MS Showcases Games at TGS; Future 1080p Support Announced

Added 09/20/2006 by Kisan Parikh

Today at the Tokyo Game Show, MS delivered information about the 110 high-def games that will be available in Japan this holiday season. The first Pac-Man World Championship was announced, and is expected to be held in early 2007 using the Xbox 360 and XBLA. Additionally it was announced that the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player will be available in Japan on Nov. 17, 2006, priced at ¥19,800. It will come with a Universal Media Remote. Also, MS announced that the Xbox 360 will support 1080p for games and movies after a fall software update. Additionally, MS demonstrated XNA to Japanese colleges as the worldwide release date of August 30th slowly nears.
 
“The key to winning the hearts and minds of the Japanese market is great games, and this great lineup demonstrates that Xbox 360 has those games in spades,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “Our lineup of role-playing games from the acknowledged masters of the genre is proof positive that there has never been a better time for Japanese gamers to jump in and pick up an Xbox 360 system.”
 
“Ms. Pac-Man” (NAMCO BANDAI). In addition, the Japan-exclusive Xbox Live Arcade game “Yie Ar Kung Fu” (Konami), one of the very first fighting games, was announced for release in 2007.

 “Xbox 360 and the HD DVD Player together deliver the most powerful and affordable games and movie system for Japanese consumers,” Moore said. “The freedom to choose their entertainment experiences is extremely important for consumers as they enter the next generation.”

 “As I turn my attention and passion toward teaching the next generation of game developers, I am thrilled with XNA Game Studio Express and related products,” said Toru Iwatani, a lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University and original creator of “Pac-Man.” “I believe that these products are attractive and effective because they create a development environment that matches the skill level and area of expertise, widening the entry of future developers into game development.”