Xbox One launches in India, UK price drops, and Chinese gamers have 'approved games' list

It's almost as though we are entering that time of the year when people start thinking about Christmas presents. Game consoles -- like the Xbox One -- are likely to feature pretty high up on wishlists the world over and, out of the blue, there's a raft of Xbox One news spilling out.

It is quite some time since the wraps were taken off the console, but today is the day it finally launches in India. The version with Kinect is available for Rs 45990 (around $755), with the Kinect-free version costing Rs 39,990 (around $655) -- so compared to other parts of the world, the Indian version of the Xbox One is relatively expensive. It will be interesting to see what sort of an impact this has on its popularity.

It’s something of a different story in the UK. Gamers in this part of the world have already been treated to one price drop, and now there's another one. Hit the Microsoft Store or Amazon and you'll find that the Kinect-less version of the Xbox One is available for just £329.99 (around $540). The Amazon deal is particularly interesting as it's the white version of the console and includes a download version of Sunset Overdrive.

So that's a new launch in India and a price drop in the UK. What else is going on in the world of Xbox One? Next on the list is the delayed Chinese launch for the console. Gamers in China now have now less than a week to wait to get their hands on the console on 29 September, but there will be something of a limited number of games to choose from to start with. Despite the fact there are now scores of games available in other parts of the world, the Chinese version of the console launches with just ten titles -- and these are "government-approved" games.

Microsoft has something of a checkered history with the Chinese government, and the company is currently under investigation for antitrust issues. China only recently lifted a 14 year ban on games consoles, so there's a captive market waiting to lap up anything that's released. There's been a long wait -- both for Microsoft and Chinese gamers -- but it's hard to imagine the launch being anything other than a roaring success.