I just spent the money I was saving for a 360 so I'd at least have something new to play over the vacation. Specifically...

Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=5183&

Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=8441&

And pre-ordered...

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=4446&

Final Fantasy XII
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=...oducts_id=6132&


Now, you can argue about my personal taste in games and say they're not really what the 360 is about (although I like games on the Xbox as well), but that's beside the point. It's the money I was going to spend on an Xbox 360 that I spent on these. It doesn't matter if I'm buying games or guns or groceries, I concluded that because I wasn't hardcore enough to spend 18 hours looking like a fool camped out in front of a retail store (and in all seriousness, is that really hardcore, or just really obsessed?), nor am I willing to pay an inflated ebay market price, my demand went unfulfilled and I took my business elsewhere. I'm not trying to flame anyone still excited to get one, and I'll probably get one when I can walk into a store and not feel like it's a priviledge to be able to give M$ my money. I'm only pointing out that when you're dealing with a luxury good whose demand is primarily fueled by marketing (at this point, none of the games for the 360 are worth the minimum $460 entry fee), if you make the item too hard to acquire, people will stop caring, starting with the casual gamers and soccer moms and eventually up to the dedicated gamers and people, like myself, who would have been willing to camp out (just not more than half a day in advance!).

I'm totally grateful for everyone on the board here who share my frustrations. The only thing that can make a frustrated consumer feel a little better in a situation like this is knowing that you're not the only one left out in the cold (literally, at times). To those who have one and like to frequently point that out here, that's great, I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to being amongst you when the system is more available and has more games (like those above) that I feel are worth my $460. And to the ebay auctioners who wait in line and buy as many systems as they can just to hawk on ebay, I'd probably do the same if I were in your position, but I hope more and more people come to their senses about all this and realize that no matter how great the console is, it's the games on it that count. And are the games currently and soon-to-be available on the Xbox 360 honestly worth all the grief this shortage is causing us, or are we just daily playing into M$'s marketing campaign?

Thanks.

Seriously, if the folks who frequent this board biggest problem is not getting a video game system, then they should count their blessings. Being a consumer is a choice, and you made yours and that is how capitalism works.

by the time you beat the games you ordered, the 360 will be available everywhere at retail price. You can only play one game at a time, so I can understand your logic. This is getting ridiculous. Usually I congratulate people for getting the system. I congratulate you and commend you for seeing through the hype. Do what floats your boat...

rfmok

If you are truly happy about your decision to buy all of those items instead of the x360, why did you have to post it???

Seems to me your just trying to make yourself feel better b/c you cant get one hahaha. Have fun playing your GBA game and ps2 game and waiting till next year for your other 2 games. Im sure no one really cares. Call me obsessed for staying in line 11.5 hours at launch all you want but you just dont know what your missing out on. It was worth every cent and freezing limb I had.

That's exactly what I was thinking!

GBA games are alot of fun. LOL.
Of all the systems I have.
360,2xXBOX (modded ofc), DS,Game Cube. the one that gets the most play time is my GBA. This is most likely because I spend alot of time on campus and the system fits nicely in my front pocket.

That and up till just recently DS games sucked, but its still 2x as big as the GBA sp.

Same here...what a lame post

I agree with the original poster. The longer I have to wait, the less interest I have in buying one right now. To me, it's not worth the camping or constantly calling around hoping to score one. Initially, I was excited by the prospect of having a 360, but as the weeks have gone by, I've had plenty of time to realize just how many good games on my XBOX and PS2 that I still haven't had the time to play.

There's no reason for anyone to give people a hard time for feeling this way. If you have a 360 and love it, then great, but don't presume to know how someone else feels ("Seems to me your just trying to make yourself feel better b/c you cant get one hahaha"). Not only is that sort of reply unnecessary, it's baseless since you can't possibly know what's in someone else's head.

To 360 owners: Congratulations. I hope to see you online sometime in 2006.
To OP: I like your taste in games

I also agree with the original poster. As some of us have responsibilities (work, school, family, etc.) and don't have the time to camp out, I was frequently stopping at Target, Wal-Mart etc. in the early morning on my work to work, looking for an Xbox 360, and finding nothing. For the last week an half, I've given up. Instead, I've purchased seven games (PS2, DS, and Xbox). The sad thing for MS is that, if they simply had an adequate supply of Xbox 360's, I truly would have purchased one, along with an extra controller, a couple of games, and probably some other accessories. Now, I have resigned myself to waiting, and can see the possibility of either never buying an Xbox 360 (or, at the very least, waiting a year or two).

Excellent first post

While I was lucky enough to get a 360 on launch day (and it was a stroke of luck) that shouldn't mean I should go around making fun of people who weren't so lucky. I think you made a wise decision getting some games for the other consoles to occupy your time until the 360 is more obtainable. Not only will you have an easier time getting one, but prices will be lower on various things, you'll have a larger selection of games, and less chance of getting defective parts. Overall you'll have much less stress and you wont miss out on all the great non-360 games out this holiday...

cheers for a wise decision

Yeah it sucks to not have an X360.
Mine is already paid in full but I'm not going to get a refund just to buy something else.
I plan on getting an X360 eventually anyways and nothing Sony and Nintendo can do will change my mind.

I currently have a bunch of PS2 and Xbox games I need to finish playing anyways, so yeah I have time to kill before I get my X360. I wouldn't spend my money on anything else though, there's nothing out there that can match the joy I'd be having if I were playing Call of Duty 2 and PDZ on Xbox 360.
Current console games can fill the gap, but they can't replace the actual thing.

I've been thinking of treating myself to a new portable but I just don't see any games on the PSP and DS that warrant a purchase for either one of the two. That new Castlevania for the DS is looking mighty attractive though. If I had the extra cash I would probably break down and buy the DS just to play the Castlevania game but my GBA is still king. Gunstar Super Heroes is an awsome game

No, making the decision that this quest to foist my money on MS is getting insane, that makes me feel better. Posting here about it was just to confirm that I'm not the only one getting tired of this (and it appears I'm not), and maybe some of those nodding heads will agree enough to do the same.




Indeed I will! In the end, money spent is money spent, and for my tastes, these games are better than just about anything the 360 will see in the same time period. I could keep sitting on the money, wasting afternoons and nights hoping I'll be LUCKY enough to be able to give up my money for a 360, but at some point, the shoe leather cost of continuing the search outweighs what else I could buy.




Actually, I was willing to wait in line 12 hours, and even went by my BBs at 7:30PM, but wouldn't have stood a chance.
And on your last comment....

hahahaha, oh, but of course I know what I'm missing. More than half the launch titles are out for PS2 or PC (or developed by Rare)!

yea..i feel like spending the money on something else too..i hate waiting!..new pc or turbo upgrade possibly


the whole thing is a turn off! i'm better off pre ordering ps3 and doing the above

M$ doesnt care if you buy it this month, next month, or next year ... you WILL buy one sooner or later. All this hype is priceless for them. I too spent my xbox money (on a speedy new media center pc) But when i have more $ and I can actually find one, Bet your ass I'm buying it

BY THAT TIME PS3 WILL BE CLOSE TO RELEASE...WHY BOTHER WITH XBOX...PS3 IS 50MHZ FASTER GPU..AND BLUE RAY DISK WHICH CAN PLAY HD MOVIES..FROM WHAT I READ....AND DONT 4GET 1080P!

Who has a 1080p compatible TV anyway... 720p and 1080i are good enough for years to come. And Blue-Ray, let's not even get into that, lol...

Why don't you just spend your $500 on more crap to put in that car from Auto-Zone Sorry, I couldn't help myself...

lol that car will eat up anything you drive..lmao...and i'll have 1080p tv as soon as the new aquos comes out



do you even have hdtv? i've been watching it since 2000 and 1080p is the big hype at avsforum.com....720p looks as good as 1080i..now imagine 1080p!

So what your saying in all capital letters is.

PS3 is better because 3.2 ghz is slower than 3250 mhz. Hmmm I see the law of deminishing gains here.

Supports a digital format that even sony doesnt use. (check their TV's very few of them support 1080p and they are expensive)

Has BLue ray dvd drive... Im remembering beta max here. I Know that HD DVD is backwards compatable, blue ray isn't. Why would people buy a box that will not play there movie collection.

Sorry dude your arguments don't float at all.

Try this one, It works better.
"I don't support MS because of there policies, and I feel that since most software will be ported to both systems including Square Enix, people should buy the sony product instead."

I think that would be a more solid platform to stand on he he

LOL

"50MHZ FASTER GPU"



Read up b4 you post next time. The 1080p thing is a pipe dream with a 3d intensive game.

Playing HD movies will be the real world benefit.

Its online will be almost non existent, again, per Sonys comments in the last few weeks confirming they are NOT taking a Live approach, and instead sticking with their current scheme.

um blu-ray is backwards compatible. http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#2.4 but lets not turn this thread into hd-dvd vs. blu-ray.

Ah my bad. But its kind of like the cd write/dvd drives. It requires 2 optics. Making it more expensive to make.

Just an oppinion thanks for the link

whatever, there are 1080p lcd's up to 45 inches right now..i would have one but 12ms dont cut it..the new version will be 6-8ms...blue ray is better than hd dvd..look it up...i did last night


read the comparos 360 vs ps3...ps3 comes out on top of every comparo i read so far


and the japs are not stupid..i'm sure there will be plenty of ps3's available

I was so hacked off with not being able to get a 360 ( I did preorder, August 28th) that I went and bought a PSP.

I told the store manager to tell the MS rep that their inability to fill pre orders has resulted in more money for Sony.

(I did get my hands on a 360 demo system in a store today and I still want one, just going to wait for the hype to die down.)

I couldn't disagree more with that. MS needs the sale as soon as possible for a number of good reasons...

1. The longer you own the system, the more games you are likely to buy. Obviously if you get a 360 before christmas, you're going to get at least one game with it (more than one, if reports are correct). But if you wait 6 months, what are the chances that the games you buy then will be from these same launch titles (for me, not bloody likely)?
2. If you are going to pick just one system (which I'm not, but from their POV), they stand the best chance before the competition arrives. A lot of the people most turned away by this situation, the casual gamers and parents buying them for their kids, will be less likely to be a home owning multiple consoles. In six months to a year, those gamers and parents will be able to choose between the Xbox 360, PS3 and possibly Revolution. I'm not saying a thing about MS's odds in that fight, but their situation today as the only next gen system is obviously going to be rosier.
3. The more systems are sold, the more developers will hop on to make exclusive titles down the road. This is critical. Nintendo makes it's own hot selling exclusive titles, and Sony maintains good relations with a lot of companies like Square and Konami. MS has Bungie and Tecmo, but fewer sure thing developers, and those that are on the fence need to see sales numbers before they promise their next surefire hit franchise as an exclusive. Massive shortages during the most critical sales period of the year is definitely not a good thing.
4. MS will almost certainly cut the Xbox 360 price to compete with the PS3, and this may drive them to even further losses on each console sold. Granted, the cost of producing an xbox 360 at that point should also be less, but the PS3 will launch regardless of the Xbox's production costs. If it launches too soon, the 360 goes even further into the red.
5. Time value of money, [insert basic economic principles here], $x today is worth more than $x tomorrow, etc.

In terms of pure "control of the living room" sense, I agree that my not buying a 360 now doesn't mean a whole lot. But for a lot of reasons, MS is squandering a great potential advantage with this holiday season.

yes..there was an article about this....billyboy said the hype was good and all but wanted the sales!

i am beginning not to like you and your arrogant sense of pride just cause you didnt get a 360 any system at launch will have shortage remeber ps2

You prefer Sony, are looking to buy a Sharp TV, and own a Subaru.. and you use the phrase "the japs"?

Derail this thread one more time with *anything * other than decent commentary on the original poster's topic and you'll not be participating at all. I don't care where your preferences lie, but crapping is other peoples' threads is a quick trip to a vacation.

wasent meant to be negative....japs are japs....and yes i like there products


you mean people can swear up and dwn this mofo ...but i say jap and i'm gonna get banned? whatever slanteye minicock....blow me

BLOW ME 2TIMES YOU FUCKING TOOL





HEY I'LL BITCHSLAP YOU... TAKE YOUR 360...AND MAKE YOU GET ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES AND SUCK MY COCK YOU FUCKING LOSER

Ahh, the maturity level here on the forums seems to be taking a nosedive. I smell a "vacation" imminent.

back on topic...I've partially moved on. Since i'm not getting a 360 till sometime in january. I've bought some fast memory and a vga cooler for my pc. Oh yeah, and a couple pc games too. and a leather executive chair with a massager built in. and a... I'll just stop...

I feel you. I did get one on launch day, because I was number three on the list of a gamestop that got 4. If I didnt get one then, I sure woudnt be waiting in line for days to get one. I too would have spent the money on other games for other systems I have.

On a personal note, I would be very upset if I didnt have a XBOX 360 after reserving with Gamestop by now, but I litterally reserverd it in may when they began accepting reserves. Does anybody know when they will take reserves for PS3? If I can reserve early again, I feel I can get one.

Bad decision you made, they are in stock in my area. I went to a local Walmart and they had 6 units in stock. I was impatient and decided to buy one for a higher cost from someone else.