After more than 10 years of being banned by Chinese authorities, video game consoles are now allowed to be sold in mainland China, with Microsoft announcing that its Xbox One will be available in the country later this year.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Microsoft said the home console Xbox One will be available to Chinese video game lovers this September and will be sold at the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

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The Chinese government, for more than 10 years, had banned the sale of video game consoles in the country until this month, when authorities said game consoles will now be available but only at the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

Microsoft, the first among the game console makers to announce the entry of its machine in the mainland, said the Xbox will be available in China through the firm's partnership with BesTV, a local IPTV box manufacturer.

In a press release, Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi said announced that Xbox One will be brought to China in September through its partnership with the Shanghai-based BesTV.

"This is a historic moment in our partnership as we work toward the first official Xbox launch in China. Xbox One will also be the first system of its kind to launch in China," Mehdi said.

The joint venture between Microsoft and BesTV was formed last year even as the Chinese government had not lifted the game consoles ban. The two firms made combined investment of US $237 million to develop and release family-oriented games and related services in China.

Games analysts in China expect the Xbox One to be embraced by Chinese consumers because it will allow them to experience gaming on a big screen for the first time.

While it was illegal to sell video game consoles in China for the past 10 years, Xbox, PlayStation and Wii are not something unfamiliar to Chinese gamers. The said video game consoles have been available in the black market and other less-than-legal channels.

Video games market in the mainland was believed to be at US $13 billion last year.

TagsMicrosof Xbox One, Xbox One, China Xbox, China Playstation, China Wii