Microsoft Corporation announced a launch event for its Xbox One in China on September 23 after the government lifted a ban on gaming consoles this year.

The Xbox One launch makes Microsoft the first international firm to begin selling gaming devices in China after the ban was lifted. Xbox marketing and strategy chief Yusuf Mehdi confirmed the launch date during an event held in Shanghai, Reuters said.

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The console without the Kinect motion detector is expected to retail for US$600 (CNY3,699), while the one with Kinect could cost US$700 (CNY4,299). These prices present a US$200 difference from those in the US, where people can buy the Xbox One with Kinect for US$499 and the one without for US$399.

In September 2013, Microsoft struck a deal with China-based internet TV set-top box company BesTV New Media Co Ltd for the joint manufacture of the devices in the Free Trade Zone in Shanghai.

According to Zhang Dazhong, senior vice president of BesTV New Media parent firm Shanghai Media Group, the government has approved the launch of Xbox One in China.

Microsoft is pushing for the China launch amidst a government notification on Tuesday that the company is being investigated for monopoly.

China is the third-largest gaming market in the world. Its revenues increased by over a third to almost US$14 billion last year compared to its revenues in 2012.

Piracy and the extreme popularity of mobile and PC (personal computer) games may pose a threat to the sales of gaming consoles in the country.

The government banned gaming consoles in the country in 2000 and only lifted the ban this year.

Meanwhile, Sony said in May that it is planning to enter a joint project with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group for the launching of its PlayStation gaming console in China.

TagsMicrosoft Corp., Xbox One, Reuters, Kinect, BesTV New Media Co Ltd, free trade zone, Zhang Dazhong, Shanghai Media Group, Sony Corp, playstation