Order Now - XBOX 360 UK

Xbox 360 Console (Includes: Xbox 360, 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, ethernet cable, HD AV cable and headset)  - Free UK Delivery

Finally Microsoft are releasing their Great White Hope of the gaming world, the Xbox 360 , onto the UK population on 2 Dec 2005. This is only a couple of weeks after our cousins from across the pond get their gaming mitts on the US Xbox 360 . In fact, Microsoft are planning a near simultaneous global release of the Xbox 360. All around the world in under 3 weeks. No one has tried this before, and with good reason. The logistics of trying to launch an eagerly anticipated product as the Xbox 360 to a global market in pretty much the same time frame is daunting to say the least. What it should guarantee at the very least, is that anyone out there with a spare Boeing 747 freight plane can expect to be fully booked up for those 3 weeks. What it means to us, the consumer, is less appealing. Demand is almost certainly to outstrip supply, which means festive season discounts are going to be rarer then hens teeth, and that the best way not to be disappointed is to pre-order the Xbox 360.

Looks
As was widely expected, Microsoft has abandoned the black, boxy look of the Xbox for a far softer design, with curved edges and a clean white look.

The front panel houses a disc drawer, two memory card slots, an infra-red receiver for an optional remote control, the power button and two covered USB ports.

Separate panels will be available to replace and customise the front of the console.

The controllers are similar to current ones, but are wireless and white to match the console.

The machine is designed to stand on one end and comes with a removable 20Gb hard drive.

"They're hoping it will captivate people from the off," said Margaret Robertson, games editor with the specialist games magazine Edge.

"It is certainly going to alienate far fewer people than the first Xbox design," said Ms Robertson, who was given exclusive access to the 360 for Edge.

Performace

Under the bonnet, the 360 is powered by a processor with three IBM PowerPC 3.2GHz chips, with a custom ATI 500MHz graphics processor and 512Mb of RAM.

According to Microsoft, this will offer a teraflop of overall performance.

Other News:

Microsoft Xbox shortages looming :
Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console goes on sale in the US on Tuesday, as stores warn customers limited supplies mean there may not be enough to go round. A similar situation is expected with its launch in the UK and Europe on 2 December, with many retailers unable to guarantee delivery by Christmas. The item goes on sale in Japan on 10 December and rest of the world in 2006. Microsoft has denied claims from some gamers that it is holding back output to cause a stir ahead of the launch.

Limited stock
Microsoft expects to sell as many as three million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide within the first 90 days of launch, and more than five million by the end of July. But it has admitted that global supply should not catch up with demand until sometime before June.

Order Yours Now - XBOX 360 UK