Microsoft's Appearance at Trade Show Raises Hope of XBox + Kinect Sales in China

Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) appearance this week at the Canton Trade Fair in Guangzhou, southern China, has raised the hopes of console gaming fans in China that the XBox and its Kinect companion might finally be legally on sale here in the near future.

Game consoles are technically illegal in China, but – as with so many things here – are actually widely available via other channels. Xboxes, PS2s, and PS3s – along with pirated games – can be easily found and bought.

It was thought that the situation might change this year, with the upcoming launch of Lenovo’s (HKG:0992) eeDoo iSec console, which has a Kinect-clone accessory. But the planned launch date has come and gone with no sign of the iSec console – or “home entertainment” device, as Lenovo’s marketing insisted, in an apparent ploy to get around the regulations.

I’ve found photos of the Microsoft booth on a random BBS, with trade fair goers seen playing the XBox.

If the console market is legalized and opened up in China, it might be a boon for indie, Chinese game developers to hit a new market in their homeland. Here are two more photos of the booth:

[Source: Netease Tech news – article in Chinese; Photos courtesy of A9VG BBS user 至爱余米高]