The iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel lights up in green as Xbox One launches in India

In a grand event at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai today, Microsoft officially launched Xbox One in India, and delivered the first console to its owner.

Xbox One offers a huge exclusive games lineup including Forza Horizon 2, Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, and Ryse: Son of Rome. In addition, popular third-party blockbusters will be available on Xbox One with early exclusivity for downloadable content in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, FIFA 14, Battlefield 4, and more.

Chakrapani Gollapali, Country General Manager, Consumer Channels Group also reiterated the company's commitment to provide localized content and announced three new apps on the platform – Bigflix, Gaana, and Hungama providing a wide genre of Indian movie and music content.

Xbox One

"The hotly anticipated, new-generation games and entertainment system from Microsoft brings the biggest blockbuster games, the most advanced multiplayer experience, games plus entertainment like live TV, Skype, sports, fitness, music and movies, all to one single device at the center of your living room and available at the command of your voice, powered by Kinect. It's time to experience and celebrate the power of the all-in-one gaming and entertainment device."

  • Anshu Mor, Director - Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India

At the event, Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Microsoft India handed over the very first pre-order Xbox One console to a fan.

Xbox One

After a few weeks of pre-order period, Xbox One is now available for sale exclusively at www.amazon.in/xboxone. The standalone unit is available for ₹39,990 ($650) and the Xbox One with Kinect is priced at ₹45,990 ($750).

With the iconic Taj Mahal Palace lit up to reflect the launch celebration for Xbox One in India and spectacular performances through the evening, Microsoft put up an impressive kick-off for their next-generation console. It's not cheap, but passionate console gamers might just look beyond that. Would you want to buy the Xbox One? Tell us in the comments!

Abhishek Baxi