Not too long ago, we brought you
news of a mystery building going up in Japan. It was
obviously promoting the Xbox 360 on Sony and Nintendo's home turf, but we couldn't definitely ascertain its
purpose… until now. The Xbox 360 Lounge, as it's called, will be used to showcase the console and games that
constitute and surround its envisioned HD lifestyle.
GameSpot reports that the building's ultimate
purpose was revealed during Microsoft's press conference at [or the day before?] the Tokyo Game Show by Yoshihiro
Maruyama, general manager of the Xbox division for MS in Japan. He was quoted as saying, "We will begin promoting the
Xbox 360 on TV, newspapers, and magazines. We also plan on promotions that integrate various forms of entertainment,
such as sports, fashion, arts, and music. And as a symbol to our promotions, we will open an Xbox 360 Lounge, where
people can experience the high-definition entertainment that will be offered by the Xbox 360."
As the Lounge will not open until November, we can only guess that its showrooms will resemble the sleek design of
Apple's urban retail outlets and/or the ultra-modern living-room setup you see pictured
here and above (from Joystiq's belated look at
Microsoft's Xbox 360 booth at TGS posted earlier today). All right, what other promotional wackiness will those three
floors hold? Only time (and Maruyama's marketing skills)
will tell.
[UPDATE: Spiffae has provided us links to
a couple
more pics of the Lounge (prototype?) from TGS.
Check out the main photo-filled, TGS-centered post on his blog
here. Thanks, Spiffae!]
Engadget
TUAW