Amazon: No Xbox 360 pre-orders for you!

Last month, Amazon.com mistakenly posted a pre-order price for the PlayStation 3 and then begged it off, saying it was nothing more than a placeholder page. Well, now it's apparently backtracking again, this time with the Xbox 360.

According to Punchjump, Amazon had been taking pre-orders for the Xbox 360 and was planning to deliver them through its partner, Toys R US. But now, the site reports, the two companies have just sent out a letter to anyone who placed a pre-order apologizing and canceling the transaction.

"Due to a system error, we mistakenly listed the Xbox 360 Video Game System you recently ordered as 'available' on our web site," Punchjump reported the letter as saying. "We're sorry, but this item is not currently available. Therefore, we have cancelled your order and your credit card has not been charged."

Amazon could not be reached for comment late Friday.

Punchjump also reported that Amazon had previously had to cancel pre-orders for the Nintendo DS game, "Nintendogs."

In any case, no one knows for sure when the Xbox 360 will be released, though Microsoft has promised it in time for the holiday season. It has also released pricing information, with a regular Xbox 360 system planned to retail for $300 and a premium version with more bells and whistles for $100 more.