There has been quite a bit of debate as to whether or not the XBOX 360 shortage is real or strategic marketing. With December 25th approaching rapidly, the reality of the situation will be revealed. Is Microsoft doing what Nintendo did back in 1996 with the N64, or is it like the Sony situation of 2000? The Playstation 2 shortage was legitimate, and definitely real, but we all know the Nintendo 64 shortage was a staged event, as a few days prior to Xmas, stores were flooded with N64 systems out of the blue.
So basically it comes down to this. If you can walk into any Toys R Us or Target or Wal-Mart or Costco and buy a XBOX 360 on Friday the 23rd or Saturday the 24th, then it's pretty obvious that this was a staged shortage. On the other hand, if you go to 4 different Wal-Marts and 4 different Targets and 4 different Circuit City's and none of them have any 360's then you know it's a real shortage.
Certainly, either way, part of the shortage is due to the chip yields on such new technology, and the whole strategy of launching in three seperate territories within the span of several weeks. But, if all of a sudden stores are magically flooded with 360's a few days prior to Xmas, then we know that part of this whole shortage situation was contrived.
I've seen it happen before. Back in December of 1996, I was able to get my hands on a extra Nintendo 64 system. They were selling for big money in the classifieds at that time. It was all about Tickle Me Elmo and the Nintendo 64. They were typically selling for $400 and $500, which was quite a premium. Nintendo was shipping units to retailers here and there, but it pretty much was a trickling of systems, and they would be sold out the second they were made available. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a extra N64, and I figured I could sell it for big money, and then be able to buy more N64 games. I figured that if I sold it a few days prior to Xmas, I would get the most money for it. So I took an ad in the classifieds a few days prior to Xmas. I think I was hoping to get $450 for it. Of course, much to my dismay, all of a sudden all the stores magically got flooded with N64 systems, and anybody that wanted a N64 could have walked into any Toys R Us a day before Xmas and buy one. I remember going to a Toys R Us and seeing tons of N64's stacked up in the gaming area. It was pretty amazing considering how scarce they were just a few days prior. You couldn't find a N64 anywhere for weeks and weeks, and then all of a sudden "BOOM!". Right before Xmas Nintendo flooded the market with N64's.
Looking back on it, I'm kinda suprised that Nintendo really didn't get much of any negative press regarding it. It's like the public didn't even realize that it was a "planned" shortage. I think Nintendo had some type of excuse made up for the coincidence of having tons of units magically available a few days prior to Xmas, like they got another factory up and running just in time to get more N64's on store shelves just before Xmas. Yeah, right.