October 27^th, 2001 (12:00am) - Microsoft will kick off a 40-city tour on Nov. 1 to give thousands of gamers across the United States their first taste of the Xbox game console, which goes on sale two weeks later. Dubbed the Xbox Odyssey, two tractor-trailer rigs will deploy a giant inflatable pavilion with 50 Xbox machines hooked up to TVs, plasma monitors and giant projection screens to let consumers try their hand at it.

The 3,500-square-foot pavilion can accommodate about 200 people. It will debut in San Francisco on Nov. 1, around the time the first Xbox advertisements start appearing on television. Microsoft will also be installing 10,000 demonstration units in stores such as Toys R Us, Best Buy and Electronics Boutique. --Reuters