Xbox 360 announcements from Japan. HD-DVD player, new Live Arcade games, and 1080p support for games

20 September 2006

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Posted by:Josh

The Xbox 360 has had a lot of trouble breaking into the Japanese video game marketplace, so Microsoft held a press conference at the Cerulean Tower Hotel in Tokyo’s Shibuya district today hoping to attract more attention before the Tokyo Game Show officially kicks off in a few days (TGS is held from Sep. 22-24th).

All the details announced at the conference for Japan listed below:

- The HD-DVD player set for Nov. 22 at 20,790 ($177) including tax. Will connect to USB and supports 1080p. The drive itself is quite large. No US release date announced.
- An update is coming that allows for the playback of games and any other videos you download in 1080p! This will be accomplished through VGA or component cables with no HDMI port needed!
- Upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games in Japan that were already announced include: Defender, Gyruss, Contra, Lumines, Dig Dug, and Fatal Fury Special.
- Newly announced XBL:A games are: Rush ‘n Attack, Ms. Pac-Man, New Rally X, and the Japan-exclusive Yie Ar Kung Fu.
- Ms. Pac-Man World Championship set for early 2007. Top 10 leaderboard players will fly to NYC to compete for the top prize. More details later.
- 70 Xbox 360 titles on the way to Japan. 50 of them supposedly exclusives . . .
- Two new RPGs announced: Trusty Bell from Namco Bandai and Undiscovery from Tri-Ace, makers of Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile.
- Lost Planet to cost 8,379 yen ($71). Released on December 22 in Japan.
- Dead or Alive Extreme 2 to cost 9,240 yen ($79). Released November 15 in US and Nov. 22nd in Japan.
- Blue Dragon out Dec. 7th in Japan. Lost Odyssey demoed along with Blue Dragon. Gameplay shown for both. No Lost Odyssey release date announced.
- New marketing campaign with the slogan: “Do! Game, Do! Choice, Do! Live.” Game = Over 100 titles in library soon. Choice=customization. Live = Communication and online-play.
- A new system package is on the way for 29,800 yen (about $254) which mirrors the US Core Package but includes the two games Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninety-Nine Nights. Set for Nov. 2nd release.
- New peripherals, all set for Nov. 2nd, include: Xbox Live Vision Camera (will include a month of Live Gold and a free copy of Uno) costing 4,200 yen ($36). Wireless headset costing 6,300 yen ($54). The Hard Drive will hit stores at 9,500 yen ($81) and the remote control will cost 3,000 yen ($26). Finally a wireless steering wheel will also be released. It includes force feedback but no final release date or price were announced.