Microsoft ramps up 360 production

Next-gen console enters retail at "two to three times" the previous rate; spring games lineup promises 80 titles available by June.

Old Man Winter packed up his bags yesterday, yielding center stage to spring so that flowers may bloom, forest critters can create baby forest critters, and Xbox 360s can pour into retail. On the second day of spring, Microsoft announced that it is increasing production of its next-generation console beginning this week.

Production of the console, which has been in short supply since its launch in November, will increase "two to three times." Microsoft attributes the increase in supply to the fact that the console's components are now in full production and Celestica, Microsoft's third manufacturing partner, has begun producing the Xbox 360.

Microsoft also boasted that the Xbox 360 will have 80 games (both retail and Xbox Live Arcade titles) available by June. Though the Xbox 360 only saw one full retail game (Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4) released between its November launch and February 14, games have since begun to trickle in at a more regular rate.

The news isn't just good for gamers, it's particularly good for Microsoft. With the recent announcement of the PlayStation 3's delay, the increase in Xbox 360s into stores and additional time before its rival launches its product gives Microsoft a much-needed opportunity to woo away Sony's faithful.

171 Comments

  • DJAndy32

    Posted May 1, 2006 3:17 pm PT

    Yeah, it took them long enough. Now I must save money to buy some of these 80 titles.

  • kai88

    Posted Apr 30, 2006 1:09 am PT

    i got mine already and it's worth jumping in for

  • masskilla334

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 4:37 pm PT

    360 will be a way start including the rumor of the price drop

  • hangid

    Posted Apr 12, 2006 12:39 pm PT

    There finally getting more xbox360s

  • Greatwasabi

    Posted Mar 30, 2006 7:24 pm PT

    Thank god! I cant find one anywhere.

  • joverstr2

    Posted Mar 29, 2006 2:16 pm PT

    I was finaly able to pick one up this past weekend. The guys at BestBuy said they are coming in more frequent now. I don't think they will make their mark but I think they will come close.

  • Ravenlore_basic

    Posted Mar 28, 2006 5:26 am PT

    Now we can see how well they sell when there are plenty to buy! we shall see if they can sell huge amounts.

    remember 25+ million people bought a XboX so they could sell at least that many easily!

    but how many will they sell this year??

    PS2 sold 10+ Million in its first year alone

  • 9469

    Posted Mar 26, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    im wating for a price drop , i wounder how long ill be waiting for.........

  • Fedele

    Posted Mar 25, 2006 9:52 pm PT

    HOOOOORAHHH MICROSOFT!

  • xDiesel9x

    Posted Mar 23, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    XBox 360 is the best and will stay the best! PS3 can eat its dust!!

  • xDiesel9x

    Posted Mar 23, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    XBox 360 is the best and will stay the best! PS3 can eat its dust!!

  • xDiesel9x

    Posted Mar 23, 2006 4:58 pm PT

    XBox 360 is the best and will stay the best! PS3 can eat its dust!!

  • urgrand

    Posted Mar 23, 2006 2:43 pm PT

    about dam time! for the ppl who already have this good for u too! because more can on xbox live!

    ROCK THE HOUSE

  • VolcanoMan001

    Posted Mar 23, 2006 7:38 am PT

    I was in EB Games yesterday, and actually bought my 2nd X360 which was the last one they had in the store. As I was leaving a kid came in that was looking for one since November and actually bought all the games he wanted to play since then so I turn around and returned it so he could get it. I just wanted to share that. I will get my 2nd one later when they are more available, I just felt a little... selfish.

  • AL13NK1LL3R

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 10:30 pm PT

    i already have mine
    i have 2 360s
    everybody needs to buy 360 not ps3
    ps3 is going to lose the war and the price is toooooo high.
    so it's a good thing

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    Well, at least people will be able to get one now.

  • Marklax62

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    thank god. its about freaking time microsoft speeds up the production of these things. I went out and bought a brand new high def flat screen samsung tv for tthe 360 and i still havent found one and its been like 3 months. Mainly because im low on cash so i cant afford a 500$ xbox 360 (with shipping) from ebay. And btw who really cares which console is better. Pick one, buy games for it and play it thats all there is too it. Everyone has different oppinions, for instance you have the michael jackson gamers that liketo play kiddie games on the gamecube. jk. but really its retarded to argue which system is better, especially when there is only one out. This is like arguing that a chick performs better when she has bigger boobs, sorry guys but bigger boobs (different components of ps3 and 360) does not make the experiance any better, just different.

  • udc68

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 3:06 pm PT

    I have been trying to get my hands on one, and and finally glad to see I might be able to get one in the next week or so! FINALLY!

  • daftfan

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 1:22 pm PT

    Beware Sony, because the challenge of sells of XBOX 360 in a year will become truth, in November the things will get hot.

  • Sandman100

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 1:00 pm PT

    About damn time to. Finely more people can get one.

  • sasuke55

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 12:01 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • sasuke55

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 12:00 pm PT

    NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 360's will not stop selling because the ps3 comes out that's retarted thinking. Obviously sales will slow but we don't even know how much the ps3 will cost.

  • jonnyjd

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 11:20 am PT

    Congratulations on finally ramping up production.

  • idio_genius

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 9:49 am PT

    Looks like this is a system wars thread lol. My personal take on all this, is that the 360 is going to be a force to reckon with in a years time. Sony are going to have a lot of problems. Screw the hardware, it all comes down to the games. And I just think that when AAA titles start appearing (Far Cry, WarDevil, Gears of War, COD3 etc..) then more and more people are going to be less attached to the 'brand' of console, and more attached to the actual game franchises on each one. For example, if the PS3 launches, with zillions of cheap units and Next Gen exclusive GTA & MGS THEN MAYBE they will have a chance in the long run. However, even this could be crumpled by M$ by a little thing called Halo3. I'm no M$ fanboy, in fact I coughed up £THOUSANDS for a hi-def Sony Bravia TV - BUT I'm not stupid and love games. Why wait till 2007 for Fight Night's amazing graphics, when you can just play, enjoy and get over them now?

  • Riverwolf007

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 9:01 am PT

    i hope none of u ppl actually believe the ps3 will b out in the u.s.a. come november cuz its not going to happen..has any1 noticed theres not 1 legitimate sales chain taking pre-orders 4 it? they will b lucky to get blu-ray dvd players in the stores by fall and the pre-order price 4 those are between $700-$1500 dollars..i mean come on wake up folks, these are the same tactics that sony used to undermine confidence in the dreamcast back in the day, put out some pre rendered cut screens of the games, promise some specs that wont be included in the final product and volia no1 buys the system that is actually in the stores. i wont even go on about the fact that theres never been a game programed for the cell processor and theres no interest in any kind of system to make your online experence better than it was on ps2..anyway good luck on that ps3 in say hmmm? summer 2007?

  • cyprus646

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 7:46 am PT

    I just hope this problem dosent hit nintendo when its REV come out.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 7:14 am PT

    I hope the new games will be a bit better than the ones that are out right now, since I plan on getting a 360 for summer.

  • claymanhb

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 6:40 am PT

    I got mine at best buy. All you need to do is call all the best buys in the area and one willl have one.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 5:47 am PT

    when the systems are sitting on store shelves, i will believe m$.

  • SalenStormwing

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 4:59 am PT

    Actually, they've had a lot more 360s out since at least 3 weeks ago. I should know, since I went to Circuit City one day, and on the window as a sheet that said that they INDEED had some in. Which was suprising since I was under the impression that they weren't shipping out that many. And I confirmed it with another friend a few hundred miles away that they had them there too. I guess this is just the announcement that they're up to full production now.

    Anyways, just in time for Oblivion. ^_^

  • KiLLer_ba

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 1:47 am PT

    Good news, now i could go buy a Xbox 360 soon.

  • mikekare79

    Posted Mar 22, 2006 12:33 am PT

    Got mine at launch. Love it. Get one if you don't have one, you won't regret it!

  • Game13a13y

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 11:35 pm PT

    thats not a good news, you idiots. stinky M$ is finally delivering what they ARE supposed to do. you M$ blind fans.

  • RodBond

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 11:08 pm PT

    Sigh.. that is good to hear.. Now if MS and Bungie could just give us Halo 3 and everything would be perfect:-)

  • OPOLO

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 9:27 pm PT

    Keep up the great work MicroSoft (Xbox Team)

  • Voltage350z

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 7:08 pm PT

    thank god......this hunt ive been on for the past few months has dragged on enough

  • Jedi_Osborn

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 7:04 pm PT

    Its about stinking time!

  • Exige24_basic

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:51 pm PT


    BelmontMaster wrote:
    "Woo away, please. Im a sony faithful and always will be. 360 has nothing on sony and never will"
    How about a released next-gen console and actual playable games? : |

  • Dirk13

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:50 pm PT

    5-6 months of shortages and they wimsically decide now to "increase" production...from what? zero to something? they werent at full production already all these months were people actually wanteda system but they simply didnt seem to lift a finger to ship a signifigant amount? i swear, this trumps the PS2 shortage as one of the most pathetically handled system launches in recent history, hopefully sony wont be as completely incompetent with their system production this time around.

  • caffeine_187

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:34 pm PT

    Bring on the price drop.

  • rbarahona

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:32 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • rbarahona

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:32 pm PT

    Things will be very interesting. Microsoft will be able to put more consoles in more homes; because of that Nintendo and Sony will have a hard battle to convince people that what they offer is better than what they already have (or is available now). Fortunately that means that, at least in Mexico, we can get a 360.

  • Generex

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:12 pm PT

    If that number 80 excludes Xbox Live Arcade games, I think it's highly unlikely, but I'd love to see it happen.

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 6:04 pm PT

    It better be true. Because we really need to see that the Xbox 360 is ACTUALLY AVAILABLE! And not just a "hey good luck finding one" thing.

  • davahsa

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 5:51 pm PT

    let's see if they hit 5 mil by june!

  • AncientDozer

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 4:46 pm PT

    While Matt and Qwik make good points in that the companies likely don't care about the fanbase, at least to the degree we like to hope they do, I do disagree that the "shortage" was planned. There are plenty of other theories that I find more feasible such as that they rushed to get their system out and were unable to produce a sufficient amount. Fewer systems bought means less money made so not having enough to go around doesn't completely make sense. But yes, it's foolish to be a loyalist fanboy. Live free and smart.

  • minerl99

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 4:46 pm PT

    OXM magazine has a good article in the April 06 issue on the realities of the Xbox 360 launch. It starts with the original G5 alpha Dev kits in Feb 2004 and goes all the way to Celestica (3rd manf of 360's) coming online to start producing in February. For those who have never worked in manufacturing it's a good lesson in how complex a supply chain is and how long it takes to get things done no matter what the kid down the street says... Conspiracy theories abound by people who have no clue how products are manufactured and brought to market. Microsoft has not benefited from the shortage. It's only given Sony and Ninetendo more time. Users who haven't paid for a 360 yet are that much closer to the PS3 launch and more likely to wait. Software publishers aren't happy they missed end of year numbers due to the shortage and handhelds, which Microsoft doesn't make sold in big numbers. IT'S NOT A MICROSOFT win or some big master plan. Why bother explaining this, it's like swimming upstream.

  • qwikqik

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 4:32 pm PT

    mattfromcoldwat is onto something. It really not about the consumer, it's about the consumer's $$$. That, all you "loyal" fanboys, is the reality of the situation.

  • Rampancy

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 4:19 pm PT

    your friend who can't find an Xbox 360 should come get one from Australia, we have got enough to go around believe me.

  • Imavnas

    Posted Mar 21, 2006 4:17 pm PT

    This isnt good news. This is HOPEFUL news. A friend of mine has 500 cash he wanted to spend on a 360, and he still hasnt found one (hes looked through half the State of Florida too). I got mine on launch because I live near a Walmart in the middle of nowhere, and even they ran out the next day. Until what Microsoft is saying actually comes to fruition, until people can walk into a store that sells consoles and walk out with a 360 premium system, Ill take everything that Microsoft says with an enormous grain of salt.

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