Halo 3: A Confirmed System Seller

With the global release of Halo 3 last week, it was pretty much a certainty that Microsoft would be moving a lot of software.  This turned out to be true as Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours.

One question posed by analysts and even Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime was whether Halo 3 was a system seller:

Will they sell a lot of software? Certainly. Will it sell hardware? I think it's an open question. Why? Because I think that the "Halo 3" consumer already has the hardware, because they're playing "BioShock" and "Crackdown" and a variety of games that are, in the end, quite similar: first-person shooter experience, multiplayer capable online. Tell me what's new?

It does appear that the 'Halo 3 effect' is indeed translating into increased Xbox 360 console sales as the Premium console was topping the Amazon Bestseller charts last week and  is currently sold out.  This is the first time the console has sold out at Amazon this year.  In addition, the console is also showing up in 'limited quantities' over at Buy.com as well.

Is the Xbox 360 console going to be as difficult to find as the Nintendo Wii this holiday shopping season due to the 'Halo 3 effect'?