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Just in time for the festive season, Microsoft today released the new Xbox 360 Arcade console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an estimated retail price of €279.99 or £199.99. Available in stores in Europe from Friday 26th October 2007, Xbox 360 ‘Arcade’ is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games. Xbox 360 Arcade also includes a wireless controller, an HDMI connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256MB of memory — useful for storing games and other entertainment content. The Xbox 360 Arcade console will include the full versions of the five best-selling games from the Xbox LIVE Arcade including “PAC-MAN Championship Edition,” (Namco Bandai Games), “Uno,” “Luxor 2,” “Boom Boom Rocket” (Electronic Arts), and “Feeding Frenzy.” This Xbox 360 Arcade model was announced by Microsoft in America for $279 last week.

The news of Xbox 360 Arcade comes as part of a broader initiative by Microsoft to bring the Xbox 360 experience to families everywhere. Microsoft also announced today that “Shrek-N-Roll” (Activision) will be coming exclusively to Xbox LIVE Arcade, the place to download games for Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE, adding more fun for everyone in the family. After all, who doesn’t love Pac-Man?

Microsoft said they’ll have a library of more than 200 family-friendly games available at retailers in Europe this Christmas, including “Bee Movie Game” (Activision), “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” (Activision), “Naruto: Rise of a Ninja” (UbiSoft) , “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” and “Viva Piñata: Party Animals.”

Also announced today was an Xbox 360 pack consisting out of an Xbox 360 Premium console including hard disk with two free games (Viva Piñata and Forza Motorsport 2), which will go on sale in Europe from November 1st at a price of €349.99.

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The Xbox 360 Arcade model has been announced by Microsoft for a price of $279. It will include a wireless controller, no hard drive but instead a 256MB memory pack, and five full casual games, including Pac-Man, Uno and Luxor 2, and depending on your package also two of these: Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy or Zuma.

Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division, said: “Arcade becomes [for us] the ability to bring in a new set of audiences. They’re probably a little bit more casually focused, they’re looking for a new family experience or they’re more price focused.” The Arcade package is likely meant to replace the similar-priced Core package before the holiday shopping season, which is when the Arcade package will be introduced later this month, although they’ve already been spotted in American stores.

The Financial Times mentions that while Microsoft may hope to steal sales from the $249 Wii with the $279 Xbox 360 Arcade, its $349 Xbox 360 Premium faces pressure from the $399 PS3, which has a bigger, 40-gigabyte hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi and a Blu-ray drive (more about that next). — Picture via Engadget.

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Namco Museum Remix on Wii is a version of the popular revival of Namco’s classic arcade games. The game features five ground-up “remixed” versions of recognizable licenses, including Pac’n Roll Remix, Galaga Remix, Pac-Motos Remix, Rally-X Remix and Gator Panic Remix. The games will not only feature all-new graphics, but they will sport new Wii-enhanced controls. On top of everything else, Namco Museum will include nine additional classics: Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy, Xevious, Gaplus, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania and Cute Q. The action game compilation will be released at a price of $40 in America on October 23rd, 2007.

Get your Mii’s to join in on the 1-4 person multiplayer fun as classic Namco titles get a new look.

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