X Box 360 in India - Pre launch ceremony

It was a day eagerly awaited by gaming enthusiasts. The pre-launch ceremony of Xbox 360 left the crowd enthralled. The next generation gaming console will definitely take gaming experience to a new level.
Let’s get over with the most asked questions ~ when and how much? Xbox 360 will be launched during Diwali season and will be priced at Rs 19,990 (Xbox 360 core system and a leading game title) and Rs 23,990 (Xbox 360 system).
The console was unveiled in November 2005 in Europe, Japan and north America. This time around the console will find new markets in India, Poland, Chile, South Africa, Slovakia and so on. With an approximate 1.6 million gamers in India (PC and console), Microsoft is entering a market with immense potential.
Kolkata definitely features in the top seven cities where video games are a part of life. The highest number of gamers are in Hyderabad and Kolkata is sixth on the list, higher than Pune.
“This is more than a gaming rig. You can connect Ipods, MP3 players, digital cameras on the fly and listen to them (or watch pictures stores on digital cameras) using your television/ audio set up. Xbox 360 is for the family and so, four gamers can join in to play any game,” says Mohit Anand, country manager (entertainment and devices division), Microsoft India.
Supposing you want to challenge your quiet little sister, pesky little brother and tech-savvy father to a racing game, simply purchase three extra controllers (wireless or wired), attach them to the console and voila! The screen gets divided into four and all of you race in the chosen vehicles.
“You can also control the television, media centre PC, DVD and so on with the same remote. It can control everything but the air conditioner!” adds Anand, a hardcore gamer. Okay, here’s one more pointer. A person engaged in gaming for 10 hours a week is a casual gamer, 20 hours would make you an avid gamer and 40 hours will classify you as a hardcore nut!
Another important feature is high-definition television. Reading the tablets in Taj Mahal on a normal television at 408i is difficult but at 720P it’s crystal clear. But it will be a while before television pictures reach this level.
Surprisingly, the amount of cores in multiple-core CPUs is always found in powers of two but with Xbox 360, it is a three-core CPU. For programmers, there is Microsoft XNA, which is designed to help game studios and publishers develop better games on all platforms.
The product will be sold through 150 stores and there will be kiosks with 26-inch HDTV, where you can try out the rigs. One of the big titles to be launched later is Halo 3, developed by Bungie Studios. During the launch of the console, 25-odd titles will be available and then on seven to 10 titles will be added every month.
The console will find a place among Indian gamers, sooner or later. With gamers in India spending Rs 926 every month on purchasing game titles, Microsoft will have a huge task in hand ~ great games at down-to-earth prices.