After finishing a particularly grueling day doing CSS browser compatibility coding, I ventured out to see the vast retail wasteland left in the wake of the XBox 360 launch.

Sure enough not a single XBox was to be found anywhere, expect for the insane gamers purchasing them for $5,000 or more on Ebay.

Best Buy actually had the gall to sell the old XBox for $149.

With my amazing wife being a expert retail shopper, I am keenly aware of Black Friday. The mythical day of the year when retailers move from red ink to black in their books.

Microsoft must be keenly aware of this day too. Because they are spinning furiously that they planned this shortage all a long, a PR stunt to drive consumers into a frenzy.

Is this shortage the worst planning in both gaming and Christmas retail history?

Black Friday will determine the truth.

If XBox 360’s are not lining the shelves of retailers Friday morning, for the little Timmy’s mother to purchase, Microsoft will have blown it. Big time!