X360 still on course for 2005
Peter Moore laughs off talk of 06.
Xbox 360 is still due out this year in Europe, North America and Japan, Microsoft declared during its Xbox Summit last week - executive Peter Moore reconfirming the news in the face of gathering rumours that the console might not appear until 2006.
"We are going to make history when we launch in three regions this holiday season: Japan, Europe, and North America. That's never been done before, but we will do it," he declared, chest presumably swelling.
Sony is of course expecting to release its PlayStation 3 console in spring 2006, although it has yet to clarify whether that means we'll see it worldwide or merely in its homeland of Japan during that period.
Having settled the issue of timing, Moore continued by paying tribute to the Japanese gaming market as "the world's first gaming superpower" as part of Microsoft's continuing charm offensive in the region. "I know that success in this country is the ultimate tribute to the compelling power of our new platform," he said, hastily brushing a few discarded Xbox consoles under a nearby carpet.