Wal-Mart, Best Buy Drop Xbox From Sites
- April 24, 2006 17:40 PM PST
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You can no longer purchase an original Xbox from Wal-Mart, Target, or Best Buy. Is Microsoft abandoning the Xbox?
Visitors to Walmart.com, Target.com, and BestBuy.com can no longer purchase an Xbox console from those sites.
These three key sites no longer show so much as an entry for the original Xbox console, though they do allow customers to buy Xbox-branded games and peripherals. GameStop.com and Amazon.com, on the other hand, allow customers to purchase pre-owned or refurbished Xboxes. But while pre-owned Xboxes are in great supply, there is no way to buy a brand-new, factory-sealed Xbox from these retailers. The Amazon listing show that the factory Xbox model is "currently not available."
Ever since the Xbox 360's November 2006 launch, rumors have circulated that Microsoft has discontinued production of the original Xbox. Could low stock be the reason why brand-new Xbox units are so hard to come by? We made a few phone calls to find out the current state of affairs.
Out of the five Bay Area Wal-Mart stores we called, four had no Xboxes at all. The last store we called had just two Xbox consoles -- these were available for $179.99 (with one free game). On the other hand, hardcore gamers will be happy to hear that nearly all the stores had Xbox 360s available.
Is Microsoft giving up on the Xbox in light of the Xbox 360's success? We'll follow up with Microsoft and see if we can't answer these lingering questions.
