China hasn’t always been that open to gaming consoles but recently it lifted the ban and allowed companies to bring their gaming machines to the People’s Republic. Microsoft was quick to confirm that the Xbox One will be launched this September. However a couple of days back Microsoft announced that the Xbox One release in China had been delayed. Initially it was believed that the release may have been pushed back by a couple of months but Microsoft has made an announcement today that’s certainly going to be welcomed by the people in China.
The company today confirmed the new Xbox One release date for China. Previously the console was supposed to be released in the country on September 23rd. Microsoft has said today that its new console will be available in the country on September 29th.
This is going to be a big release as the Xbox One will be available in 4,000 stores across 37 cities in China. Customers will have to pay 3,699 RM for Xbox One without Kinect and 4,299 RMB with Kinect, that’s approximately $600 and $700 respectively. Initially the console will be launched with 10 government approved games that include Forza Motorsport 5. Microsoft plans to bring over as many as 70 games in the near future.
China had banned gaming consoles back in 2000 but it has finally opened up the market after over a decade. Sony isn’t far back as well because it too has confirmed that the new PlayStation will be heading to China.