The Countdown to Xbox™ Live has begun!

Singapore connects to the world’s fastest-growing online gaming community with the launch of Xbox Live on April 30

Watch out Singapore!  With heightened anticipation and fever-pitch buzz, console gamers will soon be able to experience Xbox Live, the world’s most vibrant and exciting online gaming service from April 30.

From April 30, Singaporeans will be able to buy an Xbox Live Starter Kit, priced at S$88.00, which includes the Xbox Live Communicator head set, two pack-in games, Mech Assault and Moto GP, and a one year subscription to the Xbox Live service. With the Starter Kit, together with an Xbox console and a broadband Internet connection, users will be able to connect to the Xbox Live service.

Xbox Live is the most powerful online gaming experience designed for the Xbox console that brings together the best games and experiences in a simple, fun and feature-rich service. Xbox Live enables gamers to meet, talk and compete with other gamers around the world through a broadband Internet connection.

Some of the key features of Xbox Live are: ‘Voice Chat’, where gamers will be able to find and talk or play with friends, regardless of country or game they are playing; ‘Gamertag’ where gamers adopt a single identity across all games enabling them to build their reputation and fame – or infamy – across the Xbox Live universe; and ‘Content Download’ where gamers can play through new levels, with new characters, or download the latest sports statistics or music to the Xbox hard drive.

“With the launch of Xbox Live, we are delivering on our promise of bringing the best gaming experience possible to Singaporeans,” said Mr Alex Chua, Microsoft Singapore’s Home & Entertainment Division Manager. “In the 16 months since the Singapore launch, we have built up a portfolio of over 150 game titles and have seen the emergence of a strong local Xbox community, making this the ideal time to launch Xbox Live in Singapore.”

More than 40 Xbox Live-enabled titles across all genres will be available during the launch window and gamers will be able to enjoy the best video game content available.  Action fans can grunt and sweat through “Brute Force”, “Ninja Gaiden”, “Mech Assault” and “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow”, while shooting fans can be trigger happy on “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3”, “Counter Strike”, and “Ghost Recon: Island Thunder”, and racing fans can speed their way through “Midtown Madness 3”, “RalliSport Challenge 2” and “Project Gotham Racing 2”.

To ensure the ultimate online gaming experience for Xbox Live, Xbox is happy to announce that major ISPs SingNet and StarHub in Singapore will be working with Xbox to enable easy access to Xbox Live’s high-speed, broadband gaming experience.

“Our ADSL’s dedicated broadband technology is ideally suited for the gaming experience offered by Xbox,” said Mr Paul Kitchin, Vice President (Consumer Marketing), SingTel. “We are excited to be working with Microsoft Singapore to bring the Xbox Live service to Singapore broadband users. With the widening of the gaming horizon, our Internet customers on SingNet can look forward to an enhanced gaming experience where they can play and communicate with gamers around the world. SingTel is always looking for innovative ways to give our customers more value added services and our tie-up with Microsoft Singapore is a move in this direction.”

Mr Thomas Ee, Senior Vice President of Online Services at StarHub said, “We are happy that through an earlier innovative joint promotion between StarHub and Microsoft Singapore there are already more than 10,000 MaxOnline customers who are proud owners of an Xbox console, and that through the continued strategic partnership with Microsoft Singapore, StarHub is poised to bringing its MaxOnline customers more exciting deals to bundle our MaxOnline service with the much coveted Xbox console. We look forward to continue to work closely with Microsoft Singapore to bring gamers here the best in online gaming."

“With Xbox Live, Singaporeans gamers will be able to join a global gaming community of nearly 750,000 gamers in 26 countries,” said Mr Chua. “Singaporeans gamers will be able to enjoy a whole new dimension in console gaming that is simple to use, satisfying to play and most important of all, it’s great fun.”