The Times can be incredibly slow when it comes to trends, but they’ve been all over this whole Halo 3 event like flies on poop.

Anyway, they covered the whole release.

The success of Halo 3 is critical for Microsoft, which has struggled to get its Xbox game players into homes around the world. While it is primarily a game machine, the Xbox 360 also plays DVDs and movies downloaded from the Internet. Microsoft views the game machine as an entry point into the home, where it may serve as an entertainment hub.

But the game machines have not been profitable.

Microsoft hopes that the new Halo futuristic shoot-’em-up game, which is exclusive to the Xbox 360, will persuade more consumers to choose its game machine over the PlayStation 3 from Sony or the Wii from Nintendo. Although the Xbox — and Halo 3 — appeals to hard-core gamers, Microsoft’s game machine has been outsold lately by the cheaper and less-powerful Wii.

Microsoft has sold nine million Xbox 360s since the introduction of the console in 2005. But Nintendo has sold just as many Wii machines since their debut late last year, largely because their simplicity appeals to a broader group of players. The PlayStation 3, which also was introduced in late 2006, has sold about four million units.

And then there’s this:

Naturally in this self-conscious media age, for some fans the lure of transient celebrity was perhaps as appealing as Halo 3 itself. Outside the Best Buy store in Manhattan, the first person in line, Uche Nwachukwu, a 28-year-old Web site designer from Staten Island, said he had been waiting since 6 p.m. Sunday.

“I camped out for Halo 2, and I camped out for the 360 itself, but I was always third in line or fifth in line,” he lamented Monday afternoon, standing by his red folding chair with a bag of Starburst candy on the seat. “This time I was determined to be first. I won’t lie to you, I wanted to be on TV and in the newspapers. I’ve slept about 20 minutes since I got here, but it’s been worth it.”

American priorities: still straight!

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