Xbox: Pay now, play later
GameStop, a Barnes & Nobles subsidiary, has become one of the first major retailers to begin taking pre-orders for the Xbox, Microsoft's hotly anticipated game console set to go on sale Nov. 8. GameStop's site lets people pre-purchase various packages of Xbox hardware and software, at prices ranging from $600 to $1,200. The Xbox console alone will carry a list price of $299. According to the site, the packages will be shipped after the official launch date on a "first come, first served" basis. Sony was stung by bad publicity when retailers accepted extensive pre-orders for its PlayStation 2 game console before Sony announced supplies would be short for the system's North American launch last fall. Many customers who paid for their PS2 far in advance had to wait weeks or months to actually get their hands on one.
Sony was stung by bad publicity when retailers accepted extensive pre-orders for its PlayStation 2 game console before Sony announced supplies would be short for the system's North American launch last fall. Many customers who paid for their PS2 far in advance had to wait weeks or months to actually get their hands on one.