Xbox One Update News: First Gaming Sole To Hit Mainland China After 13-Year Ban; Pre-orders Via JD.com, $81 Deposit

Xbox One Update News: Reports say that Xbox One from Microsoft will be the first release of a gaming console in mainland China since console sales were banned in 2000, after monitoring deleterious effects of console games on mental health.

That might sound similar to Dong Nguyen taking down the Flappy Bird from Apple App stores, but China's No. 2 e-commerce firm, JD.com Inc is taking pre-orders for Microsoft's Xbox One games console in China, July 28 to July 30.

The release is definitely good news for Microsoft which has been lagging behind in sales. Xbox One will be the first entertainment console to hit China's market after a 13 year ban.

Tencent Holdings' mobile social networks Mobile QQ and WeChat, aka Weixin in China will be taking the pre-orders, according to JD.com

China's smallest wireless operator, China Telecom, said it would sell the Xbox One when it launched in September.

Microsoft inked a deal with Chinese Internet TV set-top box maker BesTV New Media Co Ltd to create a collaborative effort to manufacture consoles in Shanghai's Free Trade Zone.

During last November, Xbox One was behind Sony Corp's PlayStation 4, released during the same time. This year's holiday sales will determine how various consoles do at the end of the year.

For taking pre-orders on Xbox One, JD.com will require a $81 deposit and is available to only those who use Chinese editions of WeChat from Tencent or QQ Mobile mmessaging apps.

Bill Fan, Hong Kong-based analyst with China Securities Co., said in a statement, “The potential market for Xbox in China is huge, there’s a lot of prospects for growth,” adding, "Tencent could cooperate with Microsoft on games in the future, and Xbox can utilize Tencent and JD.com’s distribution channels to generate more sales.”