The Xbox will sell for 34,800 yen ($263), about 10% less than its retail price in the United States, but still more than the 29,800 yen Playstation 2 and the 25,000 yen GameCube. Microsoft said 12 launch titles will be available.
Hirohisa Ohura, a managing director of Microsoft's Japan unit, would not reveal how many Xbox units would be available to the Japanese market. "Microsoft declined to disclose the number of Xbox consoles that will go on sale at the launch or to provide a shipment target for the year for the Japanese market," said Ohura. Microsoft previously said that it plans to ship 4.5 to 6 million Xbox units globally this year.
Since its November 15 launch in North America, Microsoft says it has sold over 1.5 million units of console.
