Xbox 360 Fanboy

While the Xbox 360 is launching with a huge fanfare in the US at midnight tonight, the Europeans among us are left green with envy. Microsoft have made a great effort to provide a simultaneous worldwide launch, but while our American cousins are camping overnight and ripping open white boxes, we're left twiddling our thumbs for another ten days. Some European gamers were lucky (or skilled) enough to win a trip to Zero Hour, but the majority of us will just have to wait for our consoles.

So, here are ten things to do in the next ten days to take your mind off the launch delay:

1. Finish all the games you own which won't work on the Xbox 360 thanks to its limited backwards-compatibility.

2. Take some "glamour" photographs of your Xbox, ready for its imminent sale on eBay.

3. Spend a week tweaking your screen and sound setup ready for the arrival of your new toy. Buy a mini-fridge and stock it with energy food, and make sure your comfiest armchair is ready to be lived in for a week.

4. Camp on your driveway for a couple of nights to prepare for the midnight launch. Once accustomed to the December cold, move your tent/caravan/sleeping bag to your nearest games shop--the early bird catches the worm. Take a book or two to read.

5. Write all your Christmas cards. Try not to write "Merry Xbox" instead of "Merry Xmas".

6. Pop along to the Xbox 360 Hour Tour and try out the console for yourself to see what all the fuss is about. Alternatively, find your nearest kiosk.

7. Visit every friend and relative you have, apologising for your imminent retreat into a 360-induced trance. Drop off a "hint sheet" of the games you want for Christmas while you're there.

8. Repeatedly send game invites to your 360-owning Xbox Live friends, encouraging them to "go retro, baby!"

9. When said friends decline your invites, offer your services as a marriage counsellor, encouraging them to get offline and see their family.

10. Go really retro--get into the attic and dust off those old consoles! If you find yourself without any consoles (or perhaps without an attic), investigate PC emulation and relive your childhood.

If you haven't already preordered, the picture is looking grim, but tonight's US launch should help give some idea of what the situation will be like in Europe next week.