Stylish new Xbox a must-have addition to the console range



LONDON, 22nd April 2003 - Xbox today announced the launch of a Limited Edition Xbox, available across Europe from May 2nd 2003. The stylish new console is translucent green, comes with two translucent green controllers and will retail for €229.99/£149.99. Set to be a collector’s item, the Limited Edition Xbox will turn gamers green with envy. Style-conscious gamers who want all the power and great games that Xbox offers will be delighted with this mean, green machine and drawn to the clean white packaging it is supplied in.

Michel Cassius, European Director of Xbox Platform, commented: “The ‘Xbox-green’ is instantly recognisable and by making the Xbox this translucent green we have, we believe, created a console that anyone would be proud to show off in the home. It is a ‘must-have’ for Xbox fans across Europe who are keen to show their commitment to the future of gaming and who want something a little bit different”.

The Limited Edition Xbox comes hot on the heels of a sell out Christmas, which saw Xbox clearly emerge as the number two player in Europe. Xbox-only games such as Splinter Cell, which clearly demonstrate the advanced hardware features on the Xbox, sold well, as did cross-platform games such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, FIFA 2003, and Colin McRae Rally 3. Gamers can look forward to 2003 bringing even more must-have titles for Xbox, with over 250 new titles available this year.

Microsoft has witnessed a rich vein of fan activity in websites and on chat forums since the turn of the year speculating on the introduction of a green console. The decision to produce a Limited Edition Green Console will satisfy Xbox fans, as they vie to get hold of a Xbox-green console.

Game consoles are more popular than they have ever been and the discerning gamer is concerned with functionality and form. The Limited Edition Xbox is the perfect expression of modern gaming - grown-up, sophisticated and a design classic.

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About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft’s future-generation video game system that delivers never before seen gameplay experiences. With more than three times the graphics performance of other game consoles, top-quality DVD playback, Dolby 5.1 surround sound to make games and movies come alive, and a hard disc that opens up new kinds of gameplay, Xbox is the video game system that delivers more of what gamers want. Xbox is now available in Europe for an estimated street price of €199.99/£129.99.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.