Since it announced the Xbox One back in May, Microsoft has found itself backtracking on numerous issues, revising its position on numerous policies, from used games and "always-online" requirements, to the inclusion of a headset in the box, and the ability to use the console without Kinect.
The company isn"t done on changing its plans, as the latest post on the official Xbox Wire blog reveals that Microsoft is reducing the number of markets in which the Xbox One will launch later this year.
Microsoft had originally promised that 21 markets would be in the first launch wave, but today the company announced that just 13 will see the console this year. That"s bad news for the remaining eight countries, which will have to wait until next year to get their hands on the new device:
- Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States will still see the Xbox One launch in their respective markets in November this year as planned.
- Belgium, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland now won"t see the Xbox One until 2014.
Microsoft says that its priority "is ensuring our customers get the best Xbox One experience the first day it is available", and says that this is a necessary step to achieve that, and to ensure that it can meet consumer demand. It adds that there is considerable work to do in preparing the Xbox One for each market, including localisation on the Dashboard, voice and language enhancements, and curating local content and apps.
That will likely offer little comfort to gamers in those markets that now won"t see the console until "as soon as possible next year" - but Microsoft says that anyone who has already placed a pre-order in those markets will get a free game with their console when it finally arrives.
Source: Xbox Wire