Microsoft Will Miss Xbox 360 Target
Official line changes from 3 million in 90 days to at least 4.5 million by June.
Despite the problematic launch of the Xbox 360 that saw Microsoft deliver the console in limited quantities in all three major territories in just three weeks, the company has continued to say that it's on track to meet its goal of 3 million consoles sold in the first 90 days. The goal now seems too far.
The official line out of Microsoft has changed from 3 million Xbox 360s in 90 days to 4.5 to 5 million by June.
The honeymoon has been rough for Microsoft, which has had to deal with millions of angry customers who weren't able to pick up the new console this Christmas. Company bosses have blamed chip manufacturers for failing to get enough chips out in time, while other sources have put the blame further down the line, at the final assembly stages.
"Nothing's perfect," Peter Moore told the Financial Times this week. "You've got a complex piece of hardware that includes 1,700 different parts. Every now and again the line will slow down because something's happened and there'll be a component that didn't make it that morning."
To get more consoles onto shelves, Microsoft announced this week that it has brought in a third production partner, which is supposed to boost output by around 50 per cent. How quickly the numbers will translate into more boxes in stores, however, is anybody's guess.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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