More than 2,000 game fans lined up to get into the Zero Hour launch event for the Xbox 360 in Palmdale, Calif. The event will last for 30 hours--from Sunday night, Nov. 20, 2005, until 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Peter Moore, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Xbox worldwide marketing and publishing (right), and J. Allard, corporate vice president and chief XNA architect (left) with gamers at Zero Hour, the launch event for Xbox 360, in Palmdale, Calif.

At precisely 7 p.m. Sunday night, the hangar at the Zero Hour launch event opened up, allowing thousands of gamers inside for their first look at the Xbox 360.

The floor inside the hangar at Zero Hour was said to have at least 500 Xbox 360s available to attendees.

Several geodesic domes served as game venues at Microsoft's Zero Hour launch event for the Xbox 360.

Playing "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" at Zero Hour.

Inside the hangar at the Zero Hour launch event for Xbox 360, participants circle a table and play "Quake 4."

Three hundred sixty gamers won all-expense-paid trips to Zero Hour by participating in the Hex 168 competition. This tree included photographs players submitted to the game.