After the console was announced, people immediately wanted to pre-book them. A lot of people thought that Microsoft were about to stage a rushed launch with fewer consoles than necessary. This is now, of course, not the case. Most stores at the time took names but didn't specifically book the consoles This was due to an unknown release date and unknown number of consoles. In early August, all of the major retail stores started taking pre-orders as the release date and price was finally announced. With a little money, and a lot of patience, you could get your 360 booked. This was greeted with joy from the Xbox community, although this was short lived. Many stores took pre-orders for a matter of days before the premium system was, to the best of their knowledge, sold out. In these few days, some stores took hundreds of orders however most places are still taking pre-orders for the core system. Due to the quick launch, many stores took fewer pre-orders than they should have. Many people think that the new figures may lead to a plentiful supply come December, because stores only allowed a very small number of people to pre-book. This remains to be seen.

The systems, while practically the same except for a few extras, are in different levels of demand. The Core system is the no thrills package which only contains the console, a wired pad and the necessary skart and power cables. Microsoft's idea was to appeal to the different levels of consumers. Offer the base unit for people with not enough cash or interest to justify buying the premium console. This unit will not allow people to play old Xbox games, save the games, download content or use voice chat. However all Xbox 360 games should be good to go, of course, you wont be able to save your progress. An interesting side note is that the extras offered in the premium package add up to well over €150 (Premium package is €100 more expensive than the Core), so the premium package is good value for those who get it. About 20% of the consoles at launch will be Core systems, and they haven't sold out yet.

The premium package is the dogs dinner. It contains almost everything you'd want for immediate gaming. We're also promised that there will be a few extras loaded onto the hard drive such as videos and extras. The people who already have valid Xbox live accounts will get gold membership immediately, or at least until their current membership expires. Silver membership comes free but it has its restrictions. The thing I like the most about the premium system is it's value. I would have bought those extrs anyway. The fact that the premium system will save you money, as well as its convenience has meant that 80% of Xbox 360's shipped will be the premium packages. These are said to be sold out, but this information is based on the stores belief of how many they're getting. They could be getting more, or less than they thought. The premium package will be able to handle the 200+ Xbox games enabled for 360 use and voice communication is also a go go from day one if you buy the premium system. That said, all of these things are possible for core owners, provided that they cough up the extra dough for the peripherals. It must also be said that in order to get the most out of your 360, you should consider getting a HDTV or a VGA enabled monitor.

The games and accessories have only been recently revealed in the launch line up, and it is very impressive. These games and accessories are not thought to be in any kind of short supply, but don't quote me on confirming that. The games line up can be viewed here and as you can see, it's a strong line-up. Most genres are represented and some of the titles are the most eagerly anticipated on any console, like Rares Perfect Dark Zero and Bizarre Creations Project Gotham Racing 3. The accessories list is mostly made up of first party accessories as well as some 3rd party, although you can expect more from third party developers in the near future. All of the accessories bundled with the Premium console are available separately, although they won't be as good value. One recommended item is the VGA adapter, seen here. This will turn a standard CRT or a nice LCD monitor into a nice screen for the 360 with much higher definition than a standard TV. The list of Microsoft accessories can be seen here.

This is all well and good if you have managed to book one, but what if you haven't? You could go along on a launch day and wing it. Although that will most likely fail. The safest option at this stage is to aim for a Core system and buy the remaining accessories yourself. This is more costly but will ensure you have an Xbox 360 at launch (if the stores still have the Core systems). One other alternative is to try to buy a 360 from a smaller, less busy or obvious retailer. These could be small computer games stores, Xtravisions or Chartbusters or even small toy shops. These shops would not be as obvious and may not have as many as pre-orders as shops like Gamespot or GAME. Also, try shopping in places less densely populated. The downside of all this is that these retailers will not be as secure in returns and their prices are almost always higher than high street stores.