Posts tagged Australia at Xbox 360 Fanboy

Posts with tag Australia

Rumor: Australian retailers consider the 360 dead [Update 2]

Posted Apr 6th 2008 10:00PM by Terrence Stasse
Filed under: News

Update 2: According to iTWire, Microsoft has denied the Smarthouse article, which claimed that the Xbox 360 was "dead" in Australia. Mariana Cidade, PR Manager of the entertainment and devices division for Microsoft Australia, noted that over 2 million pieces of Xbox 360 software have been sold in Australia and New Zealand, which is "nearly double [the Xbox 360's] next-gen competitors combined." Also noted was the Xbox 360's attach rate of 7 games per console in Australia, hardly the kind of sales garnered by a dead console. The data comes from GFK, a market research firm, and puts something of a damper on Smarthouse's already dubious (and anonymous) claims. Find our original post after the break.

Continue reading Rumor: Australian retailers consider the 360 dead [Update 2]

Australia gets Xbox 360 Elite on August 30th

Posted Aug 17th 2007 9:00AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News

Microsoft just announced that our friends in the land down under will be getting the Xbox 360 Elite later this month. August 30th Australian gamers will be able to purchase the 120GB HDD Xbox 360 Elite (with HDMI) for the suggested retail price of $729.95. The Elite will join the recently price reduced Core and Premium to be the third option for gamers who need a little more storage or just want to go black. Long live the Australian Elite!

Australia gets 360 price cut, same price as Wii

Posted Aug 15th 2007 11:45AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News

Hot on the heels of a North America price cut, Microsoft has just announced that Australia has officially taken part in the Xbox 360 price cutting too. Yesterday, Australia and New Zealand Xbox 360 territories saw a price drop on both console offerings seeing the Premium drop from $649 to $579 AUD and the Core get a price cut from $429 to $399 AUD. The adjusted console prices have ushered in a new comparison between the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii in Aussie-land, because both the 360 Core and the Wii now share the same $399 AUD price tag. Interesting, isn't it?

Congrats Australia on the price cuts you've just experienced and now we just have to wait for all of Europe to hop in on the fun and announce their participation in the 360 price cutting too.

New Aussie GoW Xbox 360 pro bundle

Posted Mar 12th 2007 3:45PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Gears of War

Australian Xbox fans will be getting another 360 bundle this week featuring the coolest chainsawing game around, Gears of War. Hitting retailers on March 15th, the Gears of War Xbox 360 bundle will include the standard Xbox 360 pro goods plus a copy of Gears for the must-have price of $699.95 AU. So, if you or a friend are from the land down under and are looking to invest in a Xbox 360, we couldn't think of a better game to jump start your fanboy ways. And mad props to the Australian marketing team for whoring out half of Xbox 360 box to Gears of War artwork ... we all love Marcus' manly man face.

Free Xbox Live Gold weekend for Australia

Posted Mar 6th 2007 2:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live

Australian and New Zealand fanboys who have Xbox Live silver accounts will be happy to know that a free gold weekend is upon them. Thanks to Ubisoft's charitable nature, GRAW 2 will be sponsoring an Australian and New Zealand free gold play weekend starting Friday, March 9th and running through Sunday, March 11th. Fellow silver members take advantage of your free play weekend as they are quite the rarity. Second thought, just purchase a Xbox Live gold subscription and all your life problems will disappear. That's almost a guarantee.

[Via IGN]

World record water balloon fight documented

Posted Feb 23rd 2007 9:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: Xbox Live, Fan stuff, Xbox Live Marketplace

Last April, the Xbox 360 marketing team had an idea to help promote 360 love in the land down under. They came up with the world's largest water balloon fight on the sunny beaches of Australia. If you didn't get a chance to see what went down, the Xbox Live folks finally got around to posting a short 60 second clip of the festivities to the XBLM. We always say it's better late than never. Man, how we would love to whip water filled balloons at certain people's faces and score some free swag. Go ahead and download the clip to see all the fun you missed and how inviting the beach looks. And those water goggles ... can you say freakin' sexy?

Aussies to get free Live this weekend

Posted Nov 21st 2006 5:30PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Gears of War

Emergence Day is fast approaching the land down under*, and according to Australian gaming site, PALGN, Microsoft is giving Aussies a free weekend of Xbox Live Gold to celebrate. Starting this Friday at 3PM EST and ending Sunday at 10PM EST, the free weekend will give Australians a chance to play some Gears of War the way it was meant to be played. Additionally, David McLean of Microsoft Australia believes that Gears of War is on its way to becoming the 360's fastest million seller, outdoing all original Xbox titles. We have to ask the same question as PALGN, though: does that include Halo 2?

How many of our Australian readers are picking up Gears this Friday (or possibly nicked it already)? If GOW isn't your thing, we suggest you wile away the weekend with Small Arms instead.

*It was really, really hard not to make a Men at Work joke here.

[Via QJ]

360 is fastest selling Aussie console ever

Posted Oct 25th 2006 4:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: News, Console wars

Hot on the heels of reports of lackluster 360 sales, Gamasutra is reporting that the Xbox 360 has officially become the fastest selling console in Australia. In its first seven months -- the 360 was released down under in March -- the 360 has gone to sell 100,000 units. This handily beats the PS2 total of 78,000 units in its first seven months. Also, Australians have purchased 400,000 games for their 360s since launch, trouncing the PS2 total of 198,000 during the same period after its launch. The regional director for Xbox Australia and New Zealand, David McLean, had this to say,

"Xbox 360 has taken off in Australia demonstrating that the game has changed and consumers are ready for the next-generation of gaming now. Xbox 360 provides amazing value for the whole family and with the biggest line-up of next-generation games and accessories, we are confident that there will be lots of Xbox 360s sitting under Christmas trees this year."

Of course, it's pretty easy to be confident when your largest competitor won't be launching in Australia until next year. So, do we have any happy Australian 360 owners out there? What do you think of all this?

Australian water balloon fight post mortem

Posted Apr 24th 2006 9:45AM by Christopher Grant
Filed under: News, Fan stuff

Bill Gates has a lot of things. Being the richest man in the world buys you that privilege. World's only tiger-sized domestic cat? Yup, he's got it. Hovercar? Two of those. The world's largest water balloon fight as determined by some agency who makes it their business to record trivial accomplishments? As of this weekend, according to John, yup!

The Australian Water Balloon Challenge is over, but that doesn't mean we can't vicariously enjoy the view from here. You can see the two teams above (Xbox versus 360), but that's about all we can tell you with any authority so --without further adieu--here's the straight poop from our peeps on the ground:

Cesar's coverage @ Gamerscore (Try these: 1, 2, 3)
Major Nelson's Flickr photos
Xboxic Down Under
Xbox.com.au (with pix here)
Major points to more

And continue reading for some awesome in-fight video footage, courtesy fanboy-on-the-scene Diet Zeek. Thanks!

Continue reading Australian water balloon fight post mortem

Shipping out for the Water Balloon Challenge

Posted Apr 20th 2006 4:30PM by Christopher Grant
Filed under: Fan stuff

This is the commercial for the water balloon fight that Microsoft is sponsoring this Saturday in Australia, looking to break the world record set by 2,677 Spaniards who tossed 50,855 water balloons in 2005 ... oh yeah, and to promote the Xbox 360.

For maximum exposure, they're sending down their big guns, John and Cesar from Gamerscore Blog and, natch, Major Nelson. They've also invited a select group of bloggers to cover the goings-on like our friends at Xboxic. Without impugning the integrity of our fellow bloggers, Xbox 360 Fanboy regretfully declined the generous offer.

Yes, we're aware that journalistic integrity at a site called Xbox 360 Fanboy seems a little ... antithetical, but we're fanboys because we hold these companies to a higher standard. Even the perception of impropriety may color our coverage, so we err on the side of caution. Rest assured, in lieu of blogging it first hand, we'll be here (in beautiful, sunny, wherever we are) to blog the various goings on from afar.

Read - Gamerscore shipping out
Read - Major Nelson shipping out

Xbox 360 Water Balloon Challenge

Posted Mar 30th 2006 9:00AM by Ken Weeks
Filed under: News

Australian gamers may be pissed that they have to wait longer and pay more for just about everything, but at least they get to take out their aggression in a massive Microsoft-sponsored water balloon fight that recreates the famous Xbox 360 commercial. The event is schedule for April 22 on Coogee Beach in Sydney. It costs $20 Australian to register, but you get an "Xbox 360 Challenge Pack" (worth over $150!) including a 360 game (Kameo, PGR3 or PDZ), a commemorative T-shirt, trucker cap, swimming goggles, sweatband and canvas bag to haul your loot. The goal is to break the world record set by 2,677 Spaniards who tossed 50,855 water balloons in 2005. $5 of each entry fee goes to the Coogee Beach Surf Club, who hopefully aren't tasked with picking up the busted water balloons.

You knew that if MS put enough marketing types in a room together, eventually they would come up with an appropriate Aussie promotion (however environmentally questionable) that might take the edge off that frustrating four month delay. For the first time, Down Under 360 fanboys are getting soaked literally instead of figuratively.

Note to our Southern Hemisphere readers who may get to attend this thing: Remember to send us your pics and try not to get hit in the face.

Xbox 360 launches Down Under

Posted Mar 23rd 2006 9:15AM by Ken Weeks
Filed under: News

That's not an Xbox 360 launch. This is a launch:

The wait is officially over: Xbox 360 has launched in Australia amid crowds of shoppers and excited customers. Over 350 stores across Australia and New Zealand threw their doors open at midnight so that hordes of eager fans could get their hands on the world’s only next generation console.

The crowds were biggest at the official launch location in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall where cheerleaders, street performers and radio station Nova entertained a massive crowd of fans as they gathered to count down the seconds to launch.

Australians may hate Foster's beer, but they love their 360s. Aussie gaming site My360.com.au has some pics from a local EB Games in Melbourne.

(For any Australians insulted by the pic of Crocodile Dundee, I'm still recovering from that brief period in the 80s when my country was obsessed with your native land to the point where kids were faking accents on sit-coms. Even the girls from Facts of Life went to Australia.)

[Thanks Roy]

Australia's 360 vans unfurled and exposed

Posted Mar 1st 2006 5:30PM by Christopher Grant
Filed under: Fan stuff

After seeing some pictures of the Xbox 360 utes (think light truck / van hybrid) that were scheduled to travel Australia, we've been itching to get a look inside one. XboxSnaps has some pics showing the ridiculously cool contents of those vans. Looks like 3 enormous Samsung flat panels, paired up with three 360s and twenty-four speakers! I guess good things come to those who wait.

We've seen the insides of the Hummer and the Scandinavian trailer, now we're just waiting to get a peek in that giant bus touring New Zealand.

[Thanks, Reuben]

Xbox 360 trucks roam Australia

Posted Jan 6th 2006 8:30PM by Christopher Grant
Filed under: News

Australia 101: These are called "utes". To anyone unfamiliar (that's everyone except Australians I think), utes are a bizarre amalgamation of station wagon, light-duty pickup truck, and sport utility vehicle. I dare say the closest comparison I can make would be that of the El Camino.

All this aside, these four particular utes, outfitted with three Xbox 360s and high-definition Samsung LCD displays, will be driving around Australia evangelizing the 360 prior to the launch of the console in March. If you want to hear (and play) the Good Word, you can check 'em out at "the Moonlight Cinemas, in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens on January 8." If you go, take some pictures and send 'em in.

[Via digg]

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