Bill Gates gives mother of pearl-clad Xbox 360 to South Korean President

Apparently not one to let a tacky trend pass him by, Bill Gates has commissioned 100 mother of pearl-clad Xbox 360s to be used as extra special gifts, the first of which was given to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak earlier this month, prompting a response that we can only imagine to be, "gee, thanks." To be fair, the design by Korean artisan Kim Young-jun is a bit classier than most of the crystal-encrusted gadgets we come across, but the same can't quite be said for the move of bringing a bit of thinly disguised self-promotion to a visit with a head of state. We can also only assume that Gates is dreading the day that the President calls him up and asks him what the red rings on his Xbox mean.

[Brendan Booyah @ May 19th 2008 5:32PM]

It'll be awesome once he finds out what the RRoD is. Let's hope he doesn't take it as a sign of hostility.

[dhughes @ May 19th 2008 8:04PM]

The red rings would compliment the black case and the pearl design.

[peteH @ May 19th 2008 5:26PM]

Tacky? I think this is actually pretty tasteful. Mother of pearl can be used to make some very cool art, unlike simply coating something in Swarovski crystals and selling it for $20K.

[joe @ May 19th 2008 5:28PM]

TAKE THAT NORTH KOREA..... bastards!

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 19th 2008 5:29PM]

Swarovski crystals are pretty stupid in my opinion. Put a little on anything you can think of, it's all of a sudden idioticly priced high.

[Low Ranked @ May 19th 2008 5:32PM]

@CUBSWILLWIN:

The PS3 was able to do the same thing, but without the crystals.

[teslasnp @ May 19th 2008 6:10PM]

shiny is taste good

[Lars @ May 19th 2008 8:35PM]

@Low Ranked:

Oh come on... fanning the flames. You really want to start one?

Fine. Aside from the fact that the PS3 was costing them $800 to make and they were selling each one for a $300 loss... PS3 is a better value than 360. And "value" aside, after you add up some of the extra crap you need, the 360 is more expensive. Just adding the cost to play your games online (which I still can't believe they charge for) makes the console price equal. I'd still be primarily a PC gamer were it not for the PS3. I just HATE non standardizations. I would hate having to buy a special HDD that only works in the 360, or forced to buy Microsoft headsets -- not being able to use the BT headset that came with my phone or the USB headset I got for my PC, or to not have my choice of controller (I mean I can buy a 3rd party controller similar to the 360's if I want or use the classic PS style, and I can get cheap 3rd party controllers, plus I prefer K&M for FPS's and I can use any old USB setup or BT), and so on.

I know I'm setting myself up for a bashing, but whatever, I don't consider myself a Sony fanboy per se, they just do a lot of things right by me (this time around--I wasn't much of a PS1 or PS2 fan) while MS does a lot of stuff wrong by me. I'd feel the same even if I only had a 360, actually probably more so because I'd be constantly lamenting over Microsoft's shenanigans. Fortunately for me, most of the games that I really want to play are exclusive to PS3, or on both consoles, or available on PC.

[Lars @ May 19th 2008 8:37PM]

Oh and record-straightening aside, that 360 looks pretty sweet!

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ May 19th 2008 10:19PM]

TMTR

[bob @ May 20th 2008 12:07AM]

@lars

Amen.

[ynx @ May 20th 2008 1:37AM]

Isn't this guy at Le Pain Quotidien? Gee. No wonder he can't pose at Starbucks.

[skulldriveshaft @ May 20th 2008 5:12AM]

Because it's not tacky enough to distract you from the FUCKING HOLT RENFREW SCARF PATTERN THAT EVERY KOREAN MUST WEAR.

Anyways, if someone knows where that dumbass pattern came from, please burn down that place.

The 360 gift by itself is a pretty strange gesture, but it's Gates, so I assume he needs more of user base in that part of the world.

All Gates really had to do was get StarCraft on the XBOX instead.

[Ayle @ May 19th 2008 5:26PM]

RROD assure, I like the artwork.

[Ayle @ May 19th 2008 5:30PM]

I meant aside not assure, stupid autocorrection.

[vdogg89 @ May 19th 2008 6:22PM]

Seriously Engadget. How many times do you need to hear this? Add a fricken delete button next to our comments

[Zach @ May 19th 2008 6:38PM]

never. they like to torture us :)

[Jonathan-DBOSS @ May 19th 2008 7:38PM]

"Red Rubies of Depth."

Bill Gates' response to the shiny red lights on the Korean president's Xbox 360.

-APee

[Low Ranked @ May 19th 2008 5:26PM]

Ah, espionage at its finest.

In all honesty, why the gay looking flowers and butterflies?

[Tim @ May 19th 2008 5:31PM]

... because it's better than a pearl necklace?

[sinai @ May 19th 2008 5:36PM]

someone in this thread is a closet homosexual.

[roflercopterer @ May 19th 2008 5:51PM]

He who lives in glass houses...

[ethana2 @ May 19th 2008 6:08PM]

sinai, I like the way your avatar and comment work together..

[Brad @ May 19th 2008 6:16PM]

How come in your picture you're pounding a gay-looking drink like "X"? I mean, it's pink.

Homophobic frat boys...*shakes head*

[warrrennnnn @ May 19th 2008 6:29PM]

Well, actually, what if you're trapped in a glass house? And you have a stone? Throw the damn stone! So really, it's ONLY people in glass houses should throw stones,



providing that you are trapped and have a stone. It's a little longer, but makes more sense.

[bi0hazard @ May 19th 2008 6:39PM]

location location location

[Low Ranked @ May 19th 2008 6:55PM]

@Brad:

Because we ran out of beer and I am resourceful when it comes to alcohol.

[amnigo @ May 19th 2008 6:59PM]

Warren, give credit where credit is due right now.

[deyanimay @ May 19th 2008 8:50PM]

@Warren

whoa my friend just made that same argument in my chemistry class a few days ago, deja vu.

[Brad @ May 19th 2008 9:43PM]

"Because we ran out of beer and I am resourceful when it comes to alcohol."

QED.

[Idlemind @ May 19th 2008 5:27PM]

Nice gesture... but why does the design remind me of the Arizona Iced Tea Can (Green Tea Flavored)?

[sinai @ May 19th 2008 5:50PM]

because you're a racist bastard and you think all asian-esque art looks the same.

[Idlemind @ May 19th 2008 5:57PM]

No. cause I drank one for Lunch along with that greasy rice you brought me....

That was you wasn't it?

http://aphs.worldnomads.com/mel_collison/288/phoenix2006122.jpg

[sinai @ May 19th 2008 6:05PM]

yes, thanks for the shitty tip. now i berate you on engadget!

[Idlemind @ May 19th 2008 6:08PM]

You're the one with nothing but bad stuff to say....

The problem with cutting you down to size is,

30min later I want to do it all over again...

[vdogg89 @ May 19th 2008 6:32PM]

dang Sinai, you just got pwned

[sinai @ May 19th 2008 6:44PM]

oh come on!

"that greasy rice you brought me"
"thanks for the shitty tip"

*WHOOSH*

[Ace b @ May 20th 2008 1:04AM]

Best Comment Own Ever.

Kudos to you,sir.

[Mike10010100 @ May 20th 2008 6:11AM]

Nice job, Idlemind.

Truly good job. The more we can annoy the idiots away from commenting on engadget, the better.

[ReynaldoRiv @ May 20th 2008 11:00AM]

sinai's Response was great! It's a shame he had to point it out since it was a little hard to follow... oh well.

mob-mentality overpowers logic I suppose

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 19th 2008 5:27PM]

That is a pretty good lloking 360. I like the pattern. So relaxing to look at for some reason.

[Low Ranked @ May 19th 2008 5:44PM]

[/sarcasm]

[Ed @ May 19th 2008 6:04PM]

I figured they'd make it so the "XBOX 360" on the side isn't right in the middle of the design.

Then I remembered, this is Microsoft.

[LC @ May 19th 2008 5:27PM]

Was it not South Korea that sued Microsoft in some idiotic anti-trust lawsuit?

[BigD145 @ May 19th 2008 6:29PM]

Is it not South Korea that has such a huge MMO fixation that Gates would love to see flock to the 360?

[Derek @ May 19th 2008 5:29PM]

Now what will happen when they get the Red Ring of Death...

[LC @ May 19th 2008 5:31PM]

Chances are it's running on a newer 360 with the Falcon motherboard, which is pretty much RROD proof, unless the 360 is mistreated. I should know, I have one.

[r3loaded @ May 19th 2008 5:39PM]

They'll put in for an RMA, Microsoft will pay for postage to and from repair centre, and the console will be returned in about 4 days. Along with that, there'll be a free 1-month Xbox Live Gold subscription card with their fixed Xbox.

That's what happened to me anyway. Don't know what the RROD fuss is about, Microsoft is being exemplary in customer service.

[Ray @ May 19th 2008 5:49PM]

Ummm r3loaded, Derek wasnt seriously asking what would happen.

[roflercopterer @ May 19th 2008 5:50PM]

LC just because yours didn't die doesn't make falcons 3ROLD proof...plenty of people on ign and xbox scene are getting it with falcons.