Xbox 360 Arcade confirmed for Australia

US gamers may be able to get their hands on the newly released Xbox 360 Arcade Console today, but it looks like Aussie consumers will have to wait a few weeks. Microsoft Australia has confirmed that the Arcade unit will indeed be making its way down under but will not go on sale until November 15.

The Xbox 360 Arcade bundle will retail in Australia for A$399.95 ($356) and is almost identical to the US offering. The Arcade Console will include a wireless controller, 256MB memory card, and five Arcade games, including Pac-Man Championship Edition and Uno. While US Arcade machines will also have a HDMI output, Australian units with HDMI will be gradually phased in, according to Xbox regional director for Australia and New Zealand David McLean.

McLean also confirmed to GameSpot AU that the Arcade Console will be replacing the Core bundle down under. "We'll be phasing out the Core to replace it with Arcade, which will come with the memory card and the wireless controller in the future. The five Arcade games [bundle] will be for a limited time only through the holiday period. We're going to start phasing in HDMI support through our consoles during this holiday period," he said.

Microsoft Australia will also introduce a new bundle for the Xbox 360 Pro package. The Pro--which comes with a 20GB hard drive, media remote, and wireless controller--will be bundled with Forza Motorsport 2 and Viva Piñata from November 1 in Australia. The package will retail for A$579.95.

Microsoft's introduction of Arcade in Australia follows its price drop of the Pro and Core 360 consoles in August and comes two weeks after Sony's introduction of the A$699 40GB PlayStation 3 down under. McLean said the 360 price drop--as well as the successful launch of Halo 3--resulted in a 158 percent increase in 360 sales in September over the previous month.

"We held 31 percent total market share for the month of September, which is more than any platform. So we feel the momentum is really with us leading into the holidays," he said.