Microsoft’s Xbox One is set to become the first foreign games console to go on sale in China, after a 14-year ban on the devices was lifted in January.

在中国于今年1月解除一项长达14年的外国游戏机销售禁令后，微软Xbox One将成为首款在华发售的外国游戏机。

Microsoft said on Wednesday in China that its Xbox One would be available from September, through a partnership with local technology company BesTV New Media, part of Shanghai Media Group. No pricing was disclosed.

微软周三在华宣布，今年9月，该公司的Xbox One游戏机将通过一家名为百事通新媒体(BesTV New Media)的中国科技公司开始在华发售。百事通新媒体股份有限公司是上海文广新闻传媒集团(Shanghai Media Group)控股的一家公司。不过微软没有披露这款游戏机的售价。

The move was made possible by the creation of new free trade zone in Shanghai last year, the first of its kind in China, which allows local companies with foreign partners to ship products into the country.

这项禁令的解除，得益于去年上海自由贸易区的设立。上海自由贸易区是中国首个自贸区，允许拥有外国合作伙伴的中国公司通过自贸区将商品运入中国。

China, which had banned the devices due to concerns about the cultural impact of violent games, retains significant restrictions on the kinds of software that Microsoft, and potentially its rivals Nintendo and Sony, will be able to sell.

中国此前禁止游戏机的销售，是出于对暴力游戏可能带来的文化影响的担忧。即便在解禁后，中国对包括微软、任天堂(Nintendo)和索尼在内的游戏机厂商能够在华发售的游戏软件种类，依然有严格限制。

All foreign-created games will be subject to review by the authorities before they can be released, similar to its tight control over forms of content from abroad.

所有外国制作的游戏在中国发布前都需经过政府审查，与中国对各类国外出版物的严格管制类似。

As well as the first step in unlocking a new multibillion-dollar market for international technology companies, Microsoft’s push into China could help it catch up to Sony’s PlayStation 4 in the latest bout of the console wars.

微软游戏机进军中国市场，不仅可以帮助其在最新一轮游戏机大战中追赶索尼的PlayStation 4，也是众多国际科技公司踏足规模已达数十亿美元的中国游戏市场的第一步。

The Xbox One has sold more than 5m units, lagging Sony’s more than 7m, as of mid-April. Even last month’s launch of Titanfall , a much-hyped shooting game available only on Xbox, failed to push the Xbox to outsell the PS4 in the US, according to market researcher NPD.

根据市场调研公司NPD的调查，截至4月中旬，Xbox One已售出500多万台，逊于索尼PS4的700多万台。即使是上个月高调发布、只能在XBox上运行的射击游戏“泰坦陨落”(Titanfall)也未能令Xbox在美国的销量超过PS4。

Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for marketing and strategy in Microsoft’s devices and studios unit, hailed the China launch as a “monumental day”.

微软互动娱乐业务市场营销与战略副总裁优素福•迈赫迪(Yusuf Mehdi)表示，Xbox One在中国的发售是“值得纪念的一天”。

“Launching Xbox One in China is a significant milestone for us and for the industry,” he said.

他表示：“在中国发售Xbox One对微软和对整个行业来说都是一个重要里程碑。

“The culture of games and entertainment is rapidly growing in China, with nearly half a billion people playing games – roughly a third of the country’s population and more than the entire population of North America.”

“中国游戏与娱乐文化正在迅速发展，中国游戏玩家将近5亿，约为中国人口的三分之一，比北美的总人口数都要多。”

China’s government banned console gaming in 2000, citing fears for the mental health of Chinese youth.

中国政府2000年起禁售外国游戏机，理由是担心此类游戏会影响中国年轻人的心理健康。

However, consoles that are manufactured in China for sale elsewhere, continue to be sold openly in Chinese electronics shops for high mark-ups, with many having been modified to accept pirated software.

然而，在中国加工的、原应销往国外的游戏机仍公开在中国电器商店内大幅加价销售，其中许多游戏机已经过改造，可以运行盗版软件。

China’s domestic gaming industry has grown rapidly in the absence of foreign competition. Spending on games, largely online titles played on PC or mobile devices rather than dedicated consoles, increased 38 per cent to more than $13bn last year, Microsoft said.

在缺乏外来竞争的情况下，中国国内游戏产业迅速发展。微软表示，去年中国人在游戏上的开支同比增长38%至逾130亿美元，其中大部分游戏是在个人电脑或移动设备上运行的网络游戏，而不是在XBox这类游戏机上运行。

Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Securities, estimates that Microsoft could sell as many as 10m consoles in China over the Xbox One’s lifetime.

韦德布希证券公司(Wedbush Securities)分析师迈克尔•帕赫特(Michael Pachter)估计，在Xbox One退市前，微软或能在中国卖出超过1千万台Xbox One。

“It’s hard to say whether Microsoft will come up with the right formula for game software, but they will likely sell a lot of consoles,” he said.

他说：“很难说微软是否会推出适销对路的游戏软件，但他们应该会卖出很多台游戏机。

“The middle class in China is pretty large, and positioning the box as an over-the-top TV receiver gives it a lot of appeal to wealthier Chinese.”

“中国的中产阶层十分庞大，对较为富有的中国人来说，摆一台Xbox作为电视机顶盒具有极大的吸引力。”