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Microsoft Readies 360 Launch For China

Posted by Zonk on from the getting-out-of-hong-kong dept.

The Xbox 360 was launched in Hong Kong in November of 2005, but the system is not officially part of the Chinese gaming market. Microsoft aims to change that this year, pending approval from the Chinese government. Gamasutra has the details on the deal, which will receive intense scrutiny from the country's culture ministry. From the article: "Looking to China specifically, the report notes that Microsoft has begun working with Chinese internet service providers and computer manufactures regarding the impending launch, and also plans to hire personnel to handle sales activities concerning the Xbox 360 on the Chinese mainland, though a specific time frame for these future hires remains as unknown as the launch itself. Likewise, a price has yet to be confirmed for the console as well, though the Xbox 360 sells for HK$2,329 ($300) in Hong Kong."

6 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Chinese Cloned it first. by Gabrill · · Score: 3, Funny

    Unfortunately, the Chinese had already introduced a working clone of the XBox 360, and the Microsoft branded one was seen as a poor quality fake. The Chinese version had dna inserted to make it glow in the dark.

    --
    Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
  2. Why? by Duds · · Score: 2

    Seriously though.

    Given that piracy is so rife in that area that they're going to sell 3 games, and the system relies on selling games to make a measureable profit, why bother to launch at all?

    Especially as it seems they need to go through a lot of very expensive hassle to do so.

    1. Re:Why? by jonwil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Given that current XBOX 360's make replacing the DVD drive firmware to allow copied games much harder, I dont see how piracy is going to be that much of a problem.
      Piracy was huge on the first XBOX but that was because microsoft made some mistakes (such as using weak cryptographic algorithims, not knowing all the details about the CPU they were using, not taking into account the fact that it is possible to read data from a HyperTransport bus, not enforcing checksums on all game data and saved games etc). But microsoft has learned from their mistakes and has probobly made the XBOX 360 more secure.

  3. Censorship of games? by Half+a+dent · · Score: 2, Funny

    People worry about Jack Thompson wanting to censor content... at least Rockstar's Table Tennis game will sell well.

  4. Re:now theyve done by Anaxagor · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Also, arent most Chinese people poor?

    Yes. Especially in the countryside. But with a population of 1.3 billion:

    all - most = more than enough to make it viable

    Stand on any street corner in a place like Shanghai and you'll see plenty of people getting by on a few dollars a day, but you'll also see plenty of Benzes drive past.

    No doubt it will be even cheaper again than the Hong Kong version...

  5. Re:now theyve done by kabocox · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Stand on any street corner in a place like Shanghai and you'll see plenty of people getting by on a few dollars a day, but you'll also see plenty of Benzes drive past.

    You know. I always hear about how the Japanese generally dislike buying US over a Japenese product. I wonder if the average Chinese would rather buy US than a Japanese product. Japan invaded them in WWII there should be some lingering public dislike of Japan that US companies should be able to make a buck off of. I find highschoolers here in the US with a new found dislike of Japan after they learn about WWII and Pearl Harbor. But then again they don't think of Sony or Nintendo as foreign companies. They've always been here to them so what makes them foreign that their hq is in another country? Kids these days think alittle more globally than the adults do.