OFFICIAL XBOX 360 Camping / Launch Day Stories (renamed)

[Oobgarm]

My fiancee Eternal Tune and I were going to get two of them from Game Crazy, but the whole shortage fiasco left us with the possibility not getting one in time for Christmas (as they're presents). So the decision was made to camp at Best Buy.

We got there at 5:30PM on the 21st to notice there were about 5 people already there. One dude had been there since 2PM. We set up our chairs and began the wait. We knew that there was a minimum of 20 systems, since the Sunday ad said so. A few more people showed up, friends of the people in front of us. We figured that since everyone in line still fell under the magic number of 20, it wan't a problem. Her parents stopped up to drop off some stuff for us, and noticed that the people a couple spots in front of us had brought a tent. A buddy of ours(goes by Jhikan on these here forums) came up around 7:30 just to hang out, and then decided to get Best Buy's financing so he could get a system too. Then, Tune's parents arrive with a newly-purchased tent for the three fo us. At that point, the line was still less than 20 people. Some folks even ordered pizza while waiting.

Best Buy employees came out and checked out the line, but none of them would disclose how many systems there actually were. The thread posted about how many each store would get told me that this particular location was getting 44 premiums and 12 cores, but we couldn't be for sure.

We stayed in the tent for the entire night, only hopping out when we heard commotion. There was a good amount of Zoo Keeper, Mario Kart DS, and Lumines to keep us occupied when we weren't trying to catch a few winks. A clever individual made a list of the people in line, so we knew who was where. I think a good portion of the line formed after midnight. At 5AM, a guy came out and told us that they would be giving out tickets at 6AM, and told us there were 42 premuims and 12 cores. A lot of people showed up close to 6AM, and the fellow keeping the list made sure that people got on the list as they showed up until the list was full. The list proved to be invaluable, as the Best Buy employee took the list and made it gold-he was going to follow that list to ensure that everyone who was on it would get one. We ended up being numbers 10, 11, and 12. One lady(a parent) bought the #4 guy's spot in line for $100. A couple of guys that showed up around 6AM tried to tell the BB employee that they were there all night and no one wrote their names down, but the guy basically told them they were out of luck.

At 6AM, they let three people inside at a time to place an order. Tickets were handed out, and we were told to return at 9AM so we could pick them up. They had set up tables inside the breezeway and placed all of the accessories and games on tables. They picthed upsells and addons, but did not force anything. I was able to order the premium system by itself, and she was able to get the premium system and Kameo. We then went to her house to warm up and nap, and came back at about 8:40 to get back in line to go inside. We got our stuff and made it out within ten minutes. The Bengals' kicker was there playing people at Madden for $15 donations to charity. We didn't hang out to see, we had completed our mission and wanted to go home and sleep.

It was a cold, drizzly, windy night. We avoided the wind and drizzle with the tent, but it was still really, really cold. Our feet were probably the bearer of the brunt of the temprature, as they were numb or close to it. I felt kinda bad for the people who only brought a sleeping bag. We got our systems, and we aren't sick from being out in the cold(not yet at least LOL), so that's all that matters.

A trip back to BB late in the evening showed that they sold out of Call of Duty 2, and that they had promo DVDs with coupons inside for $10 off games and accessories. Snagged a few of them for later purchases. ;)

[Eternal Tune]

My fiancee Eternal Tune and I were going to get two of them from Game Crazy, but the whole shortage fiasco left us with the possibility not getting one in time for Christmas (as they're presents). So the decision was made to camp at Best Buy.

We got there at 5:30PM on the 21st to notice there were about 5 people already there. One dude had been there since 2PM. We set up our chairs and began the wait. We knew that there was a minimum of 20 systems, since the Sunday ad said so. A few more people showed up, friends of the people in front of us. We figured that since everyone in line still fell under the magic number of 20, it wan't a problem. Her parents stopped up to drop off some stuff for us, and noticed that the people a couple spots in front of us had brought a tent. A buddy of ours(goes by Jhikan on these here forums) came up around 7:30 just to hang out, and then decided to get Best Buy's financing so he could get a system too. Then, Tune's parents arrive with a newly-purchased tent for the three fo us. At that point, the line was still less than 20 people. Some folks even ordered pizza while waiting.

Best Buy employees came out and checked out the line, but none of them would disclose how many systems there actually were. The thread posted about how many each store would get told me that this particular location was getting 44 premiums and 12 cores, but we couldn't be for sure.

We stayed in the tent for the entire night, only hopping out when we heard commotion. There was a good amount of Zoo Keeper, Mario Kart DS, and Lumines to keep us occupied when we weren't trying to catch a few winks. A clever individual made a list of the people in line, so we knew who was where. I think a good portion of the line formed after midnight. At 5AM, a guy came out and told us that they would be giving out tickets at 6AM, and told us there were 42 premuims and 12 cores. A lot of people showed up close to 6AM, and the fellow keeping the list made sure that people got on the list as they showed up until the list was full. The list proved to be invaluable, as the Best Buy employee took the list and made it gold-he was going to follow that list to ensure that everyone who was on it would get one. We ended up being numbers 10, 11, and 12. One lady(a parent) bought the #4 guy's spot in line for $100. A couple of guys that showed up around 6AM tried to tell the BB employee that they were there all night and no one wrote their names down, but the guy basically told them they were out of luck.

At 6AM, they let three people inside at a time to place an order. Tickets were handed out, and we were told to return at 9AM so we could pick them up. They had set up tables inside the breezeway and placed all of the accessories and games on tables. They picthed upsells and addons, but did not force anything. I was able to order the premium system by itself, and she was able to get the premium system and Kameo. We then went to her house to warm up and nap, and came back at about 8:40 to get back in line to go inside. We got our stuff and made it out within ten minutes. The Bengals' kicker was there playing people at Madden for $15 donations to charity. We didn't hang out to see, we had completed our mission and wanted to go home and sleep.

It was a cold, drizzly, windy night. We avoided the wind and drizzle with the tent, but it was still really, really cold. Our feet were probably the bearer of the brunt of the temprature, as they were numb or close to it. I felt kinda bad for the people who only brought a sleeping bag. We got our systems, and we aren't sick from being out in the cold(not yet at least LOL), so that's all that matters.

A trip back to BB late in the evening showed that they sold out of Call of Duty 2, and that they had promo DVDs with coupons inside for $10 off games and accessories. Snagged a few of them for later purchases. ;)

Right now, I masturbating on both systems.

Anyways, being inside and NOT outside, I'd say it was a grand ol' time. So many hours ago, I'd say "damn you Microsoft, why the hell am I out here?"

The only thing I have to add is, Best Buy was giving out some promo stuff early on. I got a 360 pen and note pad. And finally people at GameCrazy suck. I fought all day with them to get my pre-order monies back. Gah!

[Jibbajaba]

I found this listing on Craigslist this morning. I don't know wy I am putting it in this thread; I just didn't think it needed it's own thread.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ele/113229926.html

Chris

[esquire]

After reading the 360 launch day stories and hearing a few firsthand, a prediction:

Someone gets shot during the melee of the PS3 launch.

You heard it here first.

It got pretty close to that with the XBOX 360 launch. As posted in the other thread that got locked:

Police restore peace after Md. shoppers war over Xbox 360 (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051123/BIZ04/511230462&SearchID=73227377046092)

Also, I heard on the local radio and from the manager at my local EB that the Gamestop in Hamtramck, Michigan (a city/enclave in the middle of Detroit) was robbed during their midnight opening/launch. Apparently, the manager was tied up and all of the 360 consoles were stolen. It appears no one was hurt, but I imagine a gun or knife was used in the robbery. If I can find a link, I'll post that one too.

[Yamazaki]

Lol! Crazy Americans!


I hope that will not happen here in Japan.

Does anyone remember how it was when the Xbox came out in Japan??

[GrandAmChandler]

After reading the 360 launch day stories and hearing a few firsthand, a prediction:

Someone gets shot during the melee of the PS3 launch.

You heard it here first.

It got pretty close to that with the XBOX 360 launch. As posted in the other thread that got locked:

Police restore peace after Md. shoppers war over Xbox 360 (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051123/BIZ04/511230462&SearchID=73227377046092)

Also, I heard on the local radio and from the manager at my local EB that the Gamestop in Hamtramck, Michigan (a city/enclave in the middle of Detroit) was robbed during their midnight opening/launch. Apparently, the manager was tied up and all of the 360 consoles were stolen. It appears no one was hurt, but I imagine a gun or knife was used in the robbery. If I can find a link, I'll post that one too.

HAHAHAHAH That is 45 minutes from me. I find it hilarious because Elkton has a bad reputation for being "hickish" So I can assure that the store manager MOST LIKELY wasn't the brightest crayon in the box ;)

What did he think was gonna happen? People were gonna march in line single file on a first come first serve basis? I hope he loses his job due to poor management decisions.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Yeah, I heard about that on the radio as well. A bunch of PSP's were stolen as well. I heard that they were tied up with a telephone cord, and that just adds humor to the situation.

[MarkMan]

Here's some pictures from the XBOX 360 camp out in San Diego.

Chula Vista Best Buy to be exact... camped out at 2 PM on the 21st... until 9 AM the next day. Ended up taking slots 3-12 with my friends. We even set up a Tekken 5 tournament on the side lol.

http://static.flickr.com/24/66517263_3ffb15042f.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/30/66517264_c93f745feb.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/30/66517266_eabbf4c034.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/25/66517265_7d5dfa4c00.jpg

[GameSlaveGaz]

Of all the bickering over the morality of selling new consoles on ebay for exorbitant sums only days after its launch reminds me of my boyfriend's get rich quick sceme. With all the hype over the 360, the hype over the PS3 will be identical if not more, so as soon as reserves are announced for it, he's going to reserve a console and a bunch of games and accessories, then once launch time comes around and people are crazily scrambling to get their hands on one, he's going to put his pre-order up for sale and watch the offers roll in. Sure it's pretty sneaky, but it's a great idea. It's the American way to turn a profit any way you can. I don't know why people are so upset about it. Stores do the same thing. Especially when a product is in high demand and they mark up the price because they know people will still buy it and they'll make even more money. It's also why there are never any sales or discounts on consoles, so that the companies can turn a profit, because the price they have to pay to buy consoles from the manufacturers isn't that much less than retail price. Retailers only make a buck or two off every console they sell. That's why we don't even get employee discounts (even though Toys R Us only gets a cheap, lame-ass 10%)

Can you really blame people for wanting to make money? Sometimes it's just plain greed and sometimes they really need the extra dough to get by, but making money is the American way, and you can complain all you want but it's never gonna change.

[Yamazaki]

I mean I'm gonna try to get a PS3 directly here in Japan and sell it off on Ebay.

why not? you just fulfiil the people's demand.

[SlayerX]

After reading all of the whining posts about kids crying because they didn't get a system, here's what i'm going to do at Revolution and PS3 launch. I'm going to go into work early (if I'm working or not), and I am going to buy however many systems I can afford. If I have $2000 in the bank, Ill spend $2000 on the released console. Just to piss off those kids, and give them a reason to cry. Ill buy all of the systems that my work has, I'll keep one, and put the rest up on ebay. Just to piss them off even more. 8-)

[Yamazaki]

If they give you more then one.

When the Dreamcast sale started in Japan, a friend got one, but was not allowed to buy another one!

[Six Switch]

Of all the bickering over the morality of selling new consoles on ebay for exorbitant sums only days after its launch reminds me of my boyfriend's get rich quick sceme. With all the hype over the 360, the hype over the PS3 will be identical if not more, so as soon as reserves are announced for it, he's going to reserve a console and a bunch of games and accessories, then once launch time comes around and people are crazily scrambling to get their hands on one, he's going to put his pre-order up for sale and watch the offers roll in. Sure it's pretty sneaky, but it's a great idea. It's the American way to turn a profit any way you can. I don't know why people are so upset about it. Stores do the same thing. Especially when a product is in high demand and they mark up the price because they know people will still buy it and they'll make even more money. It's also why there are never any sales or discounts on consoles, so that the companies can turn a profit, because the price they have to pay to buy consoles from the manufacturers isn't that much less than retail price. Retailers only make a buck or two off every console they sell. That's why we don't even get employee discounts (even though Toys R Us only gets a cheap, lame-ass 10%)

Can you really blame people for wanting to make money? Sometimes it's just plain greed and sometimes they really need the extra dough to get by, but making money is the American way, and you can complain all you want but it's

never gonna change.

your boyfriend is a genius.

i saw a few 360s yesterday,all cores though.

[Yamazaki]

whats up with all these "dress up as santa"-auctions you see on Ebay?

linked to some cars or even houses for several million dollars???

[pacmanhat]

Just found out that had I stuck w/ my original reserve and not picked up a core on launch, it'd be there for me in another week or so from now (probably, anyway). It made me wonder for a while if I should've held out...but I think I made the right choice. It's the same system, and that matters more than the extra junk that comes with it.

[heybtbm]

It made me wonder for a while if I should've held out...but I think I made the right choice. It's the same system, and that matters more than the extra junk that comes with it.

Sounds like someone is trying to rationalize a bad impulse purchase. I wouldn't call the $100.00 HD and $50.00 wireless controller "junk".

I don't think anyone who bought a core this past week did so for any other reason than they had no choice. I can't imagine anyone passing up the $400 system for the $300 version.

Don't feel bad though, I'm sure every "Core" package buyer has been trying to convince themselves of the same thing all week.

[PDorr3]

Im waiting for all of these rumors to come true for the next shipment. Many people are saying stores will get their next shipment in on tuesday because that would be 1 week from launch. I will be calling up stores monday night and tuesday morning to see if they got any shipments.

[dojosky]

yeah i heard that there might be a shipment coming in on Friday and some other said the 16th of December but as you know it can be false information but keep on checking as I am since gamecrazy didnt guarantee my pre ordered system on launch date dammit :angry: ....Good luck !

[PDorr3]

so who else here will be camping out at beat buy on the 17th/18th? Im getting there as early as I need to to make sure I get one. Hopefuly I can get one before then so I dont gotta wait out in the freezing cold.