Microsoft is to launch Xbox Live Marketplace - an online virtual marketplace where users can download games and music videos. The company lost nearly $4bn (£2.3bn) in four years of developing and marketing the original Xbox console, and is hoping that Marketplace will help them to recover some of the costs. Customers will be able to choose from up to 400 items in this new service.
With the new Xbox 360 Marketplace, Microsoft will earn revenue sales from the Xbox 360 console and the games they produce at Microsoft Studios. They will also collect royalties from the Xbox 360 game publishers. In addition to all that, there are 2 million members worldwide that play each other over the internet by paying subscription fees.
As a bonus, the new Marketplace will offer free interactive demonstrations of popular games. Music videos from rock bands Franz Ferdinand and Audioslave are mentioned as participants.
Xbox 360 games will be available to download on November 22nd, the same day as the Xbox 360 launch.