The HD Gaming Era has a launch date

While the Xbox and PS2 consoles teased us with the possibility of 720p and 1080i gaming, they simply didn't have the horsepower to give us more than 480p in most games. Well, we know when gaming takes the next step as Microsoft has announced the launch date(s) for their upcoming Xbox 360 console, click below for more information.

• Tuesday November 22, USA
• Friday Dec. 2, Europe
• Saturday December 10, Japan
  
  

Microsoft made the announcement at their pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference. Another bit of information revealed was that Xbox 360's are already being produced in preparation for what they are calling the first worldwide console release in the same time frame. Nintendo will have their own conference tonight, while Sony will be showcasing some playable PS3 games once the show starts.

Also on display at the announcement were high-definition presentations of games such as 99 Nights, Gears of War, Project Gotham Racing 3 and others. Check out our sister site Joystiq for continuous updates directly from the show, which starts tonight at 8 PM EST.