Microsoft Delays Xbox One's Launch In China

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) delayed the launch of Xbox One in China, which is supposed to be on Tuesday, but the company announces that it will most likely to launch by the end of the year. The company did not provide any reasons for the cause of the delay.

"At Xbox, we pride ourselves on delivering first-rate gaming and entertainment experiences, and to allow us to deliver on that promise, we need to reschedule the launch of Xbox One,"according to Polygon's Source. "Working with our partner, BesTV, we look forward to launching in China by the end of this year."

Setbacks for Microsoft in China could be the reason for the delay since the company is still under investigation for the alleged violation of antitrust that is related to Windows OS and MS Office. China lifted the government ban for gaming consoles for a decade and the company was able to make a deal to create a joint venture to manufacture gaming consoles in Shanghai's Free Trade Zone last year.

However, China has a huge video game black market that sells cheap, cracked systems and Microsoft's conflict with the Chinese government might have made the company realize to need to think things out. But given the announcement to be just three days before the expected launch could mean something big might happened recently, according to Forbes. The sales ratio between Xbox One, Nintendo's Wii U and Sony's PS4 are more balanced in the US. However, xbox One's softpoint could be its sales coming from Asian and European countries and launching in China before the PS4 does could've helped the company's sales, according to Forbes.

The Xbox One will cost about $602.37 and users can opt to add the Kinect motion detection system by adding about $700, according to Microsoft in July. But for now, it is still unclear and for users that made pre-orders in China, it is reported that Xbox One will provide a special "bonus gift" for the trouble. The PS4 is also expected to be released in China, but there is no specific date yet.