Jetsetter: Microsoft raises Xbox 360 prices by $50 in India

International Xbox price hikes, Nintendo 3DS sales, and Vita/Android cross-platform play all in Jetsetter for the the week ending Aug. 24.

The world’s a big place. Do you know how much water there is on Earth? 326 million trillion gallons. That is a real number. When written out, there are 18 zeroes. That is so much water that, when you try to picture it, you go from thirsty, to having to pee, to dehydrated, back to thirsty in the span of about 15 seconds. No mind is powerful enough to contain that magnitude, so it’s best to distract yourself. Turn away from the torrent of life giving liquid and consider video games. There aren’t 326 million trillion games out there, but there are far more than you might be familiar with as a resident of the United States. That’s why there’s Jetsetter.

Welcome back to Jetsetter, Digital Trends’ weekly look at the International video game scene. From retro gaming’s homeland Japan to the quickly growing gaming market of India, we look at what’s happening in the electronic entertainment world beyond the boundaries of this fine country.

Got a hot tip about Trinidadian mobile games? Drop us a line in the comments, and follow me on Twitter at @ajohnagnello. 

*  Microsoft raises Xbox 360 price in India.

The rash of steep price hikes for console and PC games continue in India. In July, Electronic Arts’ publishing partners in the region raised FIFA 13 prices 80 percent. Just last week Sony raised Indian prices on most of its first-party titles. This week though, Microsoft took an unprecedented step and actually raised the price of the Xbox 360, 6 years after it was released in the country. The 250 GB console was raised to Rs 24,990 from 21,990, a jump from around $396 to $450. The 4GB console rose to Rs 15,990 ($288) from 14,990 ($270). The weakening Rupee is credited as being responsible for the price hike trend.

* Q? Entertainment makes first PlayStation Vita and Google Android game with cross play.

Tetsuya Miziguchi and his Tokyo studio Q? Entertainment are known more for dropping fat beats in games like Rez and Lumines than they are for intriguing technology. (Although the Rez “Trance Vibrator” certainly fits in that category.) Its latest game Guardian Hearts Online also fits the bill though. Q? is making two versions of Guardian Hearts, one for PS Vita and one for Google Android phones. If you’re playing on Vita though, you can team up with players using Samsung Galaxy phones as well as with other Vita players. The Android version of Guardian Hearts Online is already on Google Play, but is region locked on most phones.

* Nintendo 3DS lifetime sales in Japan hit 7 million.

The Nintendo DS redefined the video game market in Japan, marking the populace’s transition from PlayStation and PlayStation 2 owners to portable players. As of 2009, 1 in 5 Japanese citizens owned a DS. Now that’s a successful machine. How’s the Nintendo 3DS doing though? Not too shabby. After 18 months, Nintendo has sold 7 million 3DSs in Japan. By comparison, it took Nintendo about that long to sell 10 million DSs around the world. Good on you, 3DS.