Microsoft has maintained since the Xbox was originally announced that when the console is finally launched, it will be priced competitively. Robbie Bach, senior vice president of Microsoft's games division, echoed those sentiments in discussing specific price points for the Japanese and North American Xbox for the first time as part of a recent CBS Marketwatch article.

　　"Console pricing is a pretty well-defined science," Bach said. "The research has told us that consoles typically start around the range of $299 in the US and somewhere between 29,000 yen and 39,000 yen in Japan. We will take that research into account when we start pricing the Xbox." The 39,000 yen (about $315) Japanese price point is slightly lower than the launch price of the Japanese PlayStation 2, which debuted at 39,800 yen (about $320).

　　When contact for comment a Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot that the prices discusses by Bach were only approximate price ceilings that the company hopes to maintain, and not the official price of the console. Microsoft will officially announce specific pricing and launch details for the North American Xbox at the upcoming E3 in Los Angeles. The North American launch is slated for this fall. The Japanese release will follow a month later.