Xbox GTA debut pushed back to January

Rockstar has confirmed reports from last month that the Xbox port of the GTA III/Vice City "Grand Theft Auto Double Pack" will be released on January 2nd 2004 - effectively the first possible release date in the New Year.

This certainly lends credibility to reports that Rockstar was locked into a PS2 exclusivity agreement terminating at the end of 2003, although naturally the publisher has confirmed nothing of the sort.

Overall it's disappointing news for Xbox owners starved for so long of GTA's delights, but the good news is that the Double Pack seems to be retailing for the best part of £30, perfect fodder for those wads of Christmas tenners and ancestral cheques.

Apart from combining the two games into one package, the GTA Double Pack on Xbox will also enable custom soundtrack support and features slightly spruced up visuals - reports from the US suggest the frame rate and draw distance is noticeably improved.