We're well into the Xbox One's worldwide release, and already Microsoft is getting some great numbers for its next-gen console. One retailer is is claiming that the Xbox One is the biggest launch in one country's history, and top brass at another chain of stores expects the launch will easily overshadow the Xbox 360.
"Last night was incredible. You could almost taste the excitement - gamers had been waiting for Xbox One for over eight years and we saw a massive turnout at the midnight openings at more than 300 GAME stores across the UK," said the retailer's Chief Digital Officer, Ian Chambers, to VG247.
"We've seen record pre-order numbers for the new generation consoles and looking at the initial response it's clear that sales will easily surpass that delivered at the Xbox 360 launch. There is still huge demand and if you pre-order now we can still get your Xbox One to you in time for Christmas, so don't miss out.
"The first of the new generation consoles has set the bar high and along with our customers we can't wait to get to grips with everything the Xbox One has to offer."
Oceans away, EB Games had similar good news for Microsoft to celebrate, especially in the land down under. According to a press release, the Xbox One is the biggest console launch Australia has ever seen.
"We're proud to announce that this was officially the biggest launch in Australian gaming history," said EB Games Australia's Merchandising Director, Shane Stockwell. "EB Games has been operating in Australia for over 15 years, and we have never seen anything remotely like this before - it's an extremely good time to be a gamer."
National Brand, Event, and Engagement Manager Debra McGrath added, "What we're seeing here is absolutely unprecedented. When you've got literally thousands of people showing up to hundreds of stores across the country, you know that the gaming industry is a bigger deal than it has ever been before."
317 EB Games stores in all were open for the launch, but exact sales numbers have yet to be released from the chain or Microsoft. However, the retailer expects demand to outstrip supply "in a few days." Funny, so is Microsoft.
Speaking with MCV, Microsoft's Xbox Vice President, Phil Harrison, said that demand for the console will soon outstrip supply: "Our job on a tactical level is to ensure we get enough supply to retailers and customers as we possibly can to meet demand, and that will be a struggle but we are doing our best."
But the company's best might not be good enough. That's not a slight at Microsoft mind you, merely an illustration of the apparent out of control demand for the Xbox One. Explained Harrison, "There will be difficulty getting stock through until Christmas but we will do everything we can to accelerate that. And then from a software point-of-view on our services, that are constantly upgrading, we will continue to innovate there. From a games and product point-of-view, we have a very strong line-up for the year ahead. So this is really just one day in the calendar and then tomorrow it is back to work. We have some big games to bring to market in the first quarter and beyond."
As of today, the Xbox One is now available worldwide for $499. The new console claims an 8-core x86 processor and Microsoft hopes it will take the place of the family room cable box by letting you watch Blu-ray movies and TV through the console, in a "seamless transition" that lets players switch from playing games to watching shows and/or movies. It comes fully loaded with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
