Xbox 360 Global Launch by Year's End

Microsoft said on Monday that the Xbox 360 launches in Japan and Europe will come during the holiday shopping season this year, a move that could be seen as an attempt to get a head start on market-leader Sony. Redmond had already committed to launching the next-generation console in the United States sometime this fall.

Sony, which controls over two-thirds of the gaming market, currently plans to launch the PlayStation 3 in spring 2006. By reaching a worldwide market several months earlier than Sony, Microsoft may be able to cut into sales of the PS3. Price may also play a part in the selection process - SCE president Ken Kutaragi said during last week's PlayStation Meeting that the PS3 will be "expensive."