Microsoft Spills Xbox 360 Release Dates

The last piece of the release puzzle falls into place.

Microsoft has been anything but coy regarding details for the Xbox 360 but there is still one major piece of the puzzle missing: a release date. But the company put paid to that today by using its pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference to announce the final launch dates for all three major territories.

The Xbox 360 will launch first in the US on 22 November, following less than two weeks later in Europe on 2 December, with Japan bringing up the rear on 10 December.

A simultaneous release of the console has always been Microsoft's talking point, but there were rumours that the company may have overreached. This announcement would seem to kill any such dissent.

What's still missing is an indication of how many Xbox 360s each region will get. Earlier this year one US analyst predicted that there would only be 400,000 Xbox 360s for the whole of Europe at launch.

Compare this with the PSP, which easily sold 185,000 units on its first day in the UK alone.

If the analyst's predictions are to be believed, Microsoft could be handed a guaranteed sell-out, which, while good for its promotional machinery, will come as sad news to the thousands of gamers left out of the next generation this Christmas.

In it's defence, Microsoft has insisted that it won't take a launch-and-leave approach to the three releases and that it will have fresh stock on hand to top up as demand ebbs and flows.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games