It was announced a few weeks ago that the worldwide launch of the Microsoft Xbox 360 was going to be more difficult than expected. As a result, retailers have reacted to their low initial hardware allocations.

From the sounds of it, it does appear that many people are going to be disappointed until the end of the year. Thompson, however, emphasized that the Xbox 360 is not the only option for retail this Christmas. Microsoft's UK regional director believes that retail will have a great season and that retailers should be looking at how they can cross-sell the original Xbox platform.

Some retailers are calling for an Xbox price cut on the old platform. However, there is concern that Xbox will underperform this Christmas without a price cut, and speak concerns for the future of Xbox as the value will decrease as Xbox 360 is releasing.