Thursday, 24 August 2006

Microsoft Strengthens Xbox to Compete PS3 Arrival

Microsoft has announced new games and accessories for Xbox 360 and Windows gamers ahead of the holiday season and to strengthen its position against impending competition from Sony's PlayStation 3.

Sony Corp. also announced that it would offer 27 playable games for its PlayStation 3 at the Tokyo Game Show next month, ahead of the November launch.

Amidst competition between Microsoft and Sony, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities said that Xbox 360 is pretty much identical to PlayStation 3.

"PS3 will sell out at USD 499. It may sound like a lot of money but is certainly not significantly more in inflation-adjusted dollars than the PS1 at USD 300 in 1995. The "cheap" PS3 and the "expensive" 360 are identical in all respects, save for the Blu-ray drive. Both have similar processors, 20GB hard drives, and DVI cable interfaces that will support 720p high definition," Pacter said.

Microsoft announced that the next generation of soccer games ‘FIFA 07’ from Electronic Arts and ‘Pro Evolution Soccer 6’ from Konami Digital Entertainment will be available exclusively on the Xbox 360 console this year.

Xbox Live which will be available in September will come with Xbox Live Vision camera, one-month Xbox Live Gold Membership, Xbox 360 Headset, and free downloads of two full-version Xbox Live Arcade games.

In November Microsoft is launching wireless headset Xbox 360 console to provide wireless voice chat capabilities, stylish design and superior voice quality over the Xbox Live network at USD 59.99.

Microsoft is also planning to support the Xbox 360's wireless accessories on Windows through a new USB 2.0 gaming receiver due out in December for USD 19.99.

Microsoft also announced availability for the Xbox 360 in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Xbox 360 will be launched in Eastern Europe on Nov. 3, following the recently announced launch in South Africa on Sept. 29.

"We’re incredibly excited to bring Xbox 360 consoles and game experiences into these countries," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.