| shootemup 2005-04-12, 6:35 pm |
| http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/...errer=Microsoft Could Ship 3M Xbox2 Units In Dec. Quarter04.12.05, 10:23 AM ETGoldman Sachs said it confirmed with Microsoft that the company is unlikelyto discontinue pr
oduction of the Xbox videogame console with the launch ofXbox 2. Microsoft will provide a sneak peek of the Xbox 2 console on atelevision special on May 12 on MTV in North America and on May 13internationally. "We had expected Xbox 2 to shown for the firs
t time at theE3 videogaming conference in Los Angeles (May 17-20, 2005)," Goldman said."This appears to be a tactical effort to show Xbox 2 before Sonydemonstrates the PS3 [PlayStation 3 videogame console] at E3." The researchfirm, which rates Microsoft a
t "outperform," expects Xbox 2 to be availablefor retail sale in October or November at a retail price of about $249 to$299. Goldman said the Xbox console would cater to the lower-end of theconsumer segment. The firm expects Microsoft to ship about 3 mill
ion unitsof the Xbox 2 worldwide in the December quarter. Sony is expected to debutthe PS3 at E3, "although the product is not expected to be available in theU.S. until mid-2006 (perhaps a Japan launch in the fourth quarter of 2005although more likely in
the first quarter of 2006)," Goldman said.
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