After more than a decade of going without new video game consoles, Chinese consumers will be able to buy the Microsoft Xbox One starting Sept. 23, according to a report from CNet.
A ban in China has kept out video game consoles for 13 years, but that ban was recently lifted. The Xbox One in China will start at $600, and will launch with around 70 games, plus movies, sports, documentaries, TV shows and locally developed apps. The Xbox One with Kinect will sell for $700.
The U.S. version of the Xbox One sells for $399 and the Kinect version sells for $499.
China had banned sales of foreign-made video game consoles because the government claimed that the devices were harmful to children. The ban was lifted last January, meaning Microsoft and other manufacturers can now sell their products in a country that gives them access to millions of consumers.
Every Xbox sold in China will come with two games: "Powersoft Golf" and "Neverwinter Online." The package is also said to include a free membership to Xbox Live Gold that runs through March 2015, a Chinese interface with translated content and local payment options.
Some of the other games available are "Forza Motorsport 5," "Kinect Sports Rivals," "Zoo Tycoon," and "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood."
"We're honored that Xbox One is the first console approved for sale in China through the Shanghai Free Trade Zone," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft corporate vice-president of marketing for Devices and Studios, said in a statement. "We're dedicated to earning millions of fans in China by working with BesTV to deliver an all-in-one games and entertainment experience starting September 23."
Microsoft isn't the only company trying to break into the Chinese console market following the lift of the ban. Sony Corp. said in May that it was planning to set up a joint venture with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group to bring the company's PlayStation console to the Chinese.
