Sydney 21 November 2005 - About 30 Australians have made a pilgrimage to the Californian desert for the global launch of the Xbox 360.
They’ve made a 23,000 kilometre round trip to join about 3,500 people attending the launch at a remote location in the Mojave Desert.
For Sydney sales manager Issy Belleli, the trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Belleli, 34, is an ardent gamer chosen by Microsoft to attend the global launch event as a VIP.
“When the rumours were confirmed that there was going to be a new Xbox this year I knew there is no way in the world I would miss the release of the Xbox 360. I've been into the Xbox in a big way since release and a 13-hour plane ride wasn't going to keep me away,” Belleli said.
“I can’t wait to slam Perfect Dark Zero into the disc tray as soon as I plug the Xbox 360 in. From what I've seen this game has all the elements - hi-def graphics, awesome gameplay, and 32 person multiplayer gaming over Xbox Live, which is where the fun is at for me.”
David McLean, Director, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft Australia said he was taken aback by the enthusiasm.
“We’ve always known that we had some hardcore Xbox supporters, but this has just blown us away. There are almost as many gamers from Australia on the trip as there are from the whole of Europe,” McLean said.
“They had no idea of the location or what’s going to be happening, yet they were prepared to drop everything and fly halfway around the world just to be a part of it.”
Joining Belleli and thousands of other Xbox faithful is an array of sporting greats, musicians and film and TV stars. The desert venue features hundreds of Xbox 360 machines, and the entire Xbox 360 launch line-up is available for attendees to play.
http://www.impulsegamer.com
Monday, November 21, 2005
Xbox’s Australian faithful begin launch trip
8:28 PM
