The Xbox 360 arrives on shelves in Europe on Friday, but many shoppers may likely leave stores empty handed.
It is expected that at least 300,000 consoles are being made available for the European launch later this week, with only 50,000 destined for the UK.  Stores are reporting that they may not even have enough stock to fulfill all of their pre-orders.
Launched in the US last Tuesday, the Xbox 360 sold out at many retailers in a matter of hours.  The console can be found on eBay however, although most prices are significantly marked up from retail, some as high as $700 USD.
The console launches worldwide in two versions: a standard version, costing £279.99, and a core version at £209.99.  The Core version does not include a hard disk which is required to play games created for the original Xbox.
The Xbox 360 will be launched in Japan on December 10.  This is the first time a console has been launched in the three major markets (North America, Europe and Japan) in such a short time.
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Xbox 360 shortages expected on debut day in Europe