The Mojave desert in the United States will be the location for one of the largest gaming party's ever held, or so will be hoping. The festivities begin at sunset on November 20th, and continue through to the launch of the in North America scheduled for midnight on November 21st - or November 22nd, if you prefer. The two day party is being called 360: Zero Hour, and was previously described in the Origen guerrilla-marketing campaign as the ultimate 'gamers paradise'. At the party, attendees from the public and the will be invited to play the Xbox 360 launch line-up, games from next year's schedule, and enjoy live all in a the exciting location of Microsoft's own desert oasis. We're not at all jealous, honestly.

Thousands of gamers and industry types will be in attendance, with hundreds of stations setup to cater to their needs. A 32-player Perfect Dark tournament will be one of the highlights, hosted over Live, with exclusive plays of also available. Attendees will even have the chance to win event-themed faceplates for their 360. Gamers attending by winning tickets on Origenxbox360.com will be flown in from Either America or Europe, via private jet from Santa Monica, and will enjoy 'rockstar' treatment during their stay.

About 3,000 further gamers will have the chance to register for tickets, though theywill have to pay their own way to the unnamed Mojave location. "Gamers at 'Zero Hour' will have bragging rights to say 'I spent over 24 hours at the epicentre of the gaming universe, I was among the first generation of the next generation of gaming'," Microsoft's beamed.

More on this cosy little shindig as we get it.

By Luke Guttridge