| Microsoft's Xbox set for pre-Christmas debut |
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Microsoft's next generation gaming console, the Xbox 360 is set for a pre-holiday season debut. The console will hit North American markets on November 22, two days before Thanksgiving.
December 2 has been penciled in as the European launch date, while December 10 is the Japanese launch date for the Xbox. Microsoft said that about 20 games were being readied to be released along with the console. This late-2005 launch is set to give Microsoft an edge of Sony's PlayStation 3, which would be launched in the spring of 2006.
The console will retail for $399.99 in the US, Canada and Mexico. But the Japanese selling price is slightly less at 37,900 yen, or about $345. Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer for Microsoft was confident that Xbox would be a hit in the markets, "We expect a strong portfolio of titles on launch day and through the holidays that will appeal to fans of every genre and gamers in every region," he said. The Redmond-based company did not say how many pieces it was hoping to sell in Christmas season or the number of consoles that it had stockpiled.
Tricia Brennan, Buying Director at Europe's largest games retailer, Game is looking ahead to a bumper season, "Our plans for a massive launch are already under way, and we expect the excitement and demand will be enormous. We know that they will be in short supply at launch, new consoles always are, so customers' best chance of getting one as soon as possible is to pre-order one," she said.
But Microsoft will be hoping to gain some vital space in the Japanese markets ahead of the American and European ones. The Xbox has not done too well here. Yoshihiro Maruyama, general manager of the Xbox Division in Japan said, "The Japanese market is the most important key for the Xbox's global strategy. Microsoft is committing fully to its success in Japan. We will continue to make as much effort as we can to make the Xbox 360 successful in Japan."
Posted
on : Thu, 15 Sep 2005 15:35 GMT | General News
By : Rob Davis
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