The Xbox One will cost almost $800 at launch in China

Come September 2014 Microsoft is going to release its new console, the Xbox One, in China. The People’s Republic has long been closed off to gaming consoles but recent changes in policy have allowed companies like Microsoft to partner with a local company in order to sell their consoles. Gamers in China would no doubt be counting days until September, apart from wondering how much they would have to pay for a unit. Microsoft hasn’t officially confirmed the Xbox One price in China, but if local press is to be believed, it may be very expensive. Chinese online electronics retailer Zol.com posted a picture with the Xbox One price on it, the retailer claims that the console will cost 4,999 RMB when it launches in September. That translates to almost $800.

The Xbox One is coming to China! In September to be exact. The biggest question now is how much the Xbox One will cost once it launches in the Middle Kingdom, and Chinese media is suggesting that the price will be… EXTREME! Chinese online electronics site Zol.com posted a photo detailing the price of the Xbox One in China. Zol.com, citing Microsoft’s Xbox China homepage, Zol is claiming the Xbox will cost 4999 RMB when it launches in September. 4999 RMB is about $800! When the Xbox launched in the States last November, the total packaged cost $499.99—that’s the console and Kinect. In Japan, the system will cost about $490 when it releases in Japan later this year. If Zol’s to be believed, that would mean that China’s version of the Xbox will cost $300 more than everywhere else! Zol and the rest of Chinese media are citing one webpage, a webpage that Kotaku’s been unable to access, as the source of the 4999 RMB price point. Looking at the screen capture, the 4999 RMB price tag might just be the “expected value” of the system and not the price. Think about the price situation of the Moto 360. Now, China and Chinese consumers aren’t new to getting shafted with higher costs for products. In China, Apple’s 64GB iPhone 5S costs $1109, compared to $829 in the States.