Maybe FSX is not such a big thing as I first thought........

[George W 3]

Ok, I have to confess up front that I am a flight simulator enthusiast, but isn't everybody?.............obviously not, based on my experience today,which I thought I would share with you.

I happen to be in New York right now, and thought this would be a great opportunity to pick up a copy of FSX, and as today is the official launch day, I thought the big computer stores would have some form of promotion or awareness of FSX.

So off I went down 5th avenue..............the first store compUSA had nothing on the shelf, and when I enquired about it with a sales assistant, I just got blank looks. (does no one in these stores read about the forthcoming product launches?). I then get taken to a computer in a back room, where I enter the details to help the assistant locate the product. When I found that, he took a note of the stock number and entered that into the computer to find they had not in stock and none were allocated.

Undeterred, I leave compUSA and head onto BestBuy which is 6 blocks along on 5th avenue. It has got to be at this store, I think to myself, but no, nothing on the shelf.................maybe they have all sold out I think, after all everybody knows about FSX don't they? This time when I enquire, I am lucky as I happened to ask the store manager. He goes back of house to see if he can find a copy of FSX in one of the two deliveries he has just recieved...........I am at last hopeful. The manager returns to tell me he has checked the deliveries and his computer and he has none in stock..................BUT..............their branch on 86th street have had 12 delivered.

Now you might have guessed what is going through my mind..............could these be the only 12 copies of FSX in New York?..............or maybe even the USA?.............I had better hurry and get up to 86th street to secure one. I arrive at BestBuy on 86th and Lexington, and head straight for the software section, and I spotted several copies of Flight Simulator..............and yes you are right it was FS2004..................not a FSX in sight................but an empty space with label for FSX saying that today (17th March) was launch date. I quickly concluded that I had arrived to late and that all copies had been sold.

Having got to 86th street, I was not going to leave without asking what had happened to the 12 copies that they had delivered. Again the sales assistant displayed no knowledge of the product or the fact that today was launch day, and it took some time to get the sales assistant to understand that I was not leaving until he checked the back of house.

This time, I got lucky because after 10 minutes he emerged with a copy of FSX de luxe.............of which I am now the proud owner.

Finally,and this is something I cannot get my head around. At the weekend I saw a PC World advert in a UK paper for FSX, for which the price was around £69, which at todays exchange rate is circa $125. The price I paid in New York including tax was $72...............why such a disparity in price for the same product? I cannot believe this cost variance is just down to distribution of the product. I accept that VAT in European countries has something to do with it, and can only assume that the balance in increased cost is due to European retailers taking a bigger slice of profit than their USA counterparts.................or is there another reason?

[João Pinto 23]

$125??? Wow, no no no! I paid 70€ for mine that's $87 dollars for you. And that was VAT included.

Besides, your shipping charges, coming out of the US, are absurd...

[SkyMaster 0]

I haven't had time to check any stores yet but checking on line CompUSA website says "Sold Out For Delivery" and "Not Available In-Store". Best Buy says "Backordered. Usually leaves our warehouse within 1-2 weeks

Store Pickup: Available at most stores" I checked the online stock and out of 8 listed close stores, 3 had it and 5 did not. the 3 closest to me are the biggest stores and they were out.

I guess I'll be forced to wait it out some more.

A question along similar lines...Was the release if FS2004 timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of powered flight or was it already out and Microsoft just made a big promotion about it. I just can't remember. I do remember that stores had a lot of extra goodies to give away at that time.

[SkyMaster 0]

I haven't had time to check any stores yet but checking on line CompUSA website says "Sold Out For Delivery" and "Not Available In-Store". Best Buy says "Backordered. Usually leaves our warehouse within 1-2 weeks

Store Pickup: Available at most stores" I checked the online stock and out of 8 listed close stores, 3 had it and 5 did not. the 3 closest to me are the biggest stores and they were out.

I guess I'll be forced to wait it out some more.

A question along similar lines...Was the release if FS2004 timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of powered flight or was it already out and Microsoft just made a big promotion about it. I just can't remember. I do remember that stores had a lot of extra goodies to give away at that time.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

It is rather normal to see $1 = 1Euro in boxed software these days, the reason is simply VAT plus the fact we don't get the same order prices as some US stores do. I would say margings for retailers and distributors are in fact lower in Europe then they are in the US.

[Robert S 75]

My Circuit City advertised the Deluxe version of FSX for just $49.95 USD!!!

[NJ_Flyer 1]

Ive Ordered my copy here in Australia... but unfortuantly we dont get it for about another wk or so. Im paying $126 AUD including shipping.... but I also get a Defrag Program and a subscription to Computer Pilot Mag.