MS on Xbox 360 Pricing and Halo 3
Less than six months to go until the Xbox 360 launch and there are still some big questions remaining.
At Microsoft's pre-E3 press conference, J Allard spoke of the company's desire to grow the gaming audience to a billion people in the next generation. A large part of making sure this happens is keeping prices in check, especially for the high-powered hardware that will drive the next generation.
Like its predecessor, Xbox 360 will launch in America at a price "in the neighbourhood" of the original's $300 (£165), Allard told TheStreet.com, in an interview in which he discussed Microsoft's plans going ahead and its fostering of communication and the community in gaming.
Allard also went against recent comments from Bill Gates, who told Time magazine that Microsoft would have Halo 3 ready for PlayStation 3's launch day. The Halo series has built a solid reputation from the first instalment, something Microsoft is loath to sully. According to Allard, there is no set release schedule yet for the game.
"We have one formula with Halo: Ship it when it's ready," Allard said. "We did it with Halo 1. We did it with Halo 2. And we haven't disappointed the audience yet. That's Bungie's philosophy; that's the Xbox team's philosophy."
There's still no firm release date for Xbox 360 either, but the current talk is for the console to arrive in the US in mid-November, with Japan and Europe to follow shortly afterwards.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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