Microsoft’s Xbox One has finally hit the Chinese shores, making it the first foreign gaming console to be legally launched in China after a long 14 year gap.
It was after the Chinese government lifted a ban on gaming consoles this January, imposed way back in 2000, that Microsoft had inked a deal with Chinese internet TV set-top box maker BesTV New Media Co Ltd to start a joint venture to manufacture gaming consoles in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone.
Microsoft began selling the gaming console on Monday in around 4,000 retail stores across 37 cities in China. The Redmond is offering a limited edition “China Day One” version of the Xbox One that includes the Kinect sensor along with several free games.
The Xbox One has been launched with 10 government-approved violent-free games, including Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Powerstar Golf, Zoo Tycoon, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Dance Central Spotlight, Neverwinter Online, Rayman Legends, Trials Fusion, and Naughty Kitties.
Chinese Xbox One gamers will however not be able to access the popular gaming titles “Halo: The Master Chief Collection”, along with “Destiny” and the latest Call of Duty instalment, that are among the console’s 10 top-selling titles in the US, due to restriction from the government.
Microsoft has claimed that it is currently working with 25 leading developers to deliver more than 70 gaming titles for Xbox One fans in China in the weeks and months to come.
The Xbox One console is available for 3,699 yuan (£369, $602) without the Kinect motion detection system and 4,299 yuan (£429, $700) with Kinect, in China.
