Let the quest for HD gaming begin
By Kevin C. Tofel 
posted Nov 21st 2005 4:08PM
posted Nov 21st 2005 4:08PM
Well my little WMCE project
gets stalled without an Xbox 360. I'm not the pre-order type of guy, so
I just made bunches of phone calls and here's my intelligence report
and plan of action:- Already 9 people in line for 18 consoles at the 24 hour Wal-Mart. I'll pass.
- Local Wal-Mart opens at 7 am and they have 14 consoles.
- Plan is to wake at 4 am, get some coffee and see how many are braving the cold at Wal-Mart.
- If too many there, it's over to my local Target. Tickets will be distributed at 6 a.m. and the store opens at 8 a.m. There are 20 consoles.
- If Target is a bust, the local Toys'R'Us opens at 9 a.m., so I can wait there. As of this afternoon, they didn't receive their shipment yet, so I could be waiting for nothing.
- Last chance is my local Costco that claims they should have them upon opening at 10 a.m.
I'm a Media Sup with Best Buy. We had 8 people in line at 2. I'm supposed to go back for a live news feed at 5.
BBY has the 60% of the total allotment, if you have one nearby its a good bet.
Otherwise Costcos/Sam's Club/Shopko may draw reduced traffic.
Costco will have 24 units and will be holding a raffle for those lucky enough to be chosen.
Suck it up. Get out there and camp. If you think 4 AM is the right time, subtract an hour. I camped for the PS2. A ton of people showed up thinking they could sleep in their own bed and get up early. If that's your strategy, look in the less obvious spots (Toys-R-US was a good one for the PS2). It was fun.
Then again, I camped for the Supreme Court (Bush v. Gore - - 2 day frigid campout - still very cool), the rolling stones (Steel Wheels - they said it would be the last time, then they decided they wanted some more money). I don't think I'll camp for Xbox360 or PS3 - - but, might be fun.
I got my pre-order via costco. ANother MVP told me about it, and I pounced on it. (About 1 hr after I ordered it, they took it down from the site).
I get the $399 console, an EXTRA wireless controller, game (PGR3), play/charge kit for $479. GOOD deal.
Daangit, I was gonna drive an hour out of town to a 24 hour walmart, but there's already a lnie there NOW. I may just roll out at 3 or 4 am and wait for the wal-mart or target by me to open.
All good points and now you have me rethinking my strategy. I'm thinking to rise at 3 am and start making the rounds as there seem to be lines everywhere already. Some stores gave me their allotment numbers off the record, so that may help. I'm also considering taking a mobile MP3 recorder to potentially podcast this debacle since it's pouring rain in my area! Remember: think warm thoughts for me!!