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Microsoft Releases Xbox 360

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 00:00 CST

By Richard J. Dalton Jr, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Nov. 22--A four-year-old newcomer has beaten two older rivals in the latest multimillion-dollar video-game competition.

Microsoft released the highly anticipated Xbox 360, the first high-definition console, today, beating out competitors Sony and Nintendo.

Their new consoles will come out next year, missing the crucial holiday season.

Some Long Island stores were expected to open at 12:01 a.m. today, though many stores were expected to open much later in the morning.

The Xbox 360 will cost $300, or $400 with a wireless controller and 20-gigabyte hard drive. Eighteen Xbox 360 games are currently available.

Microsoft expects to sell up to 3 million consoles over the next 90 days. But many stores are expected to sell out, and others have stopped taking pre-orders.

At the Circuit City in East Northport, numerous customers are inquiring about the store's opening time and pre-orders, store director Mark Custodio said.

Best Buy planned to issue tickets to customers waiting in line for the 10 or more units available at each location. Best Buy opens at 9 a.m.

The first Xbox was released in 2001, the same year 20-year-old Nintendo released the Gamecube version of its console. The 10-year-old Sony Playstation console re-emerged as Playstation 2 in 2000.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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MSFT, SNE, 6758, NTDOF, NTDOY, 7974, CC, BBY,

Source: Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

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