting for it to open just to buy a video game system, then that means they knew the system was coming and would be in great demand, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they couldn't have just put down a few bucks somewhere and preordered it. Or taken the five seconds it took me to ask about being placed on a preorder list.
 
VIP lists at Best Buys are so damn silly.

If they don't post this policy and I got screwed by it, I would literally get the manager fired for this if serious reparations weren't offered. I've done it before over preferential treatment. Its fun. You deserve NOTHING extra for shopping there more - or should I say being noticed for shopping there more as they don't keep track.
 
If you actually got someone fired over not being able to buy what you wanted at the exact moment you wanted it, and throwing a tantrum like a purple-faced screaming baby, you're a pathetic human being.

Since you mentioned it, there's been a big green "heir to the throne" sign on the front door advertising their Nov. 22 midnight launch which went up a few days after I got on the list, so I'm not sure how exclusive this preorder (or "hold") list really is or was. I know what I was told, but for all I know I was just clued in on it before they opened the list to anyone who walked into the store.
 
Eel O'Brian said:
If you actually got someone fired over not being able to buy what you wanted at the exact moment you wanted it, and throwing a tantrum like a purple-faced screaming baby, you're a pathetic human being.

FUCK YOU. You want to have your secret boys club? Fine. But if the store's out of line, then the manager's head would roll. If I found out that the list had any preferential treatment, especially with store employees, then doubly so.

Our local BB doesn't even let employees buy new hardware until the shortages end. THAT'S proper customer service.
 
Is that an example of the kind of fist-pounding, rolling-around-on-the-floor crying tantrum you'd throw on the sales floor? I'm sure your parents must be quite proud.
 
Eel O'Brian said:
Is that an example of the kind of fist-pounding, rolling-around-on-the-floor crying tantrum you'd throw on the sales floor? I'm sure your parents must be quite proud.

Dude, that kinda talk may work at gamefaqs. Its called having principles. You don't care if the policy is fair? Don't expect others to take it.

And yes my parents are quite proud that I was raised with morals and fight to uphold them. Your cagemates may have failed you there.
 

SuperPac

Member
Eel O'Brian said:
And if anyone has planned ahead enough to be able to spend two or three hours of their life standing outside a store (at 5 am, 12 am, pick a time) waiting for it to open just to buy a video game system, then that means they knew the system was coming and would be in great demand, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they couldn't have just put down a few bucks somewhere and preordered it. Or taken the five seconds it took me to ask about being placed on a preorder list.

If the preorder list is some kind of official thing open to anyone who asks then hey -- I have no problem with that. But that's not what this sounds like to me based on your description. It sounds like an employees' friends and family list. Am I wrong in thinking that?
 
SuperPac said:
If the preorder list is some kind of official thing open to anyone who asks then hey -- I have no problem with that. But that's not what this sounds like to me based on your description. It sounds like an employees' friends and family list. Am I wrong in thinking that?

He says now that its posted. But he still got on the list before anyone outside of the store knew about it.
 
And fighting to uphold those morals includes getting someone fired just because you aren't able to buy a video game system on the day it's released, regardless of whether or not they have a family to feed?

Also, apparently those moral lessons included:

If they don't post this policy and I got screwed by it, I would literally get the manager fired for this if serious reparations weren't offered.

Accepting bribes, and:

I've done it before over preferential treatment. Its fun.

Taking enjoyment in the misfortunes of others, especially when you've caused it.

Morals? I think you need to change your avatar to Bizarro Superman, because everything you've been posting is backwards.
 

SuperPac

Member
krypt0nian said:
He says now that its posted. But he still got on the list before anyone outside of the store knew about it.

My store has Nov. 22nd signs too. He didn't say they have signs saying "ask to be put on the preorder list!" I guess I'll ask at my Best Buy tomorrow but I have a feeling they won't have any idea what I'm talking about.
 
Eel O'Brian said:
And fighting to uphold those morals includes getting someone fired just because you aren't able to buy a video game system on the day it's released, regardless of whether or not they have a family to feed?

Also, apparently those moral lessons included:
Accepting bribes, and:
Taking enjoyment in the misfortunes of others, especially when you've caused it.

Morals? I think you need to change your avatar to Bizarro Superman, because everything you've been posting is backwards.


Getting proper reparations is part of quality customer service. Its not a "bribe" dimwit.

It is fun causing others to get their comeuppance once they've slighted others. I see no problem with this.

Your morals include insider screwing of other paying customers all for traded blowjobs with the BB staff. And calling someone a pathethic human being for wanting fair treatment.

I think I can take the higher ground here.
 
SuperPac said:
If the preorder list is some kind of official thing open to anyone who asks then hey -- I have no problem with that. But that's not what this sounds like to me based on your description. It sounds like an employees' friends and family list. Am I wrong in thinking that?


I don't really know. My friend told me there was a preorder or "hold" list for valued customers. I asked if I could get on it. The next time I saw him (that weekend at another friend's house), I asked if I had gotten on it, and he said yes, I was #21 on the list. I didn't conduct any further surveys regarding the ethics of the situation.

You guys act as if Best Buy is some sort of social experiment. It's a business. And most businesses will keep their loyal customers happy over the casual customers, because the loyal customers buying the $50 new games keep the bread on the table when the casual customers run back to Gamestop to buy the $44.95 used games.
 
Eel O'Brian said:
I don't really know. My friend told me there was a preorder or "hold" list for valued customers. I asked if I could get on it. The next time I saw him (that weekend at another friend's house), I asked if I had gotten on it, and he said yes, I was #21 on the list. I didn't conduct any further surveys regarding the ethics of the situation.

You guys act as if Best Buy is some sort of social experiment. It's a business. And most businesses will keep their loyal customers happy over the casual customers, because the loyal customers buying the $50 new games keep the bread on the table when the casual customers run back to Gamestop to buy the $44.95 used games.


Which would be fine if they tracked loyal customers and contacted all of them at the same time about their pre-order opp. You just have an "in" and are exploiting it over people who would wait outside on Nov 21st thinking they had the same chance as you.
 
krypt0nian said:
Getting proper reparations is part of quality customer service. Its not a "bribe" dimwit.

It is fun causing others to get their comeuppance once they've slighted others. I see no problem with this.

Your morals include insider screwing of other paying customers all for traded blowjobs with the BB staff. And calling someone a pathethic human being for wanting fair treatment.

I think I can take the higher ground here.

Reparations for what? Because you didn't get to buy something? "I want this man fired, and I want extra stuff!" Did you even think about how that sounds before you posted it? Wait, what am I writing? Clearly you didn't.

And the fact that you take joy in "comeuppance" (again, because YOU DIDN'T GET TO BUY SOMETHING), and see no problem in destroying someone else's career over it, is just appalling. "Insider screwing?" Are you nuts? My friend told me about a preorder list, jackass. He didn't give me illegal stock tips. And I've known him for years, so if I was really "trading blowjobs" he would have told me I was on the list right then and there. As it was, I had to wait for him to ask the manager.

Dude, you can't even see the higher ground from the crater you're standing in. People like you make my skin crawl.
 
krypt0nian said:
Which would be fine if they tracked loyal customers and contacted all of them at the same time about their pre-order opp. You just have an "in" and are exploiting it over people who would wait outside on Nov 21st thinking they had the same chance as you.

As far as I know, they did tell other regular customers, seeing as I'm #21 on the list.
 
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