Even happier ending for "cleaned" Xbox 360 owner: Gates-signed console arrives

Remember that dude Nathaniel whose highly sentimental autographed Xbox 360 console was sent in for repairs and returned maddeningly clean? Turns out he didn't just get a signed Halo 3 care package. Even more swag arrived this week, including (among other things) an Xbox 360 with signatures from the 360 team and Bungie, and even Bill G himself. Yeah, that Bill G. And we can tell you exactly how damned hard it is to get the man to autograph stuff, the last few times we saw him we asked him sign our chests -- no dice. The G-man's infamous signature after the break. Us? We're closing the book on this one -- well played, Microsoft.

[Paul @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:10AM]

lucky bastard lol

[Flashpoint @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:07AM]

PUT IT ON EBAY !!!!

[mark @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:52AM]

lol at the "wash me"

[Kurian @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:17PM]

Speaking of lucky, am I right in understanding that they sent him a SECOND console with Bill G's autograph?!?

[Andrew @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:45PM]

Kurian: I believe you are correct.

[Max @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:09PM]

Lucky? I think it looks quite hideous... My 6th grade Trapper Keeper had better graffiti. This just looks like a bunch of nerd scribbles.

[Munky @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:04PM]

Well...it is a bunch of nerd scribbles...

[JAmerican @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:04PM]

I always wonder why Ryan gets the cool or very interesting posts. Share the love man with your E crew

JAmerican

[ed @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:55PM]

@Max

Your a fucking idiot. It's signed by an assload of people and Bill G HIMSELF.

You can love Microsoft, or FUCKING hate them, it still has that signature on it.

It's beautiful.

[Mike @ Mar 26th 2008 2:17AM]

Engadget put up this article after I called them out on it.
Click on my name and see my previous comments if you don't believe me.

Nice job Engadget, I shall cherish this pro-Microsoft Engadget day.

[AutoTom @ Mar 22nd 2008 6:56PM]

cant help but notice that the 'bill gates' one is in yellow, we sure this guy didn't fake it?

[rouge @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:36PM]

Is it just me or does Bill Gate's signature bear a resemblence to Kindergarden cursive?

[tb @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:27AM]

@ auto tom
there is a don't loose this with an arrow pointing the Bill's sig, so i'm pretty sure it's real

[Autopsy15 @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:28AM]

Actually, Bill's signature is on the front of the 360 and the "Don't loose this ->" is pointing towards the hard drive for some reason. And the reason Bill's signature is yellow is because it's written in pure gold.

[Sergio @ Mar 31st 2008 12:28AM]

Lol @ "Sharpie ink = fail"

[ed @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:10AM]

holy****

[rndmnme @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:24AM]

Yeah, all that money... all that power... and he still writes like a second grader. haha!

[computer.dude.28 @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:45AM]

Well I guess that's why it's so hard to get his signature, rndmnme.

[Fuzzball @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:02PM]

Not to mention everyone signed with a permanent marker and his ass signed with a highlighter. Yeah, that's going to last. Nat, keep that thing out of the sunlight; make that light in general.

[Sokkratez @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:55PM]

"I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks!"

[theblockbuster @ Mar 22nd 2008 6:10PM]

thats not a highlighter, its a special gold pen for autographs

[DWells55 @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:57PM]

@Sokkratez:
Well-placed Simpsons reference = instant +1

[Nathan @ Mar 23rd 2008 3:35AM]

That 360 is COVERED in the sigs of "developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers" and it makes me wonder if Ballmer wrote on it.

[Baluki @ Mar 23rd 2008 3:37AM]

And seeing as how it's Bill Gates, that's probably real gold in his Sharpie. :)

Pretty cool. I've never seen his signature before. Kinda reminds me of Walt Disney's.

[iB3nji @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:11AM]

seriously though how much stuff does this guy need it was a mistake okay he doesn't need to get all this stuff which could go elsewhere.

[Ghen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:14AM]

Where would you suppose this stuff would do better good? Hmm? Ethiopia? The Conga? New Guinea?

Anyone who would place worth on this stuff is already well off enough to not have to worry about eating, shelter, and living through the night so giving it to someone who at least had a bad experience is good PR and makes fans happy to read a feel good story.

Face it, you're just upset because you didn't get anything.

[brickwood @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:15AM]

marketing ploy by microsoft.. clearly he doesn't 'need' all that free stuff.. its just to get attention.

bill gates' sig will do that.

[iB3nji @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:16AM]

Not necessarily this xbox but a donation to charity of some sort.

haha of course i would of loved a free xbox 360 (i own one anyway) but i just saying hes gotten allll this stuff how much more does he need is my question

[Ghen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:19AM]

He'll keep getting stuff until the parties involved stop feeling guilty.

[Abuzar @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:29AM]

You realize that Bill Gates has given more to charity than any other person right? Sure organizations probably give more, but as one guy he has given large sums of money to charity. I believe it is in the 30 billion dollars range.

[dan @ Mar 24th 2008 10:43PM]

jealous much

[N30 G30 @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:36AM]

iB3nji,

You're an idiot. Abuzar is right. Bill Gates gives billions of dollars. What the hell is putting this thing in auction going to do $30,000 at most.

Don't talk about the donations of Bill Gates. He gave over 50% of all his cash and is eventually going to give more.

How much did you donate last year?

[Jesse S @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:01PM]

Abuzar, he has given a lot, but not as much as this man (so far, that is).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Feeney

[Steven Ryland @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:39PM]

your citing wikipedia? really?

[Jagster @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:13PM]

@ Jesse S

Well... according to WikiPedia, Bill Gates has give away over $29 Billion since 2000 (7 years). Whereas your boy Chuck Feeney gave away $3.5 Billion between 1982 and 2005 (23 years). Now, I no Mathematician, but it would seem to me that Billy G *has* given way more than Chucky.

[N30 G30 @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:16PM]

Jesse S,

Please read all your sources before you make a statement like that.

"Last year, the foundation Mr. Feeney created, the Atlantic Philanthropies, gave $458 million in grants around the world, more than any United States charity except two, the Ford and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/nyregion/26about.html

That's a link given as a source in the Wikipedia page. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was created by Bill and Melinda Gates (who knew?!). Both them and the Ford Foundation gave more than Mr. Feeney. I thank God that people like Mr. Feeney exist but I hate wrong information getting passed around.

[Scott @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:51PM]

Ah yes, the old "buying a positive legacy."

If someone came to my home and robbed me blind, but gave away all my stuff instead of keeping it, I wouldn't consider him any sort of hero.

If Microsoft had come to dominance using fair business practices instead of the straight up illegal ways they did, then I'd have no problem with them. Fair competition is always better for the customers than some abusive monopoly.

[mrlamp13 @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:48PM]

man that bill gates sounds like a hard ass

[Dean @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:54PM]

@scott

glad to see you worked so hard to start your own software company and tried to make a superior product, oh wait? thats right, the reason microsoft is on top is because they made a product that people wanted to buy. simple economics. there was nothing preventing other companies from entering the market and competing.

btw, enjoy yur aids.

[Riley @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:11AM]

@Dean

It has nothing to do with being a "superior product" or people "wanting to buy it", it's that it comes pre-installed on almost every computer that's sold.

[Homeboy @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:11AM]

3..............2...........1...........Go Ebay!!

[Homeboy @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:19AM]

PS Lmao at the "Wash me" speech bubble in the lower left corner. Nice to see that Ballmer's humor and enthusiasm runs in the family=)

Xbox and Zune FTW!!

[MarkHawk @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:23AM]

I'd love to see who's on Xbox live with my Zune when I have a WiFi signal. Send messages to them or get invited to come play when I am listening to music.

[xnifex @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:43AM]

There's a few others on there too:
"Microsoft: please do not wash"
"It goes in here"
"Sharpie Ink = Fail"
"Don't lose this"

[finnith @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:57PM]

I'm pretty sure that's an attempt at sarcasm by Frankie (the wash me thing).

[MarkHawk @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:13AM]

Awesome, Just awesome...

It's not just stuff iB3Nji, Microsoft is trying to use this as a message that they take responsibility and will do their best to make things right when they made them wrong. They are saying this is how will continue our on going support. It shows thy aren't the evil money bastards as they could be.

[Ghen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:15AM]

Corporate responsibility is a good thing and always will be in a world where some corporations are more powerful than entire countries. I totally agree.

[Fraggle.Rock @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:21AM]

Impressive, simply impressive.


[Wonders to himself if examples such as the or the discussion between Kawasaki and Ballmer at MIX08 might alter the perceptions of M$-haters... probably not]



PS - I hate when people write M$, it's even worse than asking if it will blend!

[pathogen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:31AM]

will it play crysis?


j/k

[Ed @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:03AM]

I heard they have a oirt of it running that does 60fph.