Microsoft is introducing an external high-definition DVD player for the Xbox 360 video game console to match the Blu-ray disc functions of Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3. The software maker also announced Wednesday it will launch the Xbox 360 in India this week and in Africa next week. The rollout plans come as the company tries to shore up sales ahead of the arrival later this year of next-generation machines by its two top rivals–Sony and Nintendo. The basic Xbox 360 doesn’t come with high-definition DVD capability. The new Microsoft peripheral, to be launched in Japan on November 22, is based on the HD DVD standard, a rival technology to the Blu-ray format Sony is using for the HD player built into its anxiously awaited upgrade to the PlayStation line.