Until recently, the Chinese government had a ban on home video game consoles entering the country, with the PlayStation 2 being the last real console to be legally available. Since then consoles have been available on China's gray market, but the console ban is officially coming to an end when Microsoft becomes the first company to release a console via the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, launching the Xbox One in China on Sept. 23 for ¥3,699 RMB, or $599.
Microsoft, working with its Chinese partner BestTV, unveiled the news at a launch event in Shanghai, where it says it is working with more than 25 developers and also launching the ID@Xbox program to allow for independent Chinese game developers to bring titles to the console. EA, Ubisoft and 2K games will be bringing games to China's 1.9 billion population alongside Chinese developers like Perfect World, Gamebar and Tencent.
"We're honored that Xbox One is the first console approved for sale in China through the Shanghai Free Trade Zone," says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice-president, marketing, Devices and Studios for Microsoft, in a company press release. "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."
If you are wondering, that $599 is for the Xbox One without the Kinect, but it comes bundled with two games: Powerstar Gold and Neverwinter Online are already installed and on the console's hard-drive. The console also comes with a seven month Xbox Live Gold membership.
The Chinese Xbox One "Day One" edition will sell for nearly $700 and come with Kinect, the special "Day One" achievement, an exclusive controller and two extra games in the form of Kinect Sports Rivals and Forza Motorsport 5.
"We have made significant investments in China to deliver a tailored Xbox One experience for our fans," said Enwei Xie, general manager of Xbox China, in a press release.
Both traditional and free-to-play games will be available for the console (as shown by the inclusion of Neverwinter Online) with prices ranging anywhere from $16 to $40 depending on the game. As well as the games mentioned above, upcoming heavy hitting Xbox One exclusives like The Master Chief Collection and Sunset Overdrive will also see release on the Chinese market. Microsoft says there are currently more than 70 games in development for the Chinese version of the console. Chinese Xbox One owners will also have access to a large library of films, television and music via the consoles online marketplace as well.
