Eying business opportunities during the summer holiday, Microsoft Taiwan Corp has aggressively embarked on a series of promotional activities for its Xbox 360 video game consoles.
"Sales of Xbox 360 in the summer alone will account for 30 percent of the whole-year figure," Cary Chen (陳傑樺), senior product marketing manager at Microsoft Taiwan's entertainment and device division, told reporters yesterday.
To help achieve its goal, the company announced yesterday that it would cooperate with the five-star Far Eastern Plaza Hotel to promote the consoles.
From yesterday until Aug. 31, locals and foreigners who hold alien resident cards who stay at the hotel will be able to play on the consoles in the comfort of 50 selected rooms.
Microsoft's partnership with the hotel is the latest of several cooperative relationships it has formed since its Xbox 360 hit local stores in mid-March.
Microsoft has joined forces with companies from various industries, hoping to cash in on the delayed debut of rival Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 (PS3).
These partnerships have involved carmaker Ford Lio Ho Motor Co (
Microsoft Taiwan is also planning to form a partnership with another drink company to promote the Xbox 360 soon, according to Chen.
This summer, Xbox 360 fans can expect to see 21 games added to the current lineup of 60 games, he said.
Of these new titles, two will cater to local tastes as they have been developed by Taiwanese firms.
XPEC Entertainment Inc (樂陞科技) is set to launch a role-playing game next month, while FunTown (戲谷) will follow a month later by introducing a mahjong game, he said.
While Softstar Entertainment Inc (大宇資訊), was the only local company to work with Microsoft Taiwan when it was developing titles for the first-generation Xbox, around 15 domestic gaming developers are doing so for the new Xbox, Grace Chou (周文英), the company's senior manager, said in March.
Chen declined to offer sales figures in Taiwan, but Microsoft previously estimated that global sales of Xbox 360 will hit 5 million to 5.5 million by the end of this month, and rise to 10 million by year's end.
In November, Nintendo Co will launch its Wii consoles, priced at under ?25,000 (US$215). Sony, meanwhile, will sell the PS3 for US$499, while the Xbox 360 sells for US$399.
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