Europe could face massive Xbox 360 shortages
Piper Jaffray have released figures for the Xbox 360, that do not bode well for European gamers.
The analysts, quoted in Forbes magazine by GamesIndustryBiz, said that on launch North America could receive one million units of Xbox 360s, but that Europe could receive as few as 400,000 units and Japan only 200,000 units.
That means that there could be severe shortages of the console in both those territories – or at the very least in Europe, if the Japanese don’t bother buying the console – well into 2006.
This is a grimly familiar story for European gamers still awaiting the launch of the PlayStation Portable after Sony over estimated American demand for the handheld and shipped most of their units stateside, with all but persecuted importers still having no sight of the handheld until September this year.
In terms of games, Piper Jaffray reckon that the Xbox 360 will be accompanied by 15 titles at launch, with 25 to 40 games available by the end of the year, priced at or around the expected $59.99/£45 mark with the console itself speculated to be priced at $299 for the standard console, with $399 being suggested for an enhanced hardware pack.
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