Aussies go mad for Xbox
"It was almost like launch all over again"
Xbox sales are soaring down under, one of our Australian readers tells us. After cutting the price of the console from AU$649 (roughly £237 / €385) to AU$399 (£146 / €237) on Friday, the console has been rocketing off the shelves. "This is because the Aussie dollar is still down the toilet compared to the strong pound, from the Asian crisis a couple of years back," Geoff writes. "One of the Queen's quids gets you AU$2.73 at today's rate." Australian Toys R Us merchandise director John Redenbach claimed sales of the Xbox on Friday and Saturday were 2.5 times the entire launch week. 25 percent of sales were consoles reserved at the new price. Other retailers, including Electronics Boutique, are said to be delighted with the price drop's effect. "It was almost like launch all over again," EB marketing director Steve Wilson told AustralianIT, adding that the chain did about 60-70 percent of the sales it did at launch. Microsoft will learn next week whether these strong sales trends have continued. Nintendo's GameCube has yet to launch in Australia, but has already been slashed to AU$329 (£120 / €195) and is expected to fly off the shelves in a similar manner. Related Feature - Xbox reduced to 299 Euros