iPioneer: Mark Johnson's Blog

Xbox 360 Zero Hour: The End

Zero Hour was a well-executed launch party.  On the plus side, they gave us some nifty free things, they had more than enough gaming opportunities (there was always a console/controller available), and the events were pretty fun.  Most importantly, Microsoft held true to putting the gamers at front-and-center, e.g. only people with gamer bracelets could buy Xbox 360s, not the press or VIPs.  But, I still think that Microsoft should have done something obscenely extravagant.  Maybe for the next-next-gen console!

The big talk coming out of the launch isn't how great the system is or how many polygons come flying out at you when you start playing the games, but rather the raging bidding war for Xboxes on eBay and Craig's List.

I came into Zero Hour thinking that I'd offload my Xbox 360 to the highest bidder on eBay and make a hundred bucks or so.  After playing so many amazing games and being in awe of the gamer crowd, I did a 180 myself and decided that I would play around with this hot piece of machinery that I had acquired long before more worth zealots.  Once I went to eBay and saw prices of the Xbox running up into the thousands, my 360 was complete and I have a plan to put my acquisition on the chopping block at a handy profit.

From what I can currently tell on eBay, there are a number of people who have listed their systems at absurd prices, probably in the hopes that some moron will come along and swipe the system without having done a bit more research.  That technique has some merit and I'm considering posting a similar advertisement.  The actual selling prices of a full system plus a few accessories and games seems to be between $1000-$1500, depending on how much is included.  The mother lode includes:

• Xbox 360 Premium
• Wireless Network Adapter
• Extra Wireless Controller
• Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero (Limited Edition)

I'm testing out a Craig's List advertisement for $2500, though I think I'll have to lower a bit at this point.  Since I'm headed to Boston for Thanksgiving break, I won't have an opportunity to sell or ship my treasure horde, so I may miss the initial wave of fortune.  I still haven't gotten any e-mails about my CL post.  Hmmm.  Not boding well for an easy profit!

Xbox 360 Zero Hour: Day 1

Today, Ben and I drove down to Palmdale, CA to the Xbox 360 Zero Hour launch event.  We expected Palmdale to be in the middle of nowhere, but it actually is the 6th largest city in California with a population of ~140k people (according to Wikipedia).  It also happens to be the largest city in America without a hospital, so I hope there are no ODs at Zero Hour. 

Speaking of which, the "party" at Zero Hour is much more subdued than Ben and I predicted.  During our trip down, we speculated that they might have fighter jets, a PS2 effigy, an Xbox 360 laser that projected into the upper atmosphere, a singularity caused by creating a supercomputer of Xbox 360s, and/or excessive drugs and drinking.  Unfortunately, none of these predictions came to be.  We both enjoyed a beer when we arrived, but the beer tent wasn't packed with people.  I suppose that makes sense, since most of the attendees appear to be under 21.

Having the festivities in a big hangar was definitely cool and the light effects were pretty incredible.  Inside the hangar, most of the excitement was centered on playing the games. 500 consoles were set up, all with big LCD and Plasma screens.  From watching the games, the graphics looked truly truly incredible.  I spent most of my time playing Kameo, which is crazy fun.  The noise of the hangar means that I missed the story, but the stories in video games are often like plots in pornos.  From what I can tell, you're this mystical chick that can turn into herself (a mystical chick), some kind of spiky-rolling thing, a boxing flower, and a hairy ice monster.  There are some monsters and trolls and flying dragon things. Once you get used to the controls, the game is a blast.  I played for over an hour.  While I was playing, I got interviewed by some chick from G4.  I was my normal, charming self, but I worry that I wasn't exactly what she wanted.  She kept asking what games I was interested in-but I'm a newbie to all this gaming stuff!  Hopefully she'll edit my entire interview out and keep me off TV. 

I got a bunch of free stuff today.  I got:

• An Xbox 360 Zero Hour hoodie
• A 64MB memory card
• A 12-month Xbox Live Gold account
• Special player pictures for our accounts, available only to Zero Hour attendees

I've also found out that attendees can only buy one Xbox 360, which means that my designs to profit from massive Xbox 360 arbitrage are dead in the water.  Worse, I really enjoyed the games I played and will probably keep it. 

OK, I'll have more to report tomorrow!

Complete Flickr photo stream available.

XBox 360 Launch Arbitrage

There is a time-honored tradition in this country when you've acquired an item that has greater value to others than yourself: you sells it to the highest bidder.  If you can get billions of these do-dads, you're Wal*Mart.  If you can only get your hands on a few XBox 360s and Microsoft isn't shipping enough for Christmas, you're going to be in the enviable position I will be in tomorrow.  Though the Premium XBox 360 bundle is retailing for $399 (plus hopefully a discount for party-goers), it's being sold on eBay for a $200+ premium.  I am going to purchase as many XBox 360's at this launch event as they'll let me carry away.  How fun!  If I can get 3, I'll definitely keep one for myself.  Getting a new Xbox 360 would be a great reason for me to plunk down the cash and get a freakin' TV. 

OK. I've done a search on Technorati, Google News, Topix.net, and the Yahoo Blog Search and nothing has turned up any rumors about the "XBox 360 Launch Party" (my search term). I found one blog that mentions the launch, but it doesn't sound like this guy is gonna go.  Nonetheless, my camera batteries are charging, because I plan to take copious pics and Flickr 'em!

Night, y'all!

XBox 360 Launch: I'm going!

For my first post, I had hoped for something philosophical and geared to my immediate interests, but this is just too exciting to pass up!  I've been invited by my good friend, Ben Crosby, to attend the Xbox 360 launch with him on Sunday and Monday of this week.  From what I can tell from various postings on the Web, this is going to be one crazy shin-dig, considering it's in the middle of a desolate wasteland!  Since I've never been to either E3 and Burning Man, I can only imagine what an event touted as a cross between the two will be like.  Nonetheless, such a unique opportunity warrants taking a last-minute day off from work.  Microsoft still has a lot of money and I've heard they throw killer parties.  My plan is to blog as much of the event as possible, assuming that:

1. I'm not high from some king of Burningmanesque drug-induced stupor
2. The middle of the Mojave Desert is amenable to electronics and high-speed internet access
3. I understand what the hell is going on around me

Full disclosure: I currently own only a GameCube, which I play rarely, at best.  As an example, I have owned The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for years and never even put it in my console.  Since the launch is geared to serious gamers, I should have a unique outsider perspective.  Or maybe it will be like a book review of Harry Potter in Latin.  Whether my posts are insightful or clueless, it's all going in here.  Stay tuned for pictures and reports.  The excitement begins at dusk on Sunday and ends sometime after the singularity at 9:00 p.m. on Monday.  WooHoo!