(This is the Online column, written for The Southland Times)
Where were you at 12.01 this morning?
That’s when the Xbox 360 finally made its New Zealand appearance, after a hugely successful Xbox 360 Roadtrip, where more than 8000 gaming fans had a shot at hands-on fun with Microsoft’s latest gaming console aboard the Xbox bus. Unfortunately, the deep south was missed off the itinerary, with the bus only making it as far south as Dunedin.
The 360, with 21 game titles ready for launch day, features wireless controllers as standard and is compatible with other entertainment devices, such as the iPod and digital cameras, setting it up to be much more than just a games console.
Meanwhile, Sony has announced the 6-month delay of the world debut of its next generation games console, the PlayStation 3. Technology problems mean the console is expected to be out in early November.
Microsoft has also put the brakes on one of its projects, with its Windows Vista operating system not expected to be available until January instead of later this year. Vista is the first major overhaul of Windows since Windows XP hit the scene nearly five years ago.
Microsoft says the delay is to allow time for overall quality, particularly in security.