Xbox 360 Fanboy

[Insert V for Vendetta joke here.] Indian gamers have a reason to celebrate next month, as Live for both Xbox 360 and Games for Windows will launch there on November 5th. A 12-month subscription will run 2200 rupees ($55 USD) and a 1600 MS Point card will cost 1070 rupees. That's roughly $27 USD, so Indians will be paying slightly more than Americans for their virtual currency. Xbox Live Marketplace content for India will be considered part of Asia, so any content available on the Asian XBLM (including XBLA games and movies), will be available to India. The Indian Video Marketplace will have Indian films available for download as well. Finally, India's Marketplace will be host to educational content for grades 1-12. What exactly that entails, we don't know, but we're sure it makes for good marketing.

[Via Joystiq]

Read: Xbox Live, Games for Windows launches Nov. 5
Read: Microsoft India launches Xbox live

Last month, it was reported that the Xbox 360 was doing very well in India, despite the fact that an Xbox 360 costs more than many Indians make in a month. GameGuru.in, an Indian gaming site, decided to dig a little deeper. Game Guru surveyed a total of 123 Xbox 360 dealers in India to uncover as much information as they could. Having contacted Microsoft, Game Guru was told only that Microsoft does not reveal regional sales numbers; they like to keep their numbers global. From their sample, a total of 839 Xbox 360s had been sold, with the majority of those systems being the Premium version (keep in mind, this was a limited survey and not all dealers were willing to reveal their sales numbers). Unsurprisingly, the console sold better in more affluent regions of India.

Overall, anecdotal evidence suggests that Indians prefer the PS2. Not exactly shocking, considering the PS2 is substantially cheaper. Also worth noting, pirated PS2 games are readily available in India, whereas pirated 360 titles are not. While it seems that Indians are generally impressed with the 360 when they see it displayed, it seems that the machine is just too expensive for the average Indian.

Do we have any Indian readers that would care to comment?

According to GameDaily, the Xbox 360 is doing very well in India, where it was launched in September (booth babes and all). An analyst from Amritt Ventures states that the console is "ubiquitous in stores across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore." We'll note (as did Joystiq) that a console's presence in stores doesn't necessarily mean it's selling well (just ask Sony). Also, many will recall that the 360 is so expensive in India that many people require a financing plan just to get one. Still, India's gaming market is expanding fast, and it's obvious that MS is keen to get a piece of the action.

While we're certainly interested in how our favorite console fares in other countries, we have to admit the real reason we ran this story was to post the Indian 360 commercial again. We might be overstating the matter, but it's possibly the best commercial ever made for any product evar. Enjoy.

[Via Joystiq]

The ICICI bank of India is offering an interesting finance plan to its customers. Customers looking for an Xbox 360 Core system in India will be able to secure one from the bank for a rupee payment roughly equivalent of $20, followed by six monthly installments of about $73. While a finance plan for a 360 seems absurd by US standards, it is practically a necessity in India, where the average annual salary is below $500 (a core costs around $518 in India). As our source article puts it, for the average Indian citizen, an Xbox 360 purchase is nearly as taxing as westerners would find buying a house. The article also points out the irony that those most likely to afford an Xbox 360 in India will be those that work for U.S. companies with Indian operations -- companies like Microsoft. Typically, these U.S. firms pay much higher than the national average wage.

Are you crazy enough about the 360 that you'd take out a loan to get one?

[Via Digg]

TechShout.com spotted what may be India's first Microsoft booth babes at the Xbox 360 launch party in New Dehli. They take it as a sign the country's conservative culture may be loosening up -- as if hiring cute girls in tight mini-skirts to hock a video game console could ever be considered a sign of progress. Well, maybe. Stay tuned for 360: The Bollywood Musical.

[Thanks Alden]

Microsoft has announced that that the Xbox 360 will go on sale in India this October. The launch is fortuitously timed to precede a major Hindu holiday. According to Wikipedia, Diwali (or Deepvali) is a 5 day Hindu festival celebrated in October/November. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolises the victory of good over evil. Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Of course, It's also a good exscuse to blow 23,990 Rupees on a Premium System. Time to light up that green ring India.

Gamers in India will have something to celebrate soon: Microsoft is finally bringing them the next-gen console. The estimated 1.6 million gaming fans will even have the opportunity to pre-order the system as early as next month.

This is Microsoft's way of spreading their market dominance even more. "We will be in India before our competition has launched in any other market," says Mitch Koch of Microsoft. They're on the move and Sony is too. It'll be a long time before we see other next-generation consoles reach this far into the videogame market. Keep your eyes peeled to see if and how they bridge the gap.