At Microsoft's pre-TGS press briefing today, they announced the Japanese release date and price for the HD-DVD add-on. The movie-playback peripheral will be released concurrently with the North American release of the PlayStation 3 on November 22nd, will have an estimated retail price of ¥19,800 (about $170), and will come with the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. Coupled with a ¥29,800 (about $250) Japanese Core system, which also comes with a copy of Blue Dragon, Microsoft is hoping to seriously undercut the PlayStation 3, coming in well under its lowest priced model.
They did not discuss release dates or prices for other markets, instead choosing to isolate their focus on Japan. With X06 just a couple days after Tokyo, it seems likely we'll hear more about worldwide plans for this product there.
Speaking about the release of the external drive, Microsoft Game Studios' Shane Kim told us, in no uncertain terms, that they have "no plans to incorporate an HD-DVD drive inside the Xbox 360." This, of course, despite incessant rumors to the contrary.
Microsoft's TGS press briefing:
Xbox 360 to add 1080p support, PS3 to lose bullet point
Blue Dragon hits Japan this holiday
[Update: Corrected release date from November 17th to 22nd.]
