Xbox 360 just 2 months away!!

Yes, you can lay your hands on the shiny new gadget, the Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console, on November 22, but only if you are in US!! Straight from the horse’s mouth(I mean from Microsoft), GamesDaily reports that the vaunted gaming console will be available in US on November 22, while the gamers in Europe & Japan will have to wait till Decenmber 2 & December 10, respectively!! :shh:

Microsoft plans to succeed this time in Japan, over Sony’s PlayStation2 & Nintendo GameCube, with over 40 Japanese publishers committed to the cause…..err, I mean Xbox 360!! Looks like Microsoft intends to make this holiday season the best yet, for the gamers & themselves atleast!! :tup:

As chief Xbox officer for Microsoft, Robbie Bach, was quoted saying

This holiday season, gamers in Japan, Europe and North America pining to experience jaw-dropping high-definition graphics, unmatched online play and compelling digital entertainment features of Xbox 360 will finally have the chance. Renowned development studios around the world are busy putting the finishing touches on their Xbox 360 games. 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, and with more than 200 games currently in development, continuous new additions to the library are on the way.

More than 200 games in development for Xbox 360? How many will make the launch date?? Even if half of them manage that, it wouldn’t be too bad for the gamers, lots of choice to choose from!! :tup:

But getting a foothold in Japan will be a bit tough for Microsoft, as a recent Japanese market survey revealed that only 6 percent of the console gamers intend to buy the Xbox 360 while 70 percent of them are more interested in getting the Playstation 3 which is expected in summer next year!! Ofcourse Playstation 3 will have a Blu-Ray DVD player, Sony’s new proprietory format for higher capacity DVDs, but then will it play the current DVDs or not?

But Microsoft is not letting the hope go, it intends to fight for a place in Japanese market & get a foothold which the first Xbox failed to make. With 40 Japanese gamer publishers already on the Xbox’s vessel, Microsoft is trying it hard, as general manager of the Xbox Division in Japan, Yoshihiro Maruyama, was quoted saying

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.

He also said that 7 titles(for the Japanese) will be available by the time of Japanese launch.

However, in a twist in the marketing strategy, unlike the north-american gamers who’ll have a choice between hard-disk less standard Xbox and 20GB hard-disk & wireless controller equipped premium Xbox, the Japanese won’t have any choice but only premium Xbox with all the bells & whistles which will be available for 37,900 yen(about $350)!! (more on two versions of Xbox 360) The news that Japanese will get the premium Xbox 360 cheaper than their north-american counterparts, has already fueled heated debates on many gaming forums, its atleast a $50 difference as premium Xbox 360 will retail at $400 in US.

Actually the thing is that Microsoft is doing all in its power to woo the Japanese gamers, so ofcourse it won’t stop at anything, it is serious about the Japanese market and wants its share of pie this time, which it failed to get last time!!