Microsoft is lining up nearly 1,400 stores in India to push its latest video-gaming console — Xbox 360 — slated for local debut around Diwali.
HYDERABAD: Microsoft is lining up nearly 1,400 stores in India to push its latest video-gaming console — Xbox 360 — slated for local debut around Diwali.
At least 15 of these will be flagship stores set up by franchise partners in leading cities in the country to give the cinematic experience of the Xbox 360 to gamers who till now had to depend on either travellers or the grey market for video gaming consoles.
The world’s biggest software maker, which entered the video gaming console market in 2001, has tied up with the $3.5 billion global chain Redington for distribution of the Xbox in India which has over 8,000 channel partners in the country.
According to research done for Microsoft by market research firm KSA Technopak, it is estimated there are about 1.6 million die-hard gamers in the country who spend a monthly average of Rs 926 on gaming software in the country.
While the gaming market is estimated at around $80 million for calendar 2006, interestingly, the research also shows that among the seven leading cities where gaming is prevalent, Hyderabad leads with the highest incidence of gamers as a ratio of the total population.
“We will also set up 1,000 plus demo kiosks across the country equipped with 29 inch Samsung high-definition screens to let potential customers experience the product,” Mohit Anand, country manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft India, said.
While it has priced the Xbox 360 Core System + 1 leading game title at Rs 19,990, the Xbox 360 System will be available only at Rs 23,990. Game titles will be available at Indian prices in the premium and classic range, he added.
Significantly, while Microsoft has announced it will exchange the earlier versions of the Xbox that could have been brought into the country through various channels, Anand said the company had not taken a call whether it would apply the same strategy for rival Sony’s PlayStation.
Microsoft entered the video gaming console market in November 2001 with the launch of the Xbox and followed it up with its second offering only recently, the Xbox 360 in November 2005 to take on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo.
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