When Microsoft announced that it was going to near-simultaneous launch of Xbox 360 around the world, many gamers were pleased: particularly those in Europe, who have become used to being treated like poor relations in a market that often turns its focus to Japan and America.
But just days before the console hits Britain, Germany and the rest of the continent, things suddenly look a little uncomfortable. According to Reuters, there will only be 300,000 consoles available on Friday to European customers.
Industry analysts' estimates of 300,000 Xbox 360s available at launch "were not far removed from reality", said Chris Lewis, the Microsoft executive responsible for the Xbox in Europe, in German weekly financial newspaper Euro am Sonntag.
Xbox 360s sold out in many U.S. stores after the launch there on Nov. 22 and are still in short supply, with the console selling at a premium to its $400 retail price on Internet auction sites.
Lewis said it was possible the console would sell out at its European launch too.
At first glance three hundred thousand might not seem too bad, but by my reckoning it could be a problem - especially if there aren't more machines coming quickly along the supply chain. The original Xbox sold 52,000 units in its first weekend in Britain alone, and recent launches such as Nintendo's DS and the PSP have outstripped that by a long way.
Were they over-ambitious? Probably. And to a large degree, there's a lot to applaud about the attempt to release a machine globally inside a couple of weeks. But perception is perception, and if the glitches with machines ramp up and there are lots of supply chain problems, then could prove more than a little awkward for Redmond.
