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Xbox set for Nov.15 launch
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September 21, 2001: 3:39 p.m. ET
Microsoft delays game console but will still be in time for the holiday season
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Software maker Microsoft Corp. confirmed Friday that it pushed back the U.S. launch date of its Xbox game console to Nov. 15.
Microsoft (MSFT: down $0.59 to $50.17, Research, Estimates) still plans to ship 1 million to 1.5 million consoles by year end. It will launch with 15 to 20 games and plans to finish the year with 30 game titles, the company said.
The Xbox is Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft's first venture into the video game market. The company did not disclose a reason for the delay, as the Xbox originally was set to premiere Nov. 8. However, speculation has mounted that it could not meet estimates for first-day sales.
Microsoft has said it would ship an initial 600,000 to 800,000 for the launch but as of Friday no exact figures were readily available, a source familiar with the situation said.
A Nov. 15 launch will ensure that the Xbox still can take advantage of the key holiday season, the source said.
Press reports Friday said Microsoft was suffering from production problems and that the delay was related to last week's terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The attacks did have an impact on some of the software maker's shipping and caused delays, the source told CNNfn.com.
But "The [Xbox] delay has nothing to do with the terrorist attack," the source said. "A lot of factors came into play. The main thing Microsoft is focusing on is when to have the strongest possible launch in North America." 
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