360 gaining momentum in japan?

S

scooby_dooby

Legend
XBOX360 sales in the last week went up by 400% this week in Japan, selling 6500 units, rather than the usual 1500-2000.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127974&page=4

Looks like the launch of the core pack, and the impending release of Blue Dragon are having a positive impact. If the rumours of 100k pre-orders for the BD Bundle is true it looks as though 360 may be able to gain some decent momentum by years end with ~300,000 units installed.

Thoughts?
 
What? So what's your theory on why Japan sales are up? They released the Core version? Do you mean the same Core version we've had here with wired controller, no HDD, and $100 less?

I wasn't aware they hadn't released that option to Japan previously.

If its true that the release of the Core version tripled sales in Japan, I'd say the implications of that are huge. If its true that's also very interesting that demand (or perceived value) for the two sku's would be opposite in NA and Japan.

Did I read your post correct, Scoob?
 
RancidLunchmeat said:
What? So what's your theory on why Japan sales are up? They released the Core version? Do you mean the same Core version we've had here with wired controller, no HDD, and $100 less?

I wasn't aware they hadn't released that option to Japan previously.

If its true that the release of the Core version tripled sales in Japan, I'd say the implications of that are huge. If its true that's also very interesting that demand (or perceived value) for the two sku's would be opposite in NA and Japan.

Did I read your post correct, Scoob?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why, but the most obvious reasons would be Blue Dragon, which has really started being advertised, or the core package which was recently launched, maybe a combination of both.
 
scooby_dooby said:
I'm not sure why, but the most obvious reasons would be Blue Dragon, which has really started being advertised, or the core package which was recently launched, maybe a combination of both.
Click to expand...

I'd find it hard to believe that people are buying the console in anticipation of the release of Blue Dragon. If that's what is selling the system, wouldn't people wait for the game to be released to purchase both at the same time?

That's like buying one in anticipation of Halo 3. There has to be enough current value in the system to justify purchasing one in advance, which negates a large part of the influence of the anticipated game, IMO.

I think it would have to do far more with the release of the Core, which would imply that the 360's sales issues mostly come from price. The premium package was simply priced out of the price range of the Japanese consumer. This could also be part of the reason that Sony decided to send most of their launch units to NA, and essentially do a paper launch in Japan. The market for expensive consoles is larger in NA than in Japan.

Of course, that goes completely against everything I've heard about Japanese and their love for expensive high-tech electronics, but I can't see another reason for a surge in 360 sales if it wasn't a result of the introduction of a lower-cost option.
 
RancidLunchmeat said:
What? So what's your theory on why Japan sales are up? They released the Core version? Do you mean the same Core version we've had here with wired controller, no HDD, and $100 less?

I wasn't aware they hadn't released that option to Japan previously.

If its true that the release of the Core version tripled sales in Japan, I'd say the implications of that are huge. If its true that's also very interesting that demand (or perceived value) for the two sku's would be opposite in NA and Japan.

Did I read your post correct, Scoob?
Click to expand...

Well they launched core there in november 2... And on the same week we see this jump in sales (and also note that november 2 was a thursday, almost the end of the week)...

Not to mention its not just a core, it comes with 2 games :p
 
RancidLunchmeat said:
I'd find it hard to believe that people are buying the console in anticipation of the release of Blue Dragon. If that's what is selling the system, wouldn't people wait for the game to be released to purchase both at the same time?
Click to expand...

Well there are currently a few other games out for the system that might appeal to Japanese gamers, so a game like Blue Dragon could cause some people to jump off the fence. Also, if the 100k BD Bundle pre-orders sold out, there could be a trickle over affect for people who couldn't reserve a Bundle.

But, I agree, since it coincides directly with the core package, that's probably the main reason.
 
The Core comes with two games? Perhaps this is the reason for my confusion in my original reply. I thought MS's strategy in Japan was to keep bundling extras with the premium in order to boost sales, and that had proved unproductive.

So did they introduce the Core, or did they introduce a Core bundle? Which would be odd, since the Premium is just a Core bundle itself. (It's just a bundle of hardware, rather than software.)

What games are they bundling with the Core?
 
scooby_dooby said:
XBOX360 sales in the last week went up by 400% this week in Japan, selling 6500 units, rather than the usual 1500-2000.
Click to expand...

Mmm... Gotta start from somewhere i guess!! Shame (for them) that PS3 is launching this week there, so any kind of momentum will be lost for a while, till the PS3 launch craze settles.
 
RancidLunchmeat said:
The Core comes with two games? Perhaps this is the reason for my confusion in my original reply. I thought MS's strategy in Japan was to keep bundling extras with the premium in order to boost sales, and that had proved unproductive.

So did they introduce the Core, or did they introduce a Core bundle? Which would be odd, since the Premium is just a Core bundle itself. (It's just a bundle of hardware, rather than software.)

What games are they bundling with the Core?
Click to expand...

The core is $250 USD and comes with N3 and PGR3 I think.
http://www.gamersreports.com/news/3730/
 
scooby_dooby said:
With only 80k units, PS3 will sell out in about 10 minutes!
Click to expand...

That's why the craze will take a while to die out. Demand is and will be through the roof for a while simply because there aren't enough PS3's around.

Sometimes companies even play on that, limiting supplies on purpose - see the PS2 launch - to make sure that they keep people's interest on them. And prices high of course. Not the case now, as there just aren't enough bloody PS3s made.
 
london-boy said:
That's why the craze will take a while to die out. Demand is and will be through the roof for a while simply because there aren't enough PS3's around.
Click to expand...

For sure demand will remain strong for a long time, but most people won't be able to spend their money on a PS3 for a few months, so I don't know how much of an affect it will have on 360 sales this holiday.

I guess we'll see next week!
 
scooby_dooby said:
For sure demand will remain strong for a long time, but most people won't be able to spend their money on a PS3 for a few months, so I don't know how much of an affect it will have on 360 sales this holiday.

I guess we'll see next week!
Click to expand...

If anything, this will affect Wii sales favourably. If 360 had a few more japanese games out now, thing might be different. Yes i know there will be more japanese games out in the future, but unless MS heavily promote those now and tries to convince the Japanese population that if they wait, the 360 will be a very good console full of japanese games, they just won't care cause PS3 and Wii are out, even if they can't get their hands on one at the moment. In the end these gamers have to wait for something, and it's kinda obvious that between waiting for the few unknown Japanese 360 games coming out in the future, and wait for a PS3 or a Wii, which are sure bets for them, they will go for the latter option. Heck i'd be surprised if they actually know that there are a few Japanese games coming out on 360.
As it is, 6000 units when it's not supply limited is still bad, even though it's 400% more than usual. It's just less bad.
 
X360 stock is perpetually very low across Japan, understandably, as retailers don't want to waste the shelf space on something that's usually in low demand. Many stores don't stock the system... at all. Even if demand was greater than 6.5K in a week, it couldn't sell much more until adjusted shipment orders moved through the supply chain.
 
Lazy8s said:
X360 stock is perpetually very low across Japan, understandably, as retailers don't want to waste the shelf space on something that's usually in low demand. Many stores don't stock the system... at all. Even if demand was greater than 6.5K in a week, it couldn't sell much more until adjusted shipment orders moved through the supply chain.
Click to expand...

Which proves my point, 360 is not supply limited. The supply is limited but it's still higher than demand.
 
WHat's your point again?

I thought it was that the PS3 launch will curb 360's new found momentum, to that we can only wait and see until next weeks numbers come in. Obviously Wii will benefit much more from PS3 shortages, but that's not relevant, the question is whether 360 can continue at this new pace, or even improve...

To the other point, that 360 is demand limited...well that's no surprise there. Right now I'm chalking this up as a blip, but if it continues next week there may be something there.

If MS can manage to get 300k installed by the end of the year, they would already be approaching the XBOX1 install base after only 1 year, and it will be vindication for everyone who said wait and see 12 months ago, with the dismal launch numbers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
london-boy said:
Mmm... Gotta start from somewhere i guess!! Shame (for them) that PS3 is launching this week there, so any kind of momentum will be lost for a while, till the PS3 launch craze settles.
Click to expand...
You mean tomorrow then, when everyone realizes they're not going to get a PS3 for months
 
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