Microsoft today announced that it will be delaying the launch of Xbox, its foray into the console gaming world, by one week. The company said the system will now ship on November 15, although company reps refused to comment on the number of units that would available at the time. Microsoft originally intended to ship 600,000 to 800,000 systems on launch day, but retailers are saying they expect that figure to be halved. Microsoft maintained its calender year sales forecast, saying that it will ship between 1 million and 1.5 million units before the year is out. Many analysts question whether the Xbox, which has been allocated a US$500 million marketing budget, will be a success or a costly failure as it goes head to head with Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s PowerPC-powered GameCube.