XBOX 360 WILL HAVE TWENTY LAUNCH TITLES

"Plus what's this 'secret function revealed in one year' malarkey all about?

The Xbox 360 will have twenty titles available at launch at its debut in Japan - that's according to Munetatsu Matsui, editor-in-chief of the highly respected Famitsu Xbox mag, speaking in a round table discussion in the current issue.

Microsoft are clearly targeting Japan as an important market this time around after its disappointing experience in the current gen.

But twenty launch titles is an ambitious aim that far surpasses previous expectations, particularly since the Redmond giant is aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release in all three major territories.

Although Microsoft was understandably cagey about launch line-up and composition in public at E3, privately they admitted that between ten to fifteen triple A titles would be about right, with closely staggered releases keeping momentum and excitement going on into the new year. They also didn't want to swamp and dilute the launch line-up with a couple of major titles in the same genre.

This Japanese figure could include a couple of Japan-centric titles which wouldn't play too well in the west, but the figure is still much higher than expected.

Elsewhere in the piece Matsui-san also hinted that the Xbox 360 had some secret functions which were currently unknown at this time and would be revealed one year into market by a Live update.

Whatever can he mean and what does he know that we don't? Let the forum speculation commence."

Now the real question is, will there be more then 20 Xbox 360's available at launch?