Japanese being last in the release chain, that's not something we can say we're used to. But now it happened, though, granted, spawning a worldwide release over 14 days is nothing we've seen often too. Set for a release date of Saturday, 10th of December 2005, we're happy to receive very limited early stock two days in advance. Earliest pre-orders ship while more stock is anticipated tomorrow, and that's part of the very good news, buffers are still available. More good news is that we were able to reduce the price to US$449. Orders placed previously have been revised to reflect the new price.

The hype was there already, still is, so just a few words about the Xbox 360 - unlikely you haven't read them before.

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From the manufacturer:
The Xbox 360™ is the future of entertainment. With the most stunning games, powerful technology, and intelligent services, Xbox 360™ puts you at the center of your entertainment experience. Connect and express. Collaborate and compete. Play the most compelling games. Watch DVD movies. Enjoy digital music, photos, and videos in an integrated entertainment system. Xbox 360™ also opens the door to incredible new high-definition entertainment. Experience Xbox 360 games in HD. Stream HD television and movies straight from your Windows Media Center Edition PC to your Xbox 360™.

Powered by custom, symmetrical, three-core CPU, each running at 3.2GHz, 500MHz ATI graphics processor and 512MB memory your games will never look the same. Xbox 360 games always look good, but they look spectacular on your high-definition display.

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The Xbox 360 Sale Commemoration Pack comes complete with a wireless joypad, headset, remote control, LAN-cable, power adaptor and a D-Terminal HD cable. The D-Terminal HD-cable is actually a disguised component cable, however it can not be used with TVs that accept component input. If your TV does not feature a D-Terminal socket (and so far only TVs in Japan do have them available) a separate Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable should be purchased along. You can choose from a dozen on-screen languages, including Japanese, Chinese, English and most major other languages. There were no apparent differences in the dashboard [compared to the US version] but a few cosmetic changes.
Also included is a demo of Final Fantasy XI Online for the beta test that is starting tomorrow (9. Dec 2005) The demo is not anymore included.

Regional restrictions
The Japanese Xbox 360 comes from Japan. That's a fact. What does that mean for compatibility with games from other regions?

As with other consoles (except most handhelds), territorial lockout has been implemented in the Xbox 360. However, as with the Xbox (or, Xbox 1 as we like to call it), Microsoft has not been as strict on this policy as other manufacturers. A number of games were compatible with all machines sold worldwide, no matter what region they originate from. With the Xbox 360, things are similar. We have already many games on the list, reported working together with the Japanese Xbox 360.

US Games tested in our lab

Quake 4 (working)

Call of Duty 2 (working)

Condemned (working)
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Project Gotham Racing 3 (not working)

Kameo (not working)

Perfect Dark: Zero (not working)

Positive compatibility reports from the internet

Ridge Racer 6 US (working on PAL) (Japanese Version completly english, verified by ourselves but not regionfree!)

Amped 3 US (working on PAL)

GUN US (working on PAL)

Tony Hawk (working on PAL)

The latter tests were conducted by individuals on the internet. The games were tested on European PAL machines, it is very likely Japanese machines perform similar. After all, game discs may be region free if so desired by the manufacturer.

This week's Xbox 360 and related releases

Xbox 360 Sale Commemoration Pack	JPN		US$ 449.00
Everyparty	JPN		US$ 59.90
FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup	JPN		US$ 64.90
Need for Speed Most Wanted	JPN		US$ 64.90
Perfect Dark Zero [First Print Limited Edition]	JPN		US$ 69.90
Ridge Racer 6	JPN		US$ 64.90
Tetris: The Grandmaster Ace	JPN		US$ 52.90
Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable			US$ 39.90
Xbox 360 Controller			US$ 39.90
Xbox 360 D Terminal HD AV Cable			US$ 39.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Sun)			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Wood)			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Pink Balloon)			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Water Puzzle)			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Silver)			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Headset			US$ 29.90
Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64MB)			US$ 39.90
Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit			US$ 24.90
Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery Pack			US$ 14.90
Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable			US$ 29.90
Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable			US$ 39.90
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller			US$ 49.90
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter			US$ 99.90

The Xbox 360 Sale Commemoration Pack ships within 24 hours, we are expecting sufficient stock to fulfill all orders. Stock for accessories and released games is expected anytime within the next day or two.

As always, keep informed by subscribing to our Personal Agent on the right hand side of most of our pages.