Microsoft announced today that it would launch its new Xbox 360 console in Japan and Europe in time for the year-end holiday shopping season. Microsoft had already announced plans to launch the console this year in the United States ahead of the holiday season, which begins in late November. It had previously said Japanese and European launches would follow within six weeks. X360 will feature three PowerPC-based microprocessors joined onto one chip to deliver powerful computing and advanced graphics, as well as a detachable 20-gigabyte hard drive and a wireless controller.