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| The Xbox 360 will go on sale Nov. 22 in North America. |
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Microsoft's next generation video game machine will go on sale before Black Friday, but just barely.
The company announced Thursday that the Xbox 360 would hit retail shelves Nov. 22 -- two days before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday -- in North America. European gamers will be able to buy the machine Dec. 2, while Japanese consumers will be able to buy one Dec. 10.
This will be the first time a video game console maker has released a system worldwide at essentially the same time.
Microsoft (Research) did not announce which games will be available at the system's launch, nor mention how many titles would be available. The company has previously indicated it would have between 15 and 25 games available when the system launched. Analysts now believe that number has shrunk to between 12 and 15.
The Xbox 360 will cost American consumers either $299 for a no-frills core system or $399 for one with a hard drive, wireless controller and more. Europe will also have two pricing plans –  299 and 399.
Japanese consumers will actually get something of a discount, the company announced Thursday. Only one Xbox package will be offered there with a price tag of ¥37,900, roughly $342.
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For more video game news and commentary, read Game Over
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