With the holiday season approaching soon, Microsoft is preparing a handful of new games and accessories for the Xbox 360, hoping to gain some ground from upcoming competing rivals Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii.

At the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it had won exclusive rights to the next-generation soccer games “FIFA 07″ from EA and “Pro Evolution Soccer 6″ from Konami. The company says the Xbox 360 will be the only console to offer the latest soccer titles.

On the hardware side of things, gamers will be able to purchase in September a new camera to be used with Xbox Live. The Xbox Live Vision will come in two packages: one including a headset and two free games with one-month Gold membership for $39.99 USD. For $79.99 USD, customers will receive three games, a year-long Gold membership and 2,000 Microsoft points.

The Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel will go on sale in November for $149.99 USD, and offer gamers driving realism complete with force feedback. A limited number of Wireless Racing Wheels will come with a special version of Project Gotham Racing 3.

A new Xbox 360 Wireless Headset will be released in November to be priced at $59.99 USD, along with three new special-edition faceplates that cost $19.99 USD each.

Microsoft is additionally planning to support the Xbox 360’s wireless accessories on Windows through a new USB 2.0 gaming receiver due out in December. For $19.99 USD, gamers can utilize the same controllers and headsets when playing Windows games on their PC.

In addition, Microsoft announced plans to bring the Xbox 360 to new markets in the coming months. On September 29, the console will launch in South Africa, followed by a debut in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia on November 3.