Last Tuesday, my brother spent three hours queuing up for the long-awaited Xbox One at Funan DigitaLife Mall. Right after he came back home from his night shift job, he immediately took a navy shower and skipped lunch, so he could get himself a good spot. If you think this is crazy, wait till you hear this. He also took a 3-day work leave, all for the console.
I’m not much of a gamer, so I doubt I’d ever comprehend his actions. Nonetheless, I applaud his determination.
Naturally, my brother isn’t the only one who’s thrilled about Microsoft’s new console. According to Channel NewsAsia, more than 500 fans turned up at Funan DigitaLife Mall to attend the launch event. To spice things up, over 100 gamers were invited and treated to an exhilarating gaming event specially organised by The Straits Times Digital Life and Microsoft Singapore.
These gamers literally went sky-high while they played video games on board the Singapore Flyer. The Straits Times Digital Life reports that five capsules at the giant Ferris wheel were furnished with Xbox One consoles, and about twelve gamers were led to each of them. The Singapore Flyer was lit up in Xbox’s shades of green, to boot. I doubt any of them bothered to look at the Singapore skyline.
Gamers took turns playing racing game Forza Motorsport 5 and fighting game Killer Instinct. Not only did they had first-hand experience with Xbox One, but the gamer with the fastest lap time on Forza also walked away with an Xbox One console and three games worth a total of $900.
During the launch event at Funan DigitaLife Mall, Hanson Yap, the Marketing Manager for Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Singapore, shares with Channel News Asia, “The feedback from our fans in Singapore has been overwhelming. We are on track to make this the biggest ever Xbox launch in history in Singapore.”
Xbox One fan Aw Jeng Kit was the first in line to collect his pre-order of the gaming console. The 18-year-old lad spent a total of 19 hours queuing, and it proved to be fruitful. Not only did he received his console, he also walked away with a brand new LG TV. According to some sources, he was given a Nokia phone, an Astro headset, and popular racing video game Need for Speeds Rival.
Perhaps envious of the gifts Aw has received, Facebook user Hariindarr Siingh went on to the social networking site to post a cheeky message on Xbox Singapore’s official page: “Hi Xbox Singapore, I am the first one to get [Xbox One] when it was launched in US.”
Unlike North American and several European gamers who got their hands on Xbox One back in November 2013, gamers from countries like Singapore and Japan had to wait for a long time as the game console was launched significantly later. Moreover, it has been reported that Xbox One is the first Xbox game console to be released in China!
What are your thoughts on Xbox One? Did you go to the launch event? Don’t forget to share with us!
