X Marks the Spot: Buying an Xbox360 in Shanghai

Ah, the weekend is here again, and Shanghaiist has some big plans for the two day respite. Pier One? So spring 2006. Elite Bar? Been there, and what a disaster (more on that in another post, perhaps). Tang Hui? Well, now that live acts are gone …

Nope, this weekend, we aren’t going anywhere: No lychee martini, no run ins with stuck-up waitresses, and definitely no waiting around for 40 minutes so we can pay 100 kuai to get into a certain Bund venue and rub elbows with Shanghai’s glitterati. This weekend, we are staying home with our new love: Xbox360. How do you say “Madden 07” in Mandarin?

What the hell does this have to do with Shanghai? Absolutely nothing -- nothing unless you are in the market for an Xbox360. With news that the Playstation 3 launch shipment will only be half of the original projection, some fence straddlers for next generation game consoles and PS fanbois are seriously reconsidering their options.

Since Xbox was never officially launched in the China market, your local dealer will most likely sell you a unit from either Japan or Hong Kong. For about 2,750 kuai, you can be a proud owner of a shiny, new Xbox360 console, one equipped with a 20-gig hard drive, a wireless controller, and a composite video cable to hook up to your TV (the three prong red, white and yellow kind). If your machine is of Japanese origin, an additional power converter is needed, not just any converter, a heavy-duty, 400-watt monstrosity, for 150 kuai. Game selections are plentiful, at 500 kuai a pop, 90 percent of what’s available in the West and Pac Rim markets are available here. But this being China and all, there’s always a second option. Bootlegs offering same amount of fun and excitement can be had for a bit less .. OK a lot less ... say, 15 per. Just make sure when purchasing your new Xbox360 ask for one that’s been modified, or 改装/gai-zhuang.

Dealers can be found throughout the city, for what it’s worth, we recommend JXplay, on the corner of Guangyuan Xi Lu and Huashan Lu, near Jiao Tong University.

Alright, gotta go: Fourth and 11 on our own 35 yard line, and we aren’t about to punt. J-E-T-S -- JETS! JETS! JETS!