- Title: USA: Microsoft's Xbox One goes on sale in New York
- Date: 22nd November 2013
- Summary: VARIOUS OF ROMAN SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF BESTBUY THEATER XBOX ON BOARD IN TIMES SQUARE
- Embargoed: 7th December 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment,Technology
- Reuters ID: LVAAGMP8A3H8J46O01YYNP8N1UQ4
- Story Text: Microsoft's newest gaming console Xbox One gets a grand release party in New York complete with zombies and roman soldiers.
Microsoft Corp's latest gaming console "Xbox One" went on sale on Friday (November 22) at midnight at the Bestbuy Theater in New York.
It has been eight years since Microsoft revealed its Xbox 360 in 2005.
The software giant aims to upstage rival Sony Corp with a console that goes well beyond gaming and helps transform media viewing, a long-cherished but elusive goal.
For the grand launching event fans dressed in green shirt lined the block around the theater, with the first in line, Hanoi Delosangeles waiting for over a full day.
"I have been waiting here for 36 hours since Wednesday morning 9 a.m. And there is only a few more hours to go. It was hard, but now we're almost there so got to sacrifice a little to get a little."
Second in line, Caleb Hagopian, joined him 15 minutes later. Hagopian, who is an attorney said that he took sick days to be able to stand in line.
"It's only 36 hours, you know. If you go camping it's going to be 36 hours and for this you get something you are never going to get except every 10 years. So for me it was totally worth it."
Another gamer in line, Richard Persaud (pronounced Per-saad) said that they were well taken care of, especially compared to the launching event of Sony's PlayStation 4 which took place last week.
"I can tell you right now that I am just laughing at the PS4 guys. They got T-shirts and we got hot cars, good food and a ton of memories. Now I cannot wait to go home, set up Kinect and go like: 'Xbox, on.'"
The evening-long fan celebration saw many flashy billboards in Times Square light up in green projecting the Xbox sign. Iconic Xbox characters such as hordes of zombies and roman soldiers swarmed the event space celebrating the launch.
After a countdown at midnight the first ten people in line, including Delosangeles and Hagopian was called up on stage to receive the console.
Delosangeles told Reuters that he was exhausted but it was "worth my wait."
The console has received early positive reviews for its performance, interface and exclusive launch games.
To entice TV viewers and simplify their viewing experience, the new device comes with features like voice control via its Kinect input device - ostensibly in place of a remote - and the ability to integrate it with cable boxes.
As with the PlayStation and Nintendo's Wii U, the Xbox One comes loaded with Netflix and other popular media apps. But Microsoft has started its own studio to produce exclusive video content, meaning the new device could become a gateway to much more than games.
To bolster its entertainment offerings, Microsoft launched its Xbox Music app, a digital music service that vies with Apple's iTunes, last year.
Microsoft is battling Sony, which sold 1 million of its PlayStation 4s within the first 24 hour of its November 15 release in the United States and Canada, and is currently sold out in many retail stores and online. At $499, the Xbox One costs $100 more than its rival console.
Over the last eight years, Sony and Microsoft both sold more than 80 million PS3 and Xbox 360 units each, while Nintendo sold over 100 million Wii consoles. The industry has debated whether the console heyday is over, with hardware sales in decline for the past four years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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