'No 360 shortages this Xmas'

While it's looking increasingly likely that there won't be enough PS3s to go round when the console launches in November, Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis has pledged that there will be "no shortages anywhere in the region over Christmas" for Xbox 360.

The launch of the 360 last year was dogged by widespread unavailability of the system, due to the huge logistical challenges involved with managing a simultaneous global launch - leaving many gamers frustrated and many shopkeepers a bit fed up.

But after a shaky start, Lewis believes Microsoft now has the infrastructure in place to make good on its one-year head-start over bitter rival Sony.

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Lewis's comments came in an interview with Eurogamer TV at last week's Leipzig Games Convention. When asked if he was confident of having enough consoles to meet demand over the peak period, Lewis replied: "Very confident. We were pretty tight after this last Christmas, [but] we tripled production; we put plenty of inventory in the air rather than using the water because it was important to get the stock to the right places at the right time.

"I'm very confident that we have the production capacity to suit our ambitions. And there will be no stock shortages anywhere in the region over this Christmas period, I can assure you of that."

Lewis' confident statements, made alongside a boast that Xbox 360 is the only option for the next 12 months thanks to Microsoft's exclusive deals on FIFA and PES, come at a time when Sony is under mounting pressure to spell out its launch strategy. PS3 made a surprising no-show at last week's German games show - despite having been fully playable at E3 in May.