Microsoft says 360 Elite is just so hot right now, no SKU changes planned

Naturally curious as to why Xbox 360 Elites are so difficult to find, we went straight to the source -- and Microsoft tells us that demand is simply outstripping supply on the 360 Elite right now, and that no model lineup changes are planned at this time -- especially since the Elite is their hot seller. Well, so much for that conspiracy -- guess we're back to reading the PS3 tea leaves.

[Matt @ Feb 1st 2008 10:05PM]

Hell even the Pro has been hard to find. I had to wait 2 weeks for one.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Feb 1st 2008 10:21PM]

I've seen around 20 of the elites dusting in my local gamestop, right next next to a used, sissy rare pikachu n64. what a strange person I am to say that...

[giantenemycrab @ Feb 1st 2008 10:29PM]

*sigh* now Microsoft is using the "demand is exceeding supply" excuse? So lame.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Feb 1st 2008 10:30PM]

Is "so hot right now" really the best way to describe this console knowing that it has so many issues with power consumption and overheating?

[nxtiak @ Feb 1st 2008 10:30PM]

Of course that's what Microsoft would say.

[Miguel @ Feb 1st 2008 10:31PM]

LOVED THOSE PIKACHU NINTENDOS! went great with the Hey you pikachu! game haha

[Kalen @ Feb 1st 2008 10:41PM]

They're not so hot in Canada it seems. My friend wants an Arcade version and has to wait for one to come in. There, however are elites everywhere.

[adgeman @ Feb 1st 2008 10:52PM]

Isn't it mainly down to the fact that people are getting pissed off with their faulty older 360's that they're buying the Elite in a desperate hope that they've finally fixed the RROD issue?

[jesster202 @ Feb 1st 2008 11:00PM]

NOPE in canada we dont have them everywere i dont know were you live in in tornoto and i cant find any and also their was one in bestbuy but it sold and i work in bestbuy so we get our next shipment in this week comming wnedsday.

[EricDJ @ Feb 1st 2008 11:03PM]

They are hot. But the problem is still there is none coming in.

[IsLNdbOi @ Feb 1st 2008 11:17PM]

I don't understand. Do you guys live in the boonies? Every store I've been to today that carries consoles had stocks of these Elites.

[getz76 @ Feb 1st 2008 11:28PM]

NICE Apple IIgs photoshop. I still have mine running...

[Rob @ Feb 1st 2008 11:49PM]

"Hansel. He's so hot right now."

[Rob @ Feb 1st 2008 11:49PM]

"Hansel. He's so hot right now."

[edgore @ Feb 2nd 2008 12:27AM]

Man, I want IIGS Enhanced Graphics and Sound on all my games again...

[Mike918 @ Feb 2nd 2008 1:58AM]

Oh yeah i saw at Best Buy a sign that said that 360 Elite, Pro and The Wii where completely sold out :P

[FIR3BRDRACR @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:31AM]

so seriously, all the ps3 fanboys are gonna go nuts, blah blah blah
artificially lowered supply creates more demand, its economics 101
take the Wii for example

besides, despite the 30% failure rate, whats not to love?
rather seamless integration with media on your pc....
the best exclusives
everyone has one
hmmm

[Kamokazi @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:11AM]

@FIR3BRDRACR

Artificially lowered supply does not make sense in this case. Sure it generates some buzz among the techy customers, but we are in the minority. It hurts them more than anything...do you have any idea how many people settles on a PS3 or X360 for Christmas because Wii's were no where to be found? The same will happen to a lesser extent in this case, and the 360 Elite is priced on par with the PS3 as opposed to cheaper like the Wii. Heck this shortage is probably in no small part due to Wii shortages.

[Benji @ Feb 2nd 2008 5:09AM]

Once again, a typically US-centric post.

We've got Elites coming out of our ears over here in the UK, no bugger wants them.

[Overgauss @ Feb 2nd 2008 5:12AM]

I submit that the current shortage of elites is due to an abundantly spread shortage of sense.

[Fraggle.Rock @ Feb 2nd 2008 6:58AM]

Hansel - he's so HOT right now! :-)

[J. Chen @ Feb 2nd 2008 7:26AM]

I noticed it was hard to find a month ago: went to Best Buy, Costco, Circuit City, EB Games. I finally bought it online at Newegg. Now, they're even out of XBOX 360 Elites.

[Galley @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:00AM]

Microsoft is waiting on a supply of 100-foot HDMI cables. They now recommend storing your 360 in the fridge. Sure, it's a hassle, but they believe they may have finally licked the overheating problem. ;-)

[Galley @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:01AM]

Microsoft is waiting on a supply of 100-foot HDMI cables. They now recommend storing your 360 in the fridge. Sure, it's a hassle, but they believe they may have finally licked the overheating problem. ;-)

[tehimp @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:54AM]

Every 360 Elite coming off the assembly line is being sent out to replace the dead ones sent back to MS.

[rob.e @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:06AM]

tehimp,

Good point. I've sent my Elite in 2x in the past year already, both times due to a failed optical drive.

My big question on the 360 Elite is this: Where are the accessories, Microsoft?! Still no black messenger kit, no black wireless headset, no black wireless adapter? The special edition Halo 3 360 has a matching wireless headset, but not the Elite? Way to support your "Elite" product, Microsoft.

It's not like it'd be a risk for them to make matching accessories, either. I'm sure most customers that would buy an Elite would stock up on Elite-matching accessories--those that haven't already tired of waiting on Microsoft and gone out and bought 3rd party accessories...

[SHoe @ Feb 2nd 2008 1:37PM]

How the heck can MS go on with all of these returns? Why is it taking them YEARS to get the quality under control?? I have 3 friends that own 360s: 1 who has returned his once, another twice, and another who just sent his back for the 4th time (optical drive once and the red ring of death 3 times)! What the hell?? This is insane. Of the 3 people I know with PS3s (myself and 2 co-workers), there has been no returns. Same for 2 Wiis I know. Apparently it is better with the 360 units produced in the last 6 months - but I would have a hard time trusting it and laying down cash for it.

[Qsat @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:31PM]

@Shoe ; My PS3 is very reliable too, last time i turn it on, in May or June, it was still runing like a new one, and in the 6 minutes it took to look at the ps store for new demo and trying all of them, it did not over-heat once.

But my 360 does overheat after 20 hours of gamplay a day.

[uummidontknow @ Feb 5th 2008 4:13PM]

So just because it overheats after playing for 20 hrs makes it ok? My ps2, nintendo consoles, pc, or original xbox never overheated, and that's how it should be.

[kal326 @ Feb 2nd 2008 7:14PM]

Sure theres no sku change planned, right.... Microsoft should have no problem with producing enough units as they have a very mature production process by now. As for the cracks that all of the new production is going to replacements, they don't give out new boxes as replacements. You get a refurbed machine.

[Liqideos @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:07PM]

BS.

Game retailers have not seen Elites shipped to Distro centers in TWO MONTHS.

They are GONE.

[DARKTRINITYxx @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:55PM]

Phooey is all i can say my 1st xbox 360 was the elite version and it red ringed within 3 months. Was so mad i didnt even bother getting it fixed went back to trusty old sony and ive had my PS3 6 months now and no hitches atall. Is probley why 360 elite versions are so rare they are all sitting in microsofts xbox 360 repair shop along with the normal 360s.

[Fiddlesworth @ Feb 3rd 2008 2:54AM]

So hot they melt!

[dabizo @ Feb 3rd 2008 5:31PM]

@qsat - I never turn my PS3 off - it just works...never fails...never over heats, that is why Microsoft should stick to making software and forget about hardware, they just have no idea what they are doing.. no wonder the top Xbox Exec has bailed out early, this is a sinking ship.

[Andre @ Feb 4th 2008 1:22AM]

Where in...is Carmen Sandiego. Oh, good times. Now I have that dang Rockapella song in my head, as they did the theme song of the PBS game show version.

[Texhnolith @ Feb 4th 2008 5:31AM]

Sounds more like MS is trying to get some cheap advertisments out the door saying its in short supplie. The company I work for has had a couple Elites on stock for the past weeks and non of them sold. Maybe thats because im in europe and they are in stock here. I've seen multiple stores that have them on stock normaly. If its in such high demand. why is MS shipping them all to europe when they need em over in the USA. I guess anyone who read this and is considering a Elite will definatly buy one if he sees one in stores before its "out of stock"

[TehGuru @ Feb 4th 2008 5:55PM]

You people are not too bright. Supply and Demand effect the price of a good / commodity. There is no relationship between the amount of supply affecting the quantity demanded. Supply and Demand effect the market price.

So, since the price of the 360 Elite consoles is FIXED and assuming that MS makes a net profit on each console sold (no, I don't mean on the console itself, but on all long-tail revenues generated from having a consoles it someone's house.. ie game sales, xbox live sales, etc..), in other words, that MS generates a profit on each console that is not affected by volume (ie no economy or diseconomy of scale) - the only rational conslusion is that MS's incentive is to MEET MARKET DEMAND to maximize profit.

By not supplying the market with enough consoles at the market (ie profitable) price, MS is not maximizing its profit. Since MS exists as a public corporation who's interest is to maximize shareholder value, it's is compeltely insane and irrational that MS would intentionally restrict supply. If you believe that you are an uneducated crazy person.

If Microsoft a) participated in the secondary market or b) RAISED the MSRP of the consoles or C) Xbox 360 elite consoles were a commodity traded in an open, transparent makret - then this would be consistent with an entity controlling supply to maximize profit. If you want a perfect example of an entity that uses supply to control the market PRICE of a commodity, please research OPEC. Note - the only reason OPEC controls output (ie supply) is to maintain and/or increase the market PRICE of crude oil. OPEC restricting supply does NOT affect the quantity demanded directly, it only affects the market price which in turn affects quantity demanded.

All of this crap about restricting supply to create "buzz" is insane - Nintendo wants to sell every single Wii that is demanded, and in fact, their failure to deliver enough consoles is a failure of their ability to effectively plan for market demand. Someone at nintendo and at MS screwed up royally when they made their manufacturing deals, period. They both leave tens of millions of dollars on the table - this is BAD BUSINESS.

[Bruce C. @ Feb 4th 2008 8:00PM]

Mine is sitting happily on my desk right next to the TV with the HDMI cable firmly attached :). I walked into Best Buy and there was 2 of them sitting on the shelf...not for long. I actually had a harder time then finding an additional wireless black controller then the 360 Elite itself.

Although as of late it is impossible it seems to get it except for at Walmart, where they are happy to sell your a bundled package for $596. It shows as having Call of Duty 4 in the box, you get to choose from a list of additional accessories, the 1 year live subscription is dropped to $30 from the normal $50, and you get to pick one additional game from a long list (about 20 or so games to choose from and all the latest titles). I hope this helps those looking to get their hands on one...enjoy =).

P.S. I would seriously consider this offer they have. The Microsoft X-Box Diamond program is going to start costing $$ in the near future to get the discounts that it is offering. It gives 5-15% discounts at a bunch of different retail stores, lower ticket prices to AMC movies and other theaters, Disney, Universal Studios, Game Stop/EB, Target just to name a few places.