US software giant Microsoft says its highly-touted online gaming platform Xbox Live will begin its pilot in select European countries in November with a commercial launch in March.
Microsoft said a host of Internet service providers in Britain, France and Germany will help it kick off the pilot, for which it is seeking 3,000 participants.
Microsoft has said online gaming is a major part of its strategy to make money out of its loss-making games arm. It plans to roll out Xbox Live in eight European countries, including Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, by the end of 2003, the company said.
In Britain, Microsoft will team with broadband providers BT Group, Telewest and NTL. In France, it will partner with leading ISP Wanadoo and smaller independent Noos, said Sandy Duncan, the European general manager for Xbox.
The company, which held a news conference in Seville, Spain, did not announce its partners for Germany.
Xbox Live will allow gamers with a broadband connection to play against others online, talk to the players through a headset, and download statistics and gaming upgrades to their Xbox hard disc.
Xbox is available in Europe for €250.
The company will sell an Xbox Live kit at stores, which includes a game, a one-year subscription for multi-player online gaming, for €59 euros in continental Europe and 39 pounds in Britain.
Though a small market at the moment, online gaming is an area of the market Microsoft is keen to exploit over the coming years. Industry estimates say Microsoft is currently losing between $76 and $150 for every Xbox console sold.
Sony and Nintendo are also planning major online gaming initiatives, but the design of the broadband-compatible Xbox gives Microsoft an early leg-up.