Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday that it will open its first Boston store on Aug. 23 at the Prudential Center.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant currently has 20 retail outlets around the country. The first Microsoft store opened in 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz., in a bid to compete with rival Apple Inc., which has more than 360 stores worldwide. The company is also opening stores in Virginia and Florida next month.

The stores will sell both hardware and software, including Windows products and the Xbox 360 video game console, and will offer training and tech support.