X05 date confirmed

European trade and media will get a chance to try out the Xbox 360 console ahead of its launch here this holiday season, with Microsoft today confirming that it is planning to showcase the next-generation system at an X05 event in October.

X05 - the fourth event in the series which started with X01 in Cannes but skipped 2004 - will take place at an undisclosed location in Europe on October 4th and 5th, and the company is promising to reveal detailed plans for the Xbox 360 launch at the event.

News that Microsoft was planning on running another such event this year first emerged at E3, when Xbox VP Peter Moore told GamesIndustry.biz that a European showcase was on the cards for autumn.

"We have a lot to say and even more to show people," according to European Xbox vice president Chris Lewis. "Believe me, after X05 there will be no question that Xbox 360 is the next generation."

Microsoft has traditionally used the X events as a platform not only for revealing new games, but also for making key announcements related to the Xbox - such as the pricing details for Xbox in 2001 and the acquisition of Rare in 2002.

It seems unlikely, however, that Microsoft would make European retailers - and indeed consumers - wait for October before revealing more solid information about pricing and release date in this territory.

It's widely expected that the company will give an indication of its global launch plans before the end of the summer - perhaps even at the Xbox event planned in Japan later this month, on the 26th.