Microsoft Corp has delayed China launch of its Xbox One gaming console, which was originally scheduled for release on September 23, Tuesday.
Announcing the news in a statement on Friday the Redmond said “Despite strong and steady progress, we are going to need more a bit more time to deliver the best experiences possible for our fans in China.”
“At Xbox, we pride ourselves on delivering first rate gaming and entertainment experiences and to allow us to deliver on that promise we need to reschedule the launch of Xbox One.”
Redmond although did not mention a reason for the delay in the statement, it did say that the launch will take place “by the end of this year.”
Microsoft also stated that Chinese customers who pre-ordered for the gaming console will be among the first to receive it along with an added bonus. The console maker claimed it is currently working with 25 leading developers to deliver 70 games for Xbox One fans in China and that it is working to finalize the launch with over 4,000 retail locations in 37 cities.
It was after the Chinese government lifted a ban on gaming consoles, imposed way back in 2000, earlier this year 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.
The Xbox One console will cost 3,699 yuan (£369, $602) without the Kinect motion detection system and 4,299 yuan (£429, $700) with Kinect, in China.
