Microsoft confirms Oct.11 as 'Xbox 360 Elite' launch date in Japan

Microsoft Corporation on Thursday announced the Japanese launch date and a price tag for Xbox 360 Elite, a long-awaited upgraded version of its next-generation gaming console, giving a sigh of relief to Japanese gamers who have been waiting eagerly for the device.

The Software mammoth said yesterday that the much-anticipated ‘Elite’ version of Xbox 360 will hit the Japanese market on October 11 at a retail price of 47,800 yen (US$390), compared to 29,800 yen for the most basic version of the Xbox 360.

The Japanese retail price of Elite console is around $90 less than the U.S. price of $479.00.

Although, Xbox 360 is immensely popular in the United States, it has lagged behind rival machines from Nintendo Co. Ltd. and Sony Corp. in Japan. In an effort to take on the rivals in the Japanese gaming market, Microsoft is selling the “Elite” version at a reduced price.

"The decision on the pricing was based on the situation in the Japanese market. We are not satisfied with our position in Japan and working to improve it," said Jun Yoshihara, a spokesman for Microsoft.

Microsoft first unveiled the upgraded version Xbox 360 Elite with 120-gigabyte hard drive earlier this year, six times bigger than the current high-end Xbox 360 model and twice as big as that of Sony's PlayStation 3 console. The original Xbox 360 comes with a 20GB hard drive.

The Elite hard drive has space to hold a library of arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as high-definition TV shows and movies downloaded from the company's Xbox LIVE online service.

Besides a 120GB hard drive, the Elite edition of the Xbox 360 includes a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish wireless controller and Xbox LIVE headset. The machine will come bundled with one month of free Xbox Live Gold service.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console is outshined by Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3 in Japanese market. As per the estimates of research firm Media Create, the Xbox sold just 122,565 units in Japan during the first six months of 2007, while Nintendo sold nearly 1.8 million of its Wii consoles and Sony moved 503,000 PS3s.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 start at $499 and $299 respectively, while their high-end versions are priced at $US599 and $US399(Xbox 360 Premium System) and $US479 (Xbox 360 Elite System) respectively.

The three companies are locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the $13 billion U.S. video game market.

Among the trio of next generation gaming consoles, Nintendo has emerged as the numero uno in May for the fifth consecutive month selling 338,000 units of the popular Wii video game devices in the United States, repeatedly outshining both its rivals Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (154,900 units), and Sony’s PlayStation 3 (81,600 units) in the US video game consoles market.