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Originally posted by   By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

Electronics retailers across the country are preparing for the expected onslaught of excited gamers as the Xbox 360 officially launches on Tuesday. At least one major retailer will open its doors early, and over 4,500 others nationwide will open at midnight to begin selling the console.

To celebrate the impending launch, Microsoft held a special event called "Xbox 360: Zero Hour" in California's Mojave Desert that began Sunday night. Attendees will have the chance Monday night to buy the console, games and accessories before leaving the invite-only party.

Microsoft says Zero Hour was the first time the company had held an event of this size for gamers. The company hosted a party in 2001 for the launch of the original Xbox console, but those who had attended both said that this event was much grander in scale.

"The debut of Xbox 360 marks one of the biggest consumer launches in Microsoft's history," Microsoft's chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach said.

Along with midnight Xbox 360 sales, Best Buy said that it would open its stores an hour earlier Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time. The store urged customers to arrive early, as tickets would be issued for those waiting to buy the console.

Each store would carry a minimum of ten units. However, no pre-orders would be accepted, nor would rain checks be made available, Best Buy said.

Tuesday's Xbox 360 launch will mark the first part of a three-phase global rollout. The console will launch December 2 in Europe, and then December 10 in Japan

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For the UK folks on these boards, Gamestation is opening at midnight on launch day, but there will only be systems to collect for PRE-ORDER customers who HAVE been contacted in advance.

There will be NO SALES of consoles for people who do not have a valid pre-order slip.

i read Aussies will have to roughly wait till March to get there Consoles

We sure do! Oh well, I wasn't planning on geting one anyway.

already sold out in most places in canada next shipment of my local store is like 9 days. :/ dosnt bother me cause i'm not planning on getting a xbox 360 but i know some people who are.

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Originally posted by Animal
i read Aussies will have to roughly wait till March to get there Consoles

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Australia is usually one ofthe last countries to get the latest technology, but we are usually the testing ground for new food products (ie. coke flavours, etc.)

I am going to see if I can get a pre-order some time this week, so as soon as they get one in, I can get one... I have the money...

i'd prefer to spend the Money onna chick than i woulod a game console,, though  i would spend it on a LCD tv, 

hmm x box 360. i'd buy it for perfect dark zero, that looks an awesome game. im in two minds whether to get one next year or not. ive always been loyal to nintendo, the gamcube sucked but the N64 was king.

Perfect dark, goldeneye, no mercy, ocarina of time, majoras mask, mario 64, ISS 98...need i go on?