Since the Xbox 360 was released in Japan, the the journey has been a rocky one to say the least. For some reason, the Japanese never gravitated to Microsoft's console like some thought they would. Even after four long years, only 1.1 million units have been sold. It's a tough outlook for the Xbox 360 in Japan and recently a Japanese game shop employee echoed that same sentiment on his personal blog.
"I think the greatest problem is there's little software," the employee said.
"This year, the eagerly anticipated titles are Final Fantasy 13 on the PS3 and for the Wii it's Super Mario Bros. and Zelda, and nothing much on the 360."
The the game shop employee went on outlaying the grim reality that awaits the Xbox 360 in the land of the rising sun, and concluded his post with rather harsh words concerning the situation.
"It might be very hard to change the flow and direction of a country, I feel like Japan has already abandoned [the Xbox 360]".
Tough assessment to say the least, Microsoft must revise their strategy if they hope to be relevant in Japan, before said assessment takes hold.
10/13/09 Ernice Gilbert
Oh well, not good news for Microsoft at all.
ReplyDeleteNothing out of ordinary here, this was only a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteZelda?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I found it strange that the employee mentioned Zelda.... could this be another game in the long running saga?
ReplyDeleteWould be awesome. by the way, great find, oh and you guys have to read this website's Uncharted 2 review. Just awesome!
AMEN AMEN AMEN TO THAT.....360 sucks...
ReplyDeletebam!! there you go
ReplyDeleteHow strange.........anybody would think the Japaneese public didn't WANT to buy a games console with a 99% failure rate and no exclusive games.
ReplyDelete:P
MY GUEST IS 75% OF THE 1.1 MILLION UNITS SOLD ARE MOST LIKELY PEOPLE WHO HAVE AT LEAST BOUGHT 2 OR MORE CONSOLES SO THE THE SALES ARE NOT INDIVIDUAL SALES SO 360FANBOYS CAN SAY WHAT EVER THEY WANT BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT JAPAN IS SMART ENOUGH TO WANT A RELIABLE SYSTEM WITH A GROWING AND BETTER GAME LIBRARY THAN A 360 WITH MORE GAME AND A SYSTEM THATS 98% GUARANTEED TO DIE ON YOU MULTIPLE TIMES IN 6 MONTHS.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling most 360s sold in Japan are because of the US military over there.
ReplyDelete2D japan tomorro USA
ReplyDeletedeath to that crappy console and gay master cheif
It's probably due to the taste in games in Japan. The 360 caters more towards western-favored genres such as shooters and action-adventures, as Japan tends to be a little more reserved and enjoys a pretty RPG or something along those lines. The 360 does have RPGs, but not enough of them and of the same quality Nintendo and the PS have been known for over the years. I don't think it's a matter of whether they're smarter or not.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think there is a slight feeling of national pride on both sides. Since Sony and Nintendo come from Japan, those are the two larger consoles there, as in the U.S. the 360 seems to be the more prevalent console.
Thank you Winnebago!
ReplyDeleteEveryone else sounds like idiots... it has nothing to do with the console, but rather the games that are available on each console... seriously, face it our fellow Japan gamers haven't found the love some of us have with shooters and action adventures. If I had the same love they did for RPG's then I'd play my ps3 more often, but that has nothing to do with the hardware. Both consoles rock, get off your fanboyism and realize this please!
They're rabid fanboys, unfortunately they can't hear a pro-gaming word you say.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the above two comments though, and I'd definitely get a PS3 if I was into RPGs, unfortunately, I have precious little spare time, and I favour quick, intense action over an RPG, though I do like a good story.
I totally concur with the last three posts.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick note - the 360 is not the most prevalent console in the USA - The Wii has sold more units than the 360 in all continents.
ReplyDeletesony was smart to kept ff13 exclusive in japan
ReplyDeleteSmart move indeed, because if FFXIII was multiplatform in Japan, people would not be singing so many sad songs about MS death in the orient.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad Japan doesnt have the same it did in the 90's. They've lost their creativity and drive for new games. Their elite creators are getting old and so are their sequels.
ReplyDeleteYou could point out all the areas where one is better than the other, but they are much more similar than different. I can't say how many people really care about final fantasy vs halo, RROD vs YLOD, power vs ease of development, blu-ray vs a cheaper system. It seems to me that national pride has more to do with it. Everyone knows Microsoft is evil :)
ReplyDeleteThe Douche bag talking in all caps, get a life.
ReplyDeleteI dont really care about what Japan thinks, I enjoy my 360.
yeah 360 is fun we all know its because of national pride but hey why cant we just enjoy everything that is given out
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I think japanese are plain idiots... It's not logical that where EVERYWHERE one or the other console might win by a certain margin, sometimes one, sometimes the other, that here in this country they don't even look at this excellent console... Specially when all the "hype" seems to be about just 1 or 2 games, like there's nothing else.. Clearly something is really wrong with them...
ReplyDelete