Sorry if i'm being lame but here it is: This may sound normal to most of you guys, but this is the first time a company will release a game console down here without the need of intermediates. Atari, Sega and Nintendo always used "official suppliers and distributors". Atari with Polyvox, Sega with TecToy and Nintendo with Playtronic, Gradiente and Latamel these days. Ever since the Sega Saturn we didn't had a decent videogame launch and support down here (Dreamcast, Gamecube and any others had zero marketing...) Expect me on Xbox Live soon :dance:
Thats cool but... Didnt you say that lately the official resellers in brazil had outrageous prices? and that would be better to import one by yourself? Offtopic: do you guys have PVRs in brazil? like Tivo or something?
Yes, outrageous prices + lack of support + 90 warranty. All because "official distributors" and not the original company launching it. The imported Xbox360 Premium from USA can be found down here for 1.600 Reais (= 744 dollars). Mostly because the 60% tax added to imported products + other costs. The rumour surrounding this official launch is they'll release the Xbox 360 premium bundled with 3 games + Brazilian flag faceplate. Not to mention Xbox Live to be paid in Reais and not in Dollars and at least 1 year warranty (important when you think about problems like overheating and 3 Red Lights). If all that is true, i think that it will cost between 2.000 and 2.200 Reais. You can have Sky + DirecTV satellite decoders with TiVo features (80GB HDD). Also Samsung released LCD and Plasma TV's with 80GB HDD's as well.
Thats something I dont understand: the other day I was talking to some importer/exporter guy about south america and he told me all those taxes were to "protect the national industry". Now is cool if they apply the taxes to stuff thats made in brazil like sugar, cofee, ethanol and cars, but nobody is making PC/consoles, or at least their parts, right? so shouldnt those things have like a tax return or something?
I live here and i don't get it ether. Even if it was to protect the country industry, taxes aren't the only way to do it. Most people will prefer the better product, even if it costs more.
Becos is the world's default console, like the iPod seems to be the default MP3 player. Therefore everyone wants one...
Some news of the press event transcript: According to Milton Beck, Brazil is ranked in 8th in Xbox Live in number of players. Videos showing Lost Planet, Table Tennis, Brothers in Arms, Viva Piñata, Battle of the Middle-Earth II, Stranglehold, Enchanted Arms, among others. Brazilian Xbox 360 launch date = December 1st They'll release the Premium version + 3 games (Kameo, Perfect Dark and Project Gotham Racing 3) + Extra faceplacte + Media remote. Price? R$ 2,999.00 = $1,403 Dollars!!! Viva Piñata, Gears of War, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Dead or Alive 4 and Ninety-Nine Nights are some of the games avaiable on launch day. The older ones will cost R$ 99,00 ( = 46,30 Dollars ) and new releases cost R$ 159,00. ( = 74,35 Dollars) Viva Piñata is one of the games that will be fully localized (everything in portuguese). Others games still to be launched in 2006: FIFA 07, Need for Speed Carbon, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk´s Projet 8, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Rainbow Six: Vegas and many others. For 2007, already confirmed: Forza Motorsport 2, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV and Pro Evolution Soccer 6. Acessories: Wireless Controller: R$ 219,00; = 102.44 Dollars Normal Controller: R$ 169,00; = 79.05Dollars Universal Remote Controller: R$ 129,00; = 60.34 Dollars Kit play and charge (battery and recharger): R$ 129,00; = 60.34 Dollars 64 MB Memory Card: R$ 149,00; = 70 Dollars Confirmed stores to sell Xbox360: Blockbuster, Submarino.com, Lojas Americanas / Americanas.com, Fast Shop, Fnac, Livraria Saraiva / Saraiva.com, Shoptime e UZ Games. Xbox Live: It won't be possible to subscribe to the Xbox Live service on a first moment, so no pre-paid cards will be avaiable. The executives said this will change soon, but no dates were given. (-> Bad news ...)
Sounds like it could be a decent collectors item. Also try to take comfort from the fact that your games are cheaper than the UK (and europe?), even if the consoles and accessories are pricy!
Man those prices are high! specially for the games... Hey, since Piñata is getting a local version, do you think that the other games may be at least printed (the DVD, case and manual) in brazil? That would bring the price down for sure, specially with your contry's assraping taxes... BTW, not getting Live at launch is like asking to get piracy on the X360, since is the only think that can dettect a mod in the system. Yeah but european and specially UK wages are waaaaay higher than in brazil. In most arabian countries a BMW is even cheaper than in germany, yet 99% of the people there is walking...
I'm almost 100% sure the games are going to be printed down here. And Yes, all manuals, boxes, ... all in portuguese. ingame content in portuguese will depend on developers of course. Viva Piñata was the only one confirmed It may sound weird, but the games cost are quite decent. PC games cost here 99 Reais, the same price they'll sell "catalogue games" (Dead or Alive 4, Ridge Racer 6,...), and new releases like Gears of War for 159 Reais ! It's cheaper than importing from USA. The normal price for imported Xbox 360 games was from 219 Reais to 329,00 Reais! So you can only imagine how people are glad with the news of decent priced games. Anyway, i still think they could lower the console price. Specially because there won't be Xbox Live since launch. I'll wait sometime for more news about it on the next couple of months. They say the brazilians are the 8th most in Xbox Live (using imported consoles), so i think they want to launch Live here asap. I'll probably buy 3 or 4 games on december. Being pricy or not, i hope it's a re-start of the videogame market in Brazil.
