Moore admits Europe could face Xbox 360 shortages

Microsoft's Peter Moore has admitted that many European consumers hoping to take an Xbox 360 home in time for Christmas could be disappointed as demand for the new console outstrips supply.

In an interview with the Official UK Xbox Magazine, Moore said: "The good news is that Xbox 360 is a very desirable product, the bad news is that itâs not like baking bread. It has 1700 parts, we have to make them, pack them, and ship them. Weâre trying to get everyone satisfied as quickly as we can but demand is huge.â

"Iâm not sure I can guarantee that everyone will get an Xbox 360 by Christmas,â Moore continued.

"My hope, certainly, is that everyone who wants one will get one by Holiday time, but the demand is overwhelming.â

Many UK retailers ceased taking pre-orders for the Xbox 360 some time ago - but there is still hope for those who didn't get place an order in time. "What we have done is encourage retail to keep a balance between pre-orders and first-come-first-served sales, both in North America and in Europe," Moore said.

He confirmed that Microsoft is doing everything it can to get Xbox 360 units into shops, with two factories operating 24 hours a day and both planes and boats shipping deliveries.

âOur goal is to roll inventory in every week from the factories, which is different to some of our competitors who like to dump a lot of units in and then go completely dry for weeks,â Moore added - most likely referring to Sony's PSP stock problems earlier this year.