tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205979482011-04-21T15:37:45.259-07:00SWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04701063086127426812noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20597948.post-1136511335285769302006-01-05T17:35:00.000-08:002006-01-05T18:43:48.326-08:00<!-- E IBYL --> <p> <!-- S IIMA --> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203"> <tbody><tr><td> <div> <img alt="Man holding up his new Xbox 360" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41183000/jpg/_41183928_xbox203body.jpg" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="203" /> <div class="cap">Not everyone has been able to get hold of an Xbox 360</div> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> <!-- S SF --> <b>Microsoft has addressed criticism about shortages of its Xbox 360 by announcing a third manufacturing partner.</b> </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The company faced the ire of frustrated gamers last month as limited supplies of the new console quickly sold out. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Speaking on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Xbox's Peter Moore said Microsoft was trying hard to meet demand. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The Xbox 360 is the first of a new generation of games consoles. </span></p><p> <!-- E SF --> <span style="font-size:85%;">It went on sale in the US in November, and in Europe and Japan in December. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b>More games</b> </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The ambitious global launch of the console led to severe shortages, especially in the US and the UK. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Limited stocks meant many gamers were left empty-handed as shops quickly sold out of their Xbox 360s. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">"We are working to deliver consoles as quickly as we can manufacture them," said Mr Moore. </span></p><p> <!-- S IIMA --> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203"> <tbody><tr><td> <div> <img alt="Man playing game on an Xbox 360" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41183000/jpg/_41183958_xboxbody.jpg" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="203" /> <div class="cap">50 games will be available for Xbox 360 by summer</div> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">As part of its efforts, Mr Moore said Microsoft had signed up a third company to make the Xbox 360. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Celestica will join Microsoft's existing manufacturing partners Flextronics and Wistron to help meet high demand for the console. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Mr Moore also addressed concerns about the limited number of games for the console, saying 50 titles would be available by June. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">While he did not say how many consoles had been sold since launch, he said Microsoft was on track to ship between 4.5 million and 5.5 million consoles by the end of June. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><b> Online gamers</b> </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Microsoft's decision to offer limited free access to its online gaming service, Xbox Live, appears to have paid off. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">More than 50% of 360s are connected to Live, compared to 10% of the original Xbox, said Mr Moore. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Although a free subscription does not allow people to play games, they can access Microsoft's Marketplace and download movie trailers, demo games and music. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">This strategy also seems to be working. Mr Moore said there had been more than four million downloads in the four weeks since launch. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">The Xbox executive also announced that Microsoft would be releasing a high definition HD DVD external drive for the 360 later this year. The console itself just has a standard DVD player. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Microsoft hopes to steal a march of its competitors by being first out of the gate with the Xbox 360. </span></p><p> <span style="font-size:85%;">Sony has said its PlayStation 3 will out in the spring and Nintendo is also planning to release its Revolution this year. </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/20597948-113651133528576930?l=millenium-news.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>SWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04701063086127426812noreply@blogger.com2