Frustrated games enthusiasts have been warned that they will struggle to find an Xbox 360 in the shops this weekend after limited stocks of the Microsoft games console were snapped up within minutes of the console’s midnight launch.

A spokesman for the company said that fresh stocks would be available next week, but retailers warned that it may be 2006 before the console is widely available.

More than 200 fans braved the London drizzle for nine hours to queue outside Game in Oxford Street yesterday. First in line was Kevin Sage, 33, a DJ from Sydenham, South London.

"We have been waiting in this queue for hours and hours and now I can’t wait to get home and play this game," he said. "I’ve made so many new friends through this. It’s a surreal experience and I will remember this for the rest of my life."

His 16-year-old niece, Vicky Burkett, who joined in the queue, was less fortunate. "He’s been very excited all day and he’s been loving the attention," she said, "but I’m going to buy mine after Christmas because I couldn’t pre-order early enough."

Many other shoppers will face a similar wait. The online retailer Amazon said that it would not be able to meet the demand from customers who had pre-ordered. "Due to limited supply from Microsoft, we are unable to guarantee delivery of some Xbox 360 pre-orders for Christmas," the company said in a statement. "All pre-orders made on or after November 2nd, 2005, will have expected delivery dates in 2006."

The online auction site eBay offered a glimmer of hope to shoppers with deep pockets. More than 1,600 Xboxes were on sale on the UK site this lunchtime, but the basic version of the console, which retails at £210, was attracting bids of more than £550.

Despite Microsoft's promise to charter "every plane and ship we can" to get the shops restocked, British retailers are complaining that the company underestimated demand for the new machines. Some had sold all their stocks to customers who pre-ordered, leaving only a few to go on the shelves.

As people began to queue at Asda supermarkets yesterday, the company said it had contacted Microsoft to raise concerns about the number of consoles available. "Our gripe is that they have seriously underestimated demand and haven’t produced enough to go round," Asda’s non-food director, Tony Page, said. The supermarket quickly sold its stock of Xboxes.

The company that owns Currys, Dixons and PC World reported that it had a handful of the trimmed down "core" version of the console still on sale this morning, but a spokesman said they were "rarer than hen’s teeth".

Neil Thompson, head of Xbox in the UK, denied that Microsoft had let fans down by failing to provide enough consoles ahead of Christmas. "We are working 24 hours a day with the factories and chartering every plane and ship we can, but demand is exceptionally strong and there are times when people won’t get it when they want it," he said.

The company has not yet said how many consoles it has been able to ship to retailers, nor how many have been sold.

The supply problems result from Microsoft’s ambitious plans for a near-simultaneous worldwide release of the console. Electronics companies usually allow several months between Far Eastern, European and American launches so that they can build up stocks, but Microsoft has crammed its Xbox 360 launches into a period of a few weeks.

The company hoped to gain an advantage over its Japanese rivals by releasing the next-generation console in as many markets as possible in time for the Christmas rush. Sony and Nintendo both plan to release new consoles early next year.

For die-hard gamers, the appeal of the Xbox 360 is its high-definition graphics and powerful processor, but the device also has the ability to play music, display photos and show DVDs. A Sunday Times reviewer described it as a "gaming powerhouse", while The Times review said "the graphics will blow you away."

Last week, some American consumers whose consoles developed faults soon after the US launch on Tuesday accused Microsoft of rushing the product to market before it was ready. The company admitted to receiving "a few reports of consoles here and there not working properly," and said it would repair or replace any faulty equipment.

Twelve hours after the UK launch, there were no reports of problems with the European edition of the console.

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