Microsoft is going to be able to start selling the Xbox One to the more than one billion people living in China starting on September 23. The company announced launch plans at a press event in Shanghai.
Until recently, home consoles have been banned in China, with the PlayStation 2 having the honour of being the last traditional home console to get a release in the country. However, foreign game consoles have been widely available through the country’s grey market. Back in 2012, a Chinese motion-sensor equipped home console called the CT510 was actually released, but skirted around the console ban by claiming to be an exercise machine.
The base console will cost 3699 RMB ($643) — considerably less than what was predicted a few weeks back, but still expensive — and will come with copies of Powerstar Gold and Neverwinter Online pre-installed, along with free Xbox Live Gold membership through March 2015.
A special, limited Day One edition, bundled with Kinect, will also be available. This one costs 4299 RMB ($746), and comes with a Day One achievement, a commemorative controller, and two extra games: Kinect Sports Rivals, and Forza Motorsport 5.
Microsoft also stated that both free to play games and paid games, with prices ranging from 99 RMB to 249 RMB ($18 to $45) will be available on the Xbox One in China. Currently, “more than 70” games are in development for the console.
Xbox One to Launch Next Generation of Gaming in China September 23 [Xbox Wire]
Eric Jou and Brian Ashcraft contributed to this report.
Picture: Id@Xbox China developers via Yusuf Mehdi@Twitter
Comments
8 responses to “The Xbox One Will Be China’s First Major Home Console Since The PS2”
Interesting.. the software prices are very reasonable, and better than grey market price
The problem is: who is going to stock the console and games? China doesnt have an EB and all the places I’ve been to buy games over there are using Computer and Pop Culture malls
I’m excited for China’s gamers who can finally, legally, get back into the videogame world. Have fun 😀 Will also be great to see some Triple A developers appear over the coming decades. I wanna see the true Chinese flavour of videogames. True ‘Hong Kong Action’ games would be great. 😉 (in the vein of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee)
Just hoping if Chinese developers do start making games they don’t make knockoff’s like Hola, Forze, Mechfall and Dogwatch…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that is amazing
Haha DogWatch sounds awesome
Well, there will always be those 😛 Even the Chinese Government has problems combating counterfeit/knockoffs of everyday items! For every real product there’s 10 copies! The chinese do actually care about shonkys themselves, even though it may not seem that way… imagine trying to police 1.4 Billion people? Sheesh…
What the hell is Powerstar Gold and when was Neverwinter Online coming to xbox one????
*Golf, think its released for China only at this stage until later in 2015 for rest of world.