"Amazing demand" for new Xbox 360

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 16 July, 2010

Over 400 GAME stores opened at midnight.

GAME has seen "amazing demand" for the new Xbox 360 250GB.

The videogame retailer opened 400 stores at midnight for the release of Microsoft's "whisper quiet" new Xbox 360.

"At midnight, over 400 GAME and Gamestation stores opened across the UK to allow our customers to get their hands on the new Xbox 360," Neil Ashurst, head of PR for GAME and Gamestation, said.

"There has been amazing demand for the new version of this ever-popular console, which includes a new slim design, 250GB hard drive and built-in WiFi connectivity. There was a fantastic atmosphere in our stores as hundreds of people queued to be one of the first to play on the new console."

Microsoft announced the new Xbox 360 250GB during its press conference at E3 2010 last month. It costs £200 in the UK.

The new Xbox 360 has already done the business in the US, where it helped sales rise by a whopping 88 per cent year-on-year.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • FlashMagic #1 2 years ago

    Good to see GAME are opening stores rather than closing them this time.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 11:31

  • McFly55 #2 2 years ago

    Im kinda suprised at that, given that its not exactly a new console

  • RodHull #3 2 years ago

    I got my new 360 today and it is indeed whisper quiet. One interesting and surprisingly unadverstised feature is that if you hit it hard with a hammer it not only cracks open, but blood pours out followed by Rainbow Dash, by far the greatest and strongest of the My Little Pony mafia.

  • agparrot #4 2 years ago

    I own a working 360, and I can certainly see the attraction of a whisper-quiet, wifi-enabled version of it, but I'm put off by not really wanting to buy something I already have, and the added nuisance of not being able to just stick my current hard-drive on it.

    Oh, and it's £200 I don't *need* to spend, and don't really have. Alright, I'm poor, I admit it!

  • bigbadbeasty #5 2 years ago

    Really? Don't get me wrong, a quieter, perhaps with less red-ring issues is nice, but I am shocked people would be queuing up for it... *shrug*

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #6 2 years ago

    @mogs

    I can imagine alot of sales will be people upgrading, as the new model did not come with a price cut which normally is what people sitting on the fence are waiting for.

    It does look good tho very tempted to upgrade my noise box which has been on its way out for a while, but i can see it being a finger print magnet just like my phat PS3, especially with the touch buttons.

  • Irien #7 2 years ago

    In reference to agparrot's comment, is there really no way to transfer profiles/saves onto one of these? Whilst I can't justify one right now, I know the wife would prefer a black xbox in the living room in due course, and I rather assumed that data could be transferred somehow (probably one of those kits that came with the hard drive upgrades?)

  • sneetch #8 2 years ago

    @McFly55
    Im kinda suprised at that, given that its not exactly a new console

    The PS3 Slim had a similar effect, I know I used the PS3 slims launch as an excuse to buy one, I've no doubt a lot of people did much the same thing with this one.

    Me: Oh but it's cheaper and it's quieter and slimmer and uses less energy and... and... and...
    Not-fooling-myself-translation: I want to play Uncharted and LBP. I want that I have a new console feeling.

    However, I can't justify buying this to replace my current Elite (with added Wireless doohickey).

    Although it is quieter and more reliable and comes with Wifi and has a good-sized hard drive... and... and... and

  • Widge #9 2 years ago

    I had a PS3 60GB, non-turbine version was released, I bought on release. Would expect the same goes for 360 owners.
    The silence is a massive factor and well worth punting out for.

  • rojjer #10 2 years ago

    mmm, well those happy playing their games as if they're in a wind-tunnel control room will pass on this I guess. Me, I'm sold. Gonna trade up my elite

  • agparrot #11 2 years ago

    In reference to agparrot's comment, is there really no way to transfer profiles/saves onto one of these? Whilst I can't justify one right now, I know the wife would prefer a black xbox in the living room in due course, and I rather assumed that data could be transferred somehow (probably one of those kits that came with the hard drive upgrades?)

    You can get a transfer cable (I think they are £12 - £15), but you can't just bolt the old hard-drive into the top of the new xboxen, if that makes sense?

  • AphoticCosmos #12 2 years ago

    Mines coming today hopefully. My Elite is still working but now that I've got more open headphones I realised that it sounds like a typhoon. I can even hear it in the garden when the window's closed and there's traffic going past FFS.

    Also, more space, better looks, touch-sensitive buttons, smaller size and more efficient . . . sounds like a plan.

  • Quixz #13 2 years ago

    Put my elite and Pro 60gb for trade and getting two brand new Xbox S in 2 hours time yay for me!

  • RobTheBuilder #14 2 years ago

    The fact you no longer need to buy a wireless dongle means you could probably sell your old 360 and buy a new one for less than it would have cost to buy the official wireless device,

  • SBfistfun #15 2 years ago

    Does these use standard hard drives now?

  • muscleblade #16 2 years ago

    I bought one. Transferring data from HDD to the new one right now actually.

  • b00n #17 2 years ago

    Fact that the hard disk is not detachable is also a problem for me. Often take my HD with me to plug it into a different console when I'm at a friend's house. Thought that was one of the best features of the 360... Oh well, sticking with the Elite for now.

  • Moribundman #18 2 years ago

    TBH I will actually get one of these if I get get a reasonable trade in price for my existing Jasper arcade, 120GB HDD, Original Wi Fi adapter and camera.

    Never really thought about getting one of these, but if CeX (or Game) will give me anything approaching £100 for that lot then I'll definitely consider it.

  • TheNinkyNonk #19 2 years ago

    /looks on in amazement at all the fuss over the emperor's new clothes

  • Ryze #20 2 years ago

    What's your opinion guys:

    I have just recieved my Falcon Elite back from its first repair with MS (Purchased Nov/Dec 2007) - it's now fully working.

    I also have my Jasper Arcade that's been working fine since Feb 2009.

    Should I trade both consoles in for a New 250GB 360, trade one in for credit, and use it for Kinect later in the year, or do something else?

    Opinions, please...

  • Dark_Era #21 2 years ago

    its my day off work and still yet to go pick up mine, for no other reason than am just plain feelin lazy to get outta my apartment at the mo....

    Ps. one of the lucky few who still hasn't had RROD on his Launch console with an upgraded 60 gig HDD and to be honest i think i've pushed my luck a bit too far now, cos i can sometimes hear the Grim Reaper calling.
    Edited by 2 at 16/07/10 @ 12:55

  • speedjack #22 2 years ago

    Weird.

    Speaking as the fool that already previously bought a 250Gb HD and wireless adapter separately... its amazing what a new paint job can do.



    /not bitter

  • d00dl #23 2 years ago

    I had a pre-order but cancelled. Considering I'd only get £80 for my 2008 60gig pro and the fact that there'll be lot's of old peripherals like wireless adaptors floating around. I'll hold off until Kinect comes out and get it in a bundle. My daughter keeps asking me for Kinectimals and Dance Central every day!!! I keep telling her that she has to wait for Christmas but that bit gets chopped off in her beautiful little mind.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 12:14

  • t8yman #24 2 years ago

    my elite is pretty quiet when playing HDD installed games anyway. I can see the "magpie effect" draw, but will wait until I NEED a new 360 before I get one. And the wifi option - whilst long overdue doesnt really appeal either as I use wires (remember wires?).

  • Doctor_What #25 2 years ago

    I think you need one of these transfer cables to move your data from your old machine:


    Though can you just bung save games on a USB dongle then redownload anything else?

  • Nephirion #26 2 years ago

    How about a trade in voucher for people that just bought the elite a few months ago? Also will I get a refund for the £60 M$ charged for the wireless adapter?

  • SHPanda #27 2 years ago

    I got mine a whole day early and I'll be honest, it's only whisper quiet when you turn it on after a prolonged period of being turned off i.e. when the components are cool. Once it heats up and has been on for 45 mins or so that one large fan along with the disc drive still produce quite a bit of noise, maybe not as loud as my old Elite, but still far from whisper quiet.

  • Widge #28 2 years ago

    How is it for using as a media box, bedroom usage with TV on low volume? Would you say the noise would grate on you?

  • Mkwone #29 2 years ago

    I just don't see the reason why it needed a midnight launch.

  • Spydy #30 2 years ago

    "hundreds of people"

    um, wow

  • local_celebrity #31 2 years ago

    Well I bought one just to get a bit of peace and quiet. That said, I balk at the idea of paying FIFTEEN QUID for a cunting transfer cable. It's the accessories that kill you with Microsoft. The devious shits.

  • SHPanda #32 2 years ago

    @Widge - It's definitely improved for when you're watching a video off a USB drive or streamed from your PC or the web, but try watching a DVD through it on a low volume at night and it does grate some what.

    I do find it funny I've been neg'd on my previous post for stating a fact that my new Xbox 360 isn't quite the whisper quiet running machine MS promised, do we get neg'd for giving feedback and stating fact now.

    As I said, it's quieter, but it's not whisper quiet, and once it gets hot it's actually still quite loud, especially with a disc in the drive. However with that new big HDD I will be installing all my games, so the disc drive will only be whirring when I play a DVD in it.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 12:43

  • muscleblade #33 2 years ago

    @Ryze

    "Should I trade both consoles in for a New 250GB 360"

    Do that if as you no longer can swap HDD you dont need more than one console anyway. Right? Just take the brand new console with you wherever you go. I know i will.

  • Paulie_P #34 2 years ago

    I have a launch 20gb console so i think its definitely time for me to upgrade.

  • muscleblade #35 2 years ago

    @Paulie_P

    Sure is. I upgraded three times since launch including the one today.

  • Dolly #36 2 years ago

    Personally, I think the new 360 looks cack. The new features are great, but I much prefer the look of my black Elite.

  • Paulie_P #37 2 years ago

    @muscleblade

    I've was on the fence about buying an Elite then once this was shown at E3, I knew the time had come.

    I haven't felt the same compulsion to upgrade to a PS3 slim because my launch model has more/better features than the slim. Sony really messed up their skus this generation.

  • xenoss #38 2 years ago

    Note: They removed RROD from this version of the system. They mentioned this during an interview at E3.

    Or should I say, they removed the Red Rings. The Death part, not so much. In the interview, it was obvious that they were just talking about the Red Ring signal, and not the hardware issue (that they don't admit exist).

    Put it another way, if they removed or reduced the failure rate even the slightest, or make hardware changes that might lead to such improvements: Do you think they'd keep quiet about it? Even the slighest improvement would be heavily boasted. Even a minor reduction in failure rate would be boasted as Near Elimination of hardware issues.

    But they didn't. All they said was that the Red Rings scared people, and so they removed the Red Rings. Said nothing about the Death. This lack of boasting is an indication that failure rate is high as ever or higher than before.

    I guess we'll see soon enough.

  • Moribundman #39 2 years ago

    @SHPanda I think you'll find the fact that you're stating is based on the noise the optical drive makes, not the fan. Having had a go at the new model, I can say that if you install games it remains "whisper quiet" if you play a movie (or a game without installing) then the disc drive makes a noise, but no more so than the PS3's when you're watching a Blu Ray. (PS3 is only quieter when playing games because you have mandatory installation. Install a 360 game and it's fine).

  • Moribundman #40 2 years ago

    @xenos Bollocks. They introduced a feature so that in the event of potential overheating, the system shuts down before any damage (let alone "death";) can occur, same as most PCs do (and I was grateful for that when using my laptop sitting in the garden last week!)

    This is more than can be said for either the old 360 *or* PS3.

  • TheJuriel #41 2 years ago

    I may get a new 360 in a Kinect bundle. Mainly because Kinect alone costs so much.

    Might be a bit silly, as it would be my 3rd XBox. First one RRoDed after 2 years, I bought a new one while waiting for its return and then gave the fixed unit to a friend. But I think I could find someone who would want the 'old' XBox by then.

  • MeBrains #42 2 years ago

    again amazed at how many persons have bought more than one 360. I would like to see stats on how many 360's have sold to distinct persons / how many 360's in distinct households... but we will never get that...

    "time to upgrade" is a dead funny line for the console owner. consoles are supposed to have fixed hardware, or are we slowly making PC's out of them?

  • telboy007 #43 2 years ago

    Mine arrived today, thankfully I bought an extra hdmi cable recently after seeing what they shipped it with. Composite? Hello? WTF? My ancient 20gb 360 had components for ffs.

    Edit: Of course, it had a scart adaptor - so only completely shit rather than completely utter shit.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 14:51

  • Jlmadyson #44 2 years ago

    Awesome stuff here. The failure rate is below 4% for the Jaspers. Only the Wii is better than that. These will likely be just as good.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 15:05

  • Machiavellian #45 2 years ago

    One good thing about the 360s is that the wireless you can actually use for HD Streaming. Means nothing to me now since my house is wired but I am sure anyone else streaming from their PC will like the wireless N instead of G.

    Fact that the hard disk is not detachable is also a problem for me. Often take my HD with me to plug it into a different console when I'm at a friend's house. Thought that was one of the best features of the 360... Oh well, sticking with the Elite for now.

    Why take the whole drive when you can take your profile on a USB key and any game data you want.

  • dom6918 #46 2 years ago

    Traded my Elite and a WIFI dongle and got one of these for 70 quid from HMV...its beautiful and indeed silent....as my elite was out of warranty and was already replaced once...i figure 70 quid is not bad considering it will cost 90 quid if my old one developed a fault...

  • MrFlump #47 2 years ago

    Picked up mine last night at the local Gamestation (its only a 5 minute walk from my house). Traded in my existing Elite and the PS3 (i bought a Sony BDP-S370 which does the same stuff I was using the PS3 for) and plugged it in last night.

    It is amazingly quiet. I was really surprised at how quiet it is compared to the hurricane quality the elite had. I don't need to have the TV up louder to compensate, there's still a bit of CD noise but its a least half of what the elite was. And given that my elite was out of warranty and this one was coming out, what the hell.

    Chucked everything I wanted (downloads, game saves and profile) onto a 16gb USB stick and copied it back in 20 minutes last night as well. Must admit, i'm quite chuffed with it just now. Gamestation here in Aberdeen could only honour pre-sales, they had absolutely no spare units for general sale and I was told that Game and HMV here are in the same situation. Microsoft must have done something right to generate this much interest in the units.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/10 @ 15:21

  • telboy007 #48 2 years ago

    How is it possible that this thing takes dust off of dusters? ARGH!

  • pinhead #49 2 years ago

    Well I am very tempted to trade in my trusty old xbox and move to something quieter for the lounge. The 250Gig HD and N wireless support will come in handy and avoid the constant deleting I have to do on the 60 Gig model.

  • The_Bloody_Kettle #50 2 years ago

    My Xbox broke a few months back and I ummed-and-arred about getting this.

    In the end, I went for a PS3.

  • evilrobot #51 2 years ago

    I cut a hole in the back of my underpants, doesn't mean i can take a shit without pulling them down first.

  • bioreit #52 2 years ago

    Okay, anyone who falls for sticky89 deserves 1) a slap and 2) everything else that happens to them.

  • ozzzy189 #53 2 years ago

    muscleblade- taking just the console round only works if your mate has the same machine- all three previous revisions of the Xbox have used different rated power supplies. So if you took your machine round and used a jasper or falcon power supply, you could actually damage your machine.

  • Rens11 #54 2 years ago

    could mods please ban sticky89 as sum poor kid is gonna get tricked into giving over their details

  • n3rdh8r #55 2 years ago

    Yeah it's not whisper quiet. It's not the console making the noise, the PSU is definitely louder!!! (why they choose active cooling for it is beyond me)

  • cherryuk #56 2 years ago

    When it gets to the £125 stage I might have a pop, and second hand too. They have got better arcade games from the store. Hopefully this will solve the cursed RROD problem that plagued 360 owners.

  • angelparker02 #57 2 years ago

    I have recently came to know about this New Xbox 360.I really like this very much as it has new slim shape and design.I think that its price is also worth.There is no wonder that it has an amazing demand.

    London Escorts

  • SpaceMonkey77 #58 2 years ago

    Nice to see people are biting. I'd love a second one. My current 20gb one I purchased in 06, and luckily its still running without a hitch. I have the odd rare game crash, but nothing else. In September, I'll have had mine for four years, and long may it live.

    When I can, I'll bag a Slim and keep my other as a back-up.

  • Xinch #59 2 years ago

    @
    evilrobot
    16/07/10 @ 18:46
    ignore poster | #62

    If I could give you more than a single "+" I would. Hilarious.

  • briguy05 #60 2 years ago

    I got mine Friday have to say im mighty impressed with the new design of the machine. Its so quiet compared to the old 360 and the wi-fi is a great addition thank god.

  • bladdard #61 2 years ago

    So everyone clammers after the machine MS should have delivered 5 years ago and scream from the rooftops about how lovely it is. MS really are marketing geniuses.

    MS please piss down my back and tell me it's raining .....


    (feels warm gushing Microsoft piss)

    .... thank you very much.

    PS. I'll be picking mine up around Xmas :o(

  • Badassbab #62 2 years ago

    I dislike the noise of the 360 (even the jasper version which I have) so will get the new one next month.

  • chrisjm #63 2 years ago

    eurogamer sort your spam kill filters out.