All Xbox 360 launch dates announced; in US on Nov. 22
by Dan Choi 
{ Sep 15th 2005 at 12:01AM }
As
expected, Microsoft has officially announced the launch date for the Xbox 360 in each of its three most
strategically important regions today, one day before the start of the Tokyo Game Show. The specific launch dates,
listed by region, are as follows:
-
North America - Tuesday, November 22, 2005
-
Europe - Friday, December 2, 2005
-
Japan - Saturday, December 10, 2005
Manufacturing of the Xbox 360 has begun, with millions of final units being planned to ship all around the world. This should mark "the first time that a game console will be launched in three territories in the same time frame."
The staggered release dates mesh with Robbie Bach’s claim
earlier today that there would be a lag of 7-10 days
between launches in North America, Europe, and Japan, though there is just over a week’s delay from the launch in North
America to that of Europe, and then a similar delay from that of Europe to the one in Japan. Semantics aside, the
intervals between launches themselves do fit with his earlier statements, and the announced dates finally put to rest
all the rumored release
dates bandied about before. MS also gains from added time
and manufacturing capacity by launching closer to the end of November, while making the crucial post-Thanksgiving
shopping season (and narrowly avoiding the frenzied weekend directly following Thanksgiving Day, November 24).
Not only that, Microsoft announced the price of the Xbox 360 in Japan
as well. It will be ¥37,900 (yen), which is
currently equivalent to 342.46 USD. At
first, we imagined that this would be the price of the 360 Core system, as opposed to the more premium bundle that
comes with a built-in hard drive for $400, but it is not: 37,900 JPY will get Japanese gamers the 360 with a detachable
20GB HDD, as well as all the bundled extras Americans were expecting for
nearly $60 more (44,231 JPY, to be exact).
Granted, demand for Microsoft’s machine is lower there than over here—and our friends in Europe will be paying
still more—but how about granting us those prices in the
U.S., too? We’d be sure to appreciate it.
[UPDATE: Finally, we’ve pulled together
this somewhat sharpened
original-pixel crop of the light-green tag on the arm of the assembly-line worked pictured up top. What this could
mean is that Assembly of the final 360s began at the end of June, but the BOX Packing date is sufficiently garbled so
that we can’t conclusively state that it “began” in August instead of two months earlier. Whether packing dates matter
much in light of console assembly dates, however, is another question altogether. Thanks for the tip, anyway,
djk!
Uh, further UPDATE: The TGS Press-Kit link my top pic
points to is currently down. Maybe the folks at MS are taking a hard look at that badge now? Will another press kit
take its place? So many questions… The old Press-Kit image downloads for Xbox 360 titles (that were on our old linked
page) are now available up here, but our
two
favorite manufacturing pics
aren’t. So sad.]
_thumbnail.jpg "Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce (Ryu)")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BoB @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
SWEET! Perfect, during Thanksgiving week so that I have no school and tons of time to play.
djk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
http://www.hack360.com
swoosh bnd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Too bad its not Nov 15th. I'm dissappointed that they were unable to launch then, would've been more special to me to launch then.
JamesP @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Phew, now I don't have to worry about soccor moms stealing my preorder.
Ross Miller @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Two days before my birthday - well, happy freakin' birthday to me.
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Yes, happy (early) birthday, Ross! =) I'd love to be at your party.
Twist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I think they should have launched earlier in the US. This gives them a few days between launch and the day after Thanksgiving shopping rush but I think they could have used at least two weeks to take care of all the hardcore gamers first. Hopefully they are manufacturing enough to avoid any shortages but I am tempted to pick up a couple just in case (and I don't even plan on getting myself one right away).
techSage @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
It would be nice if the price were lower as in Japan, but I wouldn't expect it as MS wouldn't want to make it look like their system was more cheaply made than PS3 will be with its "higher than normal" pricing. Having the two price levels is smart - I think Sony said that their prices would be higher in attempt to get MS to put their price point distastefully high since it is coming out before their PS3. MS has avoided either looking too cheap or too expensive by having two options: normal console launch price or slightly higher price that is more like a non-mandatory bundle that is standard in the industry now anyway.
djk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
That guys badge has 2 dates on it:
BOX Packing: 8/28/2005
Assembly: 6/28/2005
http://www.hack360.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=31#31
Joe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Can I assume that an Australian release will coincide with Europe? Or do us Australians have to wait even longer?
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
And now it begins...the next generation of gaming.I'm so f'ing excited for this shit I honestly can't wait. I'm glad I got mine on preorder.
And Ross Miller,the launch date is actually 2 days after MY birthday.Pretty cool.
Joel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
This is welcome news. Much better/less hassle to deal with on the 22nd rather than the 25th. When I'm waiting in line to pick my order up, I want to be standing next to *geeks,* not soccer moms and bargain hunters!
Plus, we all get a long weekend (at least) to play around with it this way. Unless you work retail. Sorry about that, retail guys.
I really wish we had a real live list of launch titles right now too. I'd expect that announcement soon. I'm sure they have one by now, but they are just waiting to release those details to get more buzz going. If they released that info now, they only get one news story, they wait, and they get two news stories. Smart move by Microsoft.
I don't know any date for Madden, but if it were available at launch, I have to admit, I'd probably pick it up, even if it doesn't look that much better graphically than the Xbox version out now. I love football during Thanksgiving, and obviously I don't play PS2 Madden now for the graphics anyway.
jordan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
djk: you're a dumbass
read my comment:
http://www.hack360.com/content/view/89/0/
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
This is kinda a disappointment though.I was hoping they would release on Black Friday so I could walk out of my local Gamestop with my console in hand from preorder just staring laughing my ass off at people scrambling around to try and get one for Xmas.
I would honestly give the guy at my Gamestop like 10 bucks to bring in a camping chair and watch the madness in the store for the day and get a good laugh.
Believe me,you don't think it's that bad,in my area trying to get the first Xbox this past Christmas looked like the opening scene of the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead.
Rymix @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
For Joystiq's UK readers:
http://www.stevenandhannah.co.uk/360
Sloopydrew @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
The photo that goes along with this article shows that the Microsoft XBOX truly is the AMERICAN gaming console (as they so cleverly marketed the original XBOX). I hope this thing falls flat on its face. I know I'm not going to be a beta-tester for their crummy hardware that will be revised, updated and improved time and time again.
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Well, jordan, djk, I did a bit of sharpening on that portion of the pic myself, and it's really kind of hard to tell whether the "BOX Packing" date is "2005/08/28" (to prove that box packaging began last month -- follow the link at the top of my post to the press kit for a pic of the packages) or simply "2005/06/28" (which would coincide with the "Assembly" date, and make more sense if MS is gonna pump out and package two or three million 360s by the end of November). Either way, though, the "BOX Packing" date being late is probably a lot less important than the "Assembly" date, as you need a much more reliable supply chain of components to assemble the consoles than to manufacture a large number of cardboard boxes and plastic bags. At least we've got 360s coming, and they've been coming since June. =)
Sloopydrew @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
*they've been coming since June.*
I wish I could do that. ;-)
Sorry, Dan, couldn't resist.
mrback @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
If they are all being manufactured & sent out at the same time does this mean it's region free?
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Heh, I guess that's another way of looking at it, Sloopydrew. Anyway, I took the time to trim/sharpen my own version of the tag to check it out, then made a note of it in the original post. Thanks for tip, djk!
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
"If they are all being manufactured & sent out at the same time does this mean it's region free?"
Unfortunately, mrback, that's highly unlikely. Sad to say, but it's true.
Cem @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Not a smart move to underprice the xbox 360 in Japan. The price can be dropped later anyway. The PS3 will be expensive too, but Japanese will buy it. Why? Because of the games. So focus more on the games MS.
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Finally the next-gen systems are on the horizon! Can't wait.
WarcraftWorld @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Wow, it seems like the new systems are coming out sooner than I expected. o.O
Kworn @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
December the fucking 2nd for Europe. We have been bummed again. I hate the US and there we get all the cool shit early bollocks!!!
Tellute @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I was going to grumble about the delay for Europe, but after the PSP fiasco a few days delay seems pretty good.
Fuzz @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Funny, a couple days ago, they said they were looking at a 7-10 day global launch window. I guess 18 days is sorta close to 7-10. . .sorta. I can understand if they said that a month ago, but it was only a couple days ago. They obviously knew then what the dates were going ot be, so why blatently lie? Joystiq, you're letting them get off way to easy with this one.
ben @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
If the xbox 360 is wifi enabled why do you need a wifi bridge?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000AYTQ7O/qid=1126789626/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_11_8/202-7462447-2246235
Brothers in Arms @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
3 days before the biggest shopping day of the year, BLACK FRIDAY - the day after Thanksgiving.
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Why is anybody excited for the XBOX360? I don't know of any good games or any reason why I should upgrade.
Seriously, how would you sell somebody on the 360?
Complete this sentence,
You should buy an XBOX360 because______________
DigitalStupor @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
pspimp = FLAME
Forrest @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
#27 Fuzz -- It was 7-10 days between releases, not 7-10 for them to all be out. 10 days between the first and second dates. 8 days between the second and third. Not hard to see.
#30 pspimp -- I should buy an XBOX360 because I enjoy playing games online. and XBOX Live is curently the best console out there for that. I would say PCs are the best online experience in general, except that a new video card for my PC will cost me $500 where I can get an entire system in the xbox for $400.
Sean O. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I just read at IGN that the Japanese all get a Hard Drive at a price point between the Core and the Premium. I'd be all on that... good job screwing it up in the home country. Oh, and count on shortages... and don't be too happy that you've pre ordered. I seem to remember pre-orders getting auctioned off when the PS2 came out. The PS2 had shortages and it only launched in one region at a time... luckily there weren't any good games for like 6 months...
metal_gear_jello @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
"I just read at IGN that the Japanese all get a Hard Drive at a price point between the Core and the Premium. I'd be all on that... good job screwing it up in the home country. Oh, and count on shortages... and don't be too happy that you've pre ordered. I seem to remember pre-orders getting auctioned off when the PS2 came out. The PS2 had shortages and it only launched in one region at a time... luckily there weren't any good games for like 6 months..."
I think MS did this to garner as much Japanese support as they can. Desperate enough to give them some discount. Whether it works in the long run remains to be seen. At least the NA markets get it first, Japan has to wait till the 10th of December from what I hear. Then again, according to polls, 6% of Japanese gamers actually care.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050915-5312.html
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
PSPimp,you say,
"Why is anybody excited for the XBOX360? I don't know of any good games or any reason why I should upgrade."
Why are we excited for the 360?
1. Games of course!
Perfect Dark Zero - You remember how f'ing badass that game was on the N64,now imagine it with amped graphics,new everything,a whole new story,and 50 player online deathmatches.
Gears of War - Looks extremely cool,hope it doesnt turn out like Doom3 (tons of hype and very boring gameplay)
Project Gotham Racing - I've never been a fan of racing games but this game does actually strike my interest.The only racing games that i've ever been interested in besides this is Forza Motorsport and Need for Speed;Hot Pursuit back on the PS1.
Dead or Alive 4 - Anthing else really need to be said? I play the HELL out of DOA3 and this game is definetely on my to get list.I love the DOA series (the fighting that is,nevermind that volleyball garbage)
Quake 4 - It's Quake 4,enough said.
Ghost Recon 3 - I never really cared for squad based tactical shooters but this one I will definetly play for the fact that it's set in an urban setting rather than crawling around a jungle. Rainbow Six;Rogue Spear is the only other squad game that has ever come into my home.
Elder Scrolls Oblivion - I cry thinking of this.Not because it's a bad game,but because I remember how much time I put into Morrowind and now this game will be 100 times better and with a 24-hour AI system.
Full Auto - This game looks simply AWESOME.I've watched gameplay footage of this and it seems to me that there isnt anything on the screen that can't be destroyed. You stuck in last place in a race? Why not shoot out a wall in a building,drive THROUGH the building,come out the other side and win the race. This game is a Sega game and Sega is one company that hasnt let me down with software or hardware.I have high hopes that this game turns out great.
There's 2 games that don't get very much attention that I predict will be HUGE when released and that's Dead Rising and Alan Wake.Check it out over at Gamespot if you havent seen them yet and you'll understand.
2. Xbox Live!
Xbox Live will surely be amazing this time around.It was a great service on the Xbox and they nowhere to go but improve on it.The customization of my machine physically AND software wise is another big plus when i'm on Live with tons of other people.It's all about being connected,take it or leave it if it's not your thing.I really like the idea of having 2 tiers of service because alot of my friends don't really want to game online but still want to be able to download content so this way they can pay for what content they want rather than a $50 gold subscription.
There PSPimp,there's 2 reason,I could keep going why I personally want the 360 but noone wants to sit there and read a post of my going on for an hour.
xbox360-forums.com @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Awesome!! Can't wait. I'll be at university but I should be able to save enough of my loan :)
http://www.xbox360-forums.com
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Sorry to double post,but that isnt the complete launch list,there's many other cool games I could go on about but nobody wants to read that shit.
Here's the games at launch.
# Amped 3 (2K Games)
# Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
# Condemned (Sega)
# Dead Or Alive 4 (Tecmo)
# Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda)
# Final Fantasy XI (Microsoft)
# Full Auto (Sega)
# Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft)
# Gun (Activision)
# Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft)
# Madden NFL 06 (EA)
# NBA 2K6 (2K Games)
# NHL 2K6 (2K Games)
# The Outfit (THQ)
# Perfect Dark LE (Microsoft)
# Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft)
# Quake 4 (Activision)
# Ridge Racer 6 (Namco)
# Saints Row (THQ)
# Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision)
# Top Spin 2 (2K Games)
There's a VERY dated list (tons more games had been added to the 360 since then) to kinda give you an idea.If you can't find at least 3 games in there that you would guy then I suggest you just give up at videogames while you're ahead.
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Good answers! (except for #31 who is a dumbass Must be "dum-itri")
Now I may get one! Thanks!
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Actually, even if I may buy the Xbox 360, as OTAM said, there are only two (or one) reasons to buy it.
He said "Xbox LIVE", but then again, every console in the next generation will have online gaming, and it will have to be improved (if not better, but that may be impossible) compared to this generation's online system's, and they will improve it. And it will be free, so NO, LIVE is not a reason for getting an Xbox because it costs me extra to play any game I've already paid for, while on PS3 or revolution, as things appear, it won't cost.
Then OTAM says: "The games", well duh, isn't that what all consoles are all about? Other than halo 3, I don't know if I should be very excited about the other games. I don't know how good are Kameo, The Elder Scrolls or Condemned, but maybe there's a reason for why I haven't heard of them much. But that's it (for the launch day), I don't know what else can I look forward too for the 360. They all seem to be sequels anyway. Other games that I’m excited about for 360 are: Halo 3, Dead Rising, Gears of War, Perfect Dark Zero, and the two Mistwalkers games. But I don’t know how much time will I want to play FPS anyway. They all seem the same. So overall I’m looking forward to 10 games at the most, if not less.
On the PS3, I know games like MGS4, Devil May Cry 4, Final Fantasy 13 and 12, Kingdom Hearts 2 (I know these are PS2 games, but I can play them on the PS3 by the time they all come out), FF7:Dirge of Cerberus, PSP connectivity, the FFVII remake, God of War 2, Killzone 2, Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 6, Soul Calibur 4, and Dragon (or whatever the name is), even if they're mostly sequels too, all seem to be huge productions (and I know there are more games, but PS3/sony hasn't revealed as much as 360/M$FT) and I'm looking more forward to than the games that I'm excited about for 360. But not only that, it will be WiFi enabled out of the box, and I will be able to watch Blu-ray movies. So I'm getting a PS3 and a Blu-ray player for less than I would spend on a single Blu-ray player. Even if it's "expensive", in the end, it is not. Oh, and it's 100% backwards compatible. And Free for online games. Oh, and it has Linux on the hard drive too.
On the Revolution, I have free Wi-fi connection for revolution games, and just a small fee for buying games, not for playing games that I already have, and that are improved classics. I have new gameplay experiences (not regarding whichever characters they use) with a most likely impressive controller, not just a leap forward in graphics, it's cheaper, and it's 100% backwards compatible. And it has the franchises I love most, like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, SSB, Mario Kart, Mario RPG, etc.
So basically, the only reason for buying a 360 are the few games I would miss if I don't, so I’ll buy it... when the price goes down… faster if it has HD-DVD soon (or blu-ray). It would also be a blessing if Rare made a sequel to Blast-corps and to Killer instinct. That way they’d have me for sure.
Let’s not forget the cross-platform titles, they’re not all shitty, like Mortal Kombat 7, Resident Evil 5, FFXI, etc.
(By the way, don’t tell me that exclusive sports games or racing games are a good reason to buy any console, because they haven’t changed in a decade).
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
"Can I assume that an Australian release will coincide with Europe? Or do us Australians have to wait even longer?"
Joe (#10), the 360'll be in Australia sometime in 2006. Sorry, dude:
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000217058988/
Stephen @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Hmm..as always Japan gets the lowest price for consoles..why??
Although I am still considering about the 360 because I worry most of the game types will be similar to the current XBOX, this is still something to be excited about. Hopefuly MS will be a tougher competition for Sony this time. Competition is always good for consumers.
bizarroJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
pspimp,
complete this sentence:
You should buy a PSP because _________.
name me one game worth owning on that thing. I actually own one and don't own ANY games for it, just a couple of movies on UMD. I've had a couple games, but traded them in. there is no reason for having a PSP except for movies right now. Hopefully GTA will change this, but come on. now what was your argument again???
bizarroJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
pspimp,
complete this sentence:
You should buy a PSP because _________.
name me one game worth owning on that thing. I actually own one and don't own ANY games for it, just a couple of movies on UMD. I've had a couple games, but traded them in. there is no reason for having a PSP except for movies right now. Hopefully GTA will change this, but come on. now what was your argument again???
Manuel Sanchez @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Hey people, If you don't have a HiDef TV, then you can use your computer monitot with the WGA cable (wich is HD),Xbox360 suports up to 1600x1200 monitors. Don't have one? go to any thrift store and you'll find one for about 10 bucks. Good luck. and buy the 360.
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
"Although I am still considering about the 360 because I worry most of the game types will be similar to the current XBOX,"
This seems to be the current misconception with the 360. Everyone sees the new console and can only think about the stuff from the original Xbox,whereas you should see it and think of something along the lines of the Sega Dreamcast mixed with the PS2 and Xbox (game wise).
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Manuel (#43), I'm not sure how good you are at splicing cables, but I don't believe the 360's AV output will be directly compatible with regular VGA cables that you might use for your PC. The first-party one to be released will retail for 40 USD; I don't think they could get away with that if the cables could be bought at any thrift store (bootleg third-party accessories aside -- legitimate licensing for accessories is gonna cost a lot more this time around for the Xbox).
At any rate, I hope my $60 VDigi VGA Transcoder (for the original Xbox and other progressive outs) still works with the 360's component output. Xbox gaming has been pretty nice on a monitor. =)
http://www.vdigi.com/index.php?option=com_phpshop&page=shop.browse&category_id=759df22fdaeabe0bcd58c745d6286257
mmorpg-news @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
When looking at the pick for this blog entry, I thought "Japanese chef". Anyone else think the same? o.O
john @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I love it how the new systems always manage to launch on a holiday, I mean its the correct marketing move. I just wonder if Microsoft cares about the children who will be spending Thanksgiving parentless due to the fact most of them won't make it un-bruised from the stampede on November 22.