September 14^th, 2005 (11:50pm) - At Microsoft pre-TGS press conference, the company revealed that it would be launching the Xbox 360 in North America on November 22nd, with a European launch following on December 2nd, and in Japan on December 11th.

Microsoft is promising that the Xbox 360 is already in production in order to meet the worldwide demand for the console during the upcoming holiday season. However, the company has yet to reveal and specific shipping numbers.

Despite being the least popular of the three next-generation consoles according to reader polls in Japan, Microsoft is excited about launching the Xbox 360 in the territory, and in the rest of the world. "This holiday season, gamers in Japan, Europe and North America pining to experience jaw-dropping high-definition graphics, unmatched online play and compelling digital entertainment features of Xbox 360 will finally have the chance," says Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at Microsoft.

Microsoft has also revealed that it will not be releasing two SKUs of the console in Japan. Instead, Microsoft will only launch a fully loaded package of the console for 37,900 YEN, which is approx. $350 USD. This package will contain the console itself, the removable 20GB HD, wireless controller, a media remote control, a headset, ethernet cable, batteries and a component HD-AV cable.

Additionally, Microsoft has also revealed that over forty video game publishers have committed to supporting the Xbox 360 in Japan, and we’ll be seeing many of these games these publishers will be providing at the Tokyo Game Show. Here is a current list of games scheduled to make an appearance