AfterDawn: News

Xbox 360 launched in Japan

Today, Microsoft's next generation console, the Xbox 360, has launched in Japan, where the company hopes to steal some of the market away from Sony Corp. So far the company has struggled to gain ground on Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co Ltd. in Japan, leaving it a distant third place (with the first Xbox). Microsoft hopes this time around it can win the hearts of gamers there and dethrone Sony as the dominant games console maker. "We are up and running here," Microsoft's Xbox marketing chief Peter Moore told Reuters.

Microsoft threw a launch party for gamers in in Tokyo's Shibuya, a shopping and entertainment centre. "We think (Japan) is the springboard to Asia," said Moore. He believes that Xbox Live will aid in the success of the Xbox 360 console in Japan. He also added that at the store he attended for the launch, several hundred consoles sold out very fast. Only the premium pack is being sold in Japan for 37,900 yen.



Microsoft is aiming to sell one million consoles in Japan by next summer; a rather ambitious figure considering the company has not yet managed to sell half a million Xbox consoles there. Now though, Microsoft has the advantage of being first to release a next generation console, and has months over Sony and Nintendo whom will (are expected to) release the PlayStation 3 and Revolution consoles respectively in 2006.

Microsoft is being criticised for it's initial game line-up for the console however. It is considered a mostly Western flavor, favoring shooting games over role-playing games that are more popular in Japan.

Source:
Reuters

Written by: James Delahunty @ 10 Dec 2005 8:49

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• 5 comments

• Glitched

  Japans in for a suprise with those defective 360s,lol

  11.12.2005 09:37 #1

• Rikoshay

  Japan must be ROFL saying, "We were worried about that!?"

  11.12.2005 20:27 #2

• lxhotboy

  I had no idea that the xbox did not even sell 500 mill in japan. If the first sold that bad the chances of them ever selling 1 mill in japan probably will never happen even in 2 years. Good luck Microsoft.

  11.12.2005 23:55 #3

• PirateDan

  Well they are Busting Microsofts chops for having game that the West loves.
  Where did the first consoles come out??
  And didn't they sell out where they were on sale at??
  As for the PS3 the CEO said that people are more willing to save up their money to buy his product. Doesn't that sound like a hint of how much the PS3 will cost.
  And seeing how much money Sony is losing from their other ventures.
  Music,movies, and lawsuits.

  12.12.2005 20:02 #4

• lxhotboy

  True but japan is not the only ones who are busting microsofts chops in discrepency to game selections. Everyone has their types of games they prefer. Some love those 1st person shooter and some dont. Really it is here in North America as well and is shown by current game and system sales.

  12.12.2005 21:59 #5