From GS

[Microsoft Japan outlines Xbox Video Chat launch]

Xbox Japan marketing director Takashi Sensui explains Microsoft' s decision to debut the service across the Pacific.

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TOKYO--As previously announced at E3, Microsoft will launch its Xbox Video Chat services in Japan. Today Microsoft Japan' s Xbox marketing director, Takashi Sensui, held a press conference to give further details about the service and its debut later this year.

Xbox Video Chat will let up to five users communicate with each other on a TV screen simultaneously. The Xbox Video Chat kit, which will retail for 6,800 yen ($62), comes with a small video camera, the Xbox voice communicator, the Xbox Video Chat Disc, and an Xbox Live starter kit with 12 free months of Xbox Live.

The Xbox Video Chat comes with a number of features to spice up its communication functions, including sound effects, visual effects, voice alteration, and the ability to vibrate the other participants' controllers remotely. The Xbox Video Chat also comes with 40 preinstalled background music tracks and a function to turn the TV screen into a mirror temporarily, so players can groom themselves before joining a conversation.

At the press conference, Sensui explained that one reason Xbox Video Chat will be launching in Japan first is that the project was developed by the Japanese Xbox team. The main reason, though, was Japan' s broadband infrastructure. Broadband connections have become the norm in Japanese households over the last two years, mainly due to the low price of connection fees. On average, a 40Mbps ADSL connection costs around 4,000 yen ($36) per month in Japan.

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I hope this isn' t another Eyetoy, because boy did that get old fast.

I find it interesting that they would debut it in Japan, instead of here where there is a larger user base. The Eyetoy did get old fast(and I was playing the thing at Best Buy), but this looks like it might be different.

From screenshots I' ve seen the video looks of higher quality, although that is mainly assumption. If they can incorporate this thing into regular game usage I think it would be kinda sweet. I' m not incredibly interested in video chat, but it is a cool idea

5 vid chats at once...cyber orgy?

neways, it seems like a nice lil additional item. A bit pricy but the package it comes with seems right.

the ability to vibrate the other participants' controllers remotely.

Well, if you chatting with a hot girl, you can have her put the controller on her " lap" and them....

On average, a 40Mbps ADSL connection costs around 4,000 yen ($36) per month in Japan.

Uhhhh. That HAS to be a typo. 40 megabits? Over DSL? Hell I could only get 10 megabits full duplex (up and down at the same time) over fiber. T1 is only 1.544444 megabits. Unless they are measuring megabits per MINUTE or something.

If I remember correctly, the telephone system (and broadband) in Japan is vastly superior to the US. I think Europe is better than us to.

Yeah, if I could live anywhere else, it would be Tokyo. After seeing Lost in Translation I saw how incredible that city really is. They are like 2 years ahead of us technologically, though I' m sure that was common knowledge.

Yeah, the Japanese pride themselves (and rightly so) on their communications systems, which are probably the best in the world.