Microsoft lowers Xbox 360 estimated retail price and launches 60 GB console in Middle East

That is the Xbox 360, and Microsoft today announced the new lower estimates retail price for its Xbox 360 family of consoles in the Middle East. Now with an entry-level ERP and offering a plethora of exciting and broad entertainment in the living room, Xbox 360 is the true home of mass market entertainment with something to offer for every interest and budget.

The company today announced that prices on all the available consoles in the Middle East have been reduced, effective Friday, 19th September and a new addition to the family of Xbox 360 consoles, the 60 GB Xbox 360 with triple the storage space of the original console, at a reduced price (ERP). The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive, will have an ERP. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP.

The new ERPs are part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience, with something for everyone. The Xbox 360 platform is offering a stunning games portfolio for all ages and interests this Christmas, with new titles for music lovers, family-friendly games, and exciting blockbuster titles for the committed gamer.

"We're proud to be expanding the reach of Xbox as the first next-generation console to break barrier, making the platform less expensive than competitors," said Armagan Demir, Head of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Middle East. "History shows that the majority of console sales happen after this price point has been breached, and we're well positioned to take advantage of this mass market pricing. We're passing on the benefits of being the first console to sell over 20 million units worldwide, and of the ever-expanding ecosystem of Xbox, to consumers. We offer a large library of games and family entertainment for Xbox 360, with 90 titles coming between now and Christmas alone. Plus, with well over five million consoles sold to date in EMEA the combination of the strongest games line up this holiday season, really innovative entertainment experiences and these groundbreaking new price points will ensure we continue to enjoy fantastic momentum in the Middle East."

Bringing Music Games to Life:

Whether you're an aspiring groupie, songbird or big-haired rocker, this Christmas Xbox 360 transforms your living room into a thrilling soundstage for you and your friends. No other system connects you with all the music you love:
• "Lips" (iNiS/Microsoft Game Studios). "Lips," an all-new music franchise exclusively from Xbox 360, is the only singing party game that offers wireless motion-sensitive microphones and a robust and diverse list of songs representing multiple musical genres, ranging from pop, rock and dance to hip-hop, country and R&B.
• "Rock Band" (Harmonix/Electronic Arts). "Rock Band" is the next-gen music game that lets you live out your rock-and-roll fantasy. Embark on a solo career as a guitarist, bassist, drummer, or singer, and rock out to some of the biggest rock anthems of all time.
• "Guitar Hero World Tour" (RedOctane/Activision). The latest instalment from the No. 1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, "Guitar Hero World Tour" will transform music gaming by marrying the exhilarating guitar gameplay of "Guitar Hero" with a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes.

Xbox 360 Is the Life of the Party:

Xbox 360 truly gets the party started with a wide-ranging portfolio of exclusive games for the whole family, including:
• "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). Available exclusively on Xbox 360 in November, from the creative masterminds at Rare, "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" is an action-adventure game that breathes new life into a franchise that has entertained people of all ages for a decade. In a platform genre first, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, sea and air in a variety of Challenges where their choice of vehicle and tactics determines the course of the adventure.
• "Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise" (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). In this sequel to the colourful sleeper hit "Viva Pinata", players can venture outside the boundaries of the immersive and ever-changing garden to retrieve exotic pinata species from two new lands, the Dessert Desert and the Pinarctic.

The Biggest Blockbusters of 2008 and Beyond:

With the most blockbuster, million-selling games and some highly- anticipated titles in 2008 and beyond, Xbox 360 is the pre-eminent place to play all the big titles that gamers thirst for, including the following:
• Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks). Included in "Fallout 3" is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world—radiation, super mutants, and hostile mutated creatures.
• "Fable II" (Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios). This Xbox 360 exclusive action role-playing game offers players an epic storyline and an unprecedented level of freedom and choice. Every decision defines who the player becomes and influences the evolving world around them.
• "Gears of War 2" (Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios). "Gears of War 2" is the most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive title this holiday season and will be released worldwide Nov. 7.
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (EIDOS). "Tomb Raider: Underworld" represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
• James Bond: Quantum of Solace (Treyarch/Activision Inc.) James Bond is back to settle the score in Activision Inc.'s Quantum of Solace video game. Introducing a more lethal and cunningly efficient Bond, the game blends intense first-person action with a unique third-person cover combat system allowing players to truly experience what it is like to be the ultimate secret agent as they use their stealth, precision shooting and lethal combat skills to progress through missions.
• Prince of Persia (Ubisoft). "Prince of Persia" is set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, with the Prince finding himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness. Master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time. Grip fall down the face of a building, perform perfectly timed acrobatic combinations, swing over canyons, buildings, and anything that is reachable.