Computer game fans in New York queued up outside a brand new, flagship Toys "R" Us store in Times Square last night, waiting for Microsoft to order the official launch of its new games console, Xbox.
Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates, made the first sale himself at midnight last night to a 20-year-old New Yorker who had waited 16 hours for the honour. Mr Gates circulated through the crowd, autographing boxes of the $299 (£208) console.
"We were going out and talking to the gamers about what they want," Mr Gates said, to a roomful of buyers who waited in line - some all night - to be the first to get their hands on one of the 1,000 consoles shipped to the store.
Jimmy Keethe, a teenager from New Jersey, raved about NFL Fever 2002, one of 15 games available for the Xbox.
"It's got great graphics. You can actually see the football players sweat," he said.
Mr Gates said as many as 30 games will be available for the holiday season, but he hyped up the console's launch by warning that demand for the consoles may outpace supply.
"Tonight we think we brought a lot of Xboxes here, and tonight is probably the only night for a long, long time where everyone can get an Xbox," he said.
Microsoft expects to make and sell 1.5m consoles by the end of the year, but Mr Gates said that because of consumer demand "we expect to be in pretty short supply".
Xbox, which is the only games console with a built-in hard drive and a plug for high-speed Internet access, officially goes on sale this morning at 10,000 retailers across the US. Over the holiday season, Xbox will be aiming to outsell Nintendo's Game Cube - which retails for $100 less than Xbox and launches on Sunday - and Sony's reigning Playstation 2.
"I can't believe I got one," said Christian Santana, 19, who took the subway from Brooklyn today to get a wristband after hearing promotions about the midnight launch on the radio. Santana, a hardcore gamer, said that last year he had to wait until January - three months after the launch date - to get his hands on PlayStation2.
Xbox will not be available for sale in the UK until March, although the company is running a number of public events around the country to give anxious gamers an opportunity to try out the system now. The company will install machines at Nutopia in Covent Garden, central London, for people to play during weekends from Saturday until December 16. There will also be weekend showings in Birmingham (November 24-25), Manchester (December 1-2) and Glasgow (December 8-9).
Amazon.co.uk has said it will take pre-orders for Xbox, which will retail in the UK for £299. That price tag makes the system about £91 more expensive to buy in the UK.
