Rumor: Xbox 360 Japanese launch may slip to Q1 2006

[Shifty Geezer]

But PS2 was the sequel to the ever-popuar PS1 and would have seen 'upgraders' for early adopters. People would buy PS2 to 1) play PS1 games in better quality and 2) to play better PS2 games when they appear, knowing that they're favourite Japanese franchises would appar.

XB360 is in essence starting from a clean sheet without a successful predecessor to build upon (in Japan). The number of upgraders will be minimal and MS needs new blood. Launch time and content seems make-or-break for XB360's success. Without time to build up enough sales momentum prior to PS3, I can imagine it being overshadowed utterly unless they have some killer games that can hold the consumer mindset more strongly than 'PlayStation'

 

[Evil_Cloud]

I wouldn't see it as such a bad move, they will face severe shortages, postponing the Japanese launch will make more units available elsewhere. Besides, the holiday season is way less important in Japan than it is in America, or Europe.

(not that Japan needs that many Xbox 360's though).

 

[blakjedi]

I would launch right with PS3 with more games lower price and high def kiosks everywhere, especially the mom and pop game shops littered throughout Japan. Give the smaller vendors incentives to push the hardware out the door. Launching early isnt the key. Its launching strongly.

 

[MechanizedDeath]

I would launch right with PS3 with more games lower price and high def kiosks everywhere, especially the mom and pop game shops littered throughout Japan. Give the smaller vendors incentives to push the hardware out the door. Launching early isnt the key. Its launching strongly.

Would they be able to accomplish that in Japan, though? That just sounds like they'd be setting themselves for a massive steamrolling. They'd get lost in the shadow of the PS3 launch, which is probably gonna be crazy again. I think that's exactly the wrong thing to do. PEACE.

 

[Powderkeg]

I would launch right with PS3 with more games lower price and high def kiosks everywhere, especially the mom and pop game shops littered throughout Japan. Give the smaller vendors incentives to push the hardware out the door. Launching early isnt the key. Its launching strongly.

You would spend more money on kiosks than you would make in 360 sales.

The idea is to make money, not lose it.

 

[gurgi]

Its going to hurt launching next to PS3

Or it could help them. Instead of Sony convincing consumers to wait for a superior product, there is the perception of similar launch times, similar quality maybe.

 

[3roxor]

Or it could help them. Instead of Sony convincing consumers to wait for a superior product, there is the perception of similar launch times, similar quality maybe.

yeah right people aren't THAT stupid.

 

[Powderkeg]

yeah right people aren't THAT stupid.

Yes they are.

 

[blakjedi]

I would launch right with PS3 with more games lower price and high def kiosks everywhere, especially the mom and pop game shops littered throughout Japan. Give the smaller vendors incentives to push the hardware out the door. Launching early isnt the key. Its launching strongly.

You would spend more money on kiosks than you would make in 360 sales.

The idea is to make money, not lose it.

The kiosks are a done deal with samsung. That is the only way 360 is being displayed at retail. The just need the right game in the kisosk.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

3 kiosks. 1 showing FF/DQ, the next showing Pokemon...what could MS show to grab people's attention?

 

[Evil_Cloud]

I would launch right with PS3 with more games lower price and high def kiosks everywhere, especially the mom and pop game shops littered throughout Japan. Give the smaller vendors incentives to push the hardware out the door. Launching early isnt the key. Its launching strongly.

You would spend more money on kiosks than you would make in 360 sales.

The idea is to make money, not lose it.

The kiosks are a done deal with samsung. That is the only way 360 is being displayed at retail. The just need the right game in the kisosk.

Kiosks are mostly sold to shops IIRC.

 

[blakjedi]

3 kiosks. 1 showing FF/DQ, the next showing Pokemon...what could MS show to grab people's attention?

I have a lot of ideas but my tastes arent necessarily universal...

A Next gen Splinter Cell (which I think MS should have made exclusive a long time ago) to go head to head with MGS4 on PS3...

If Kameo makes it out of the visual doldrums would be nice,

the Mistwalker games as a start,

To bad Heavenly Sword went exclusively PS3 but a Koei game of that quality would do well...

VF5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean these are the games/genres that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure with a MS Japan and others who have been studying the buying tastes of the Japanese, they should KNOW what they needed to launch right in Japan. If they dont then they deserve to fail.

 

[one]

Personally I don't think it delays, but if they launch Xbox 360 worldwide and only the Japanese market tanks it can influence mindshare in the other regions, so it's possible they make a safe bet instead. Also, a simultaneous launch is very difficult in terms of risk management, as you see in the sticky-button defect found in Japanese PSP units.

 

[Powderkeg]

Kiosks are mostly sold to shops IIRC.

That is correct, but since few mom and pop type stores can afford HDTV equipped kiosks, MS would have to give them away to those type stores, which in turn would raise legal issues from the stores they charge.

MS would have to give them all away for free to avoid any legal problems.

 

[London Geezer]

Kiosks are mostly sold to shops IIRC.

That is correct, but since few mom and pop type stores can afford HDTV equipped kiosks, MS would have to give them away to those type stores, which in turn would raise legal issues from the stores they charge.

MS would have to give them all away for free to avoid any legal problems.

Well how expensive can they be?! And how hard would it be to just hook up a X360 to a HDTV, without the need of an official kiosk...
Surely nothing a shop, even a small one, can't afford, considering it will help the shop itself selling units.

 

[Powderkeg]

Well how expensive can they be?! And how hard would it be to just hook up a X360 to a HDTV, without the need of an official kiosk...
Surely nothing a shop, even a small one, can't afford, considering it will help the shop itself selling units.

Kiosks are over $1000 US each easy.

Seperately, the Samsung HDTV is around $900, and the 360 is $300. Add in cables, a case/table/stand and some type of security system to rpevent theft or tampering, and it would probably cost more than an official kiosk.


The average mom and pop shop is lucky to make more than a couple of hundred dollars a month in profit. To them, a kiosk is an expense that has to be justified, and you'll have to prove to them that their total monthly sales (Not just 360 sales) will increase because of it.

 

[London Geezer]

Kiosks are over $1000 US each easy.

Seperately, the Samsung HDTV is around $900, and the 360 is $300. Add in cables, a case/table/stand and some type of security system to rpevent theft or tampering, and it would probably cost more than an official kiosk.


The average mom and pop shop is lucky to make more than a couple of hundred dollars a month in profit. To them, a kiosk is an expense that has to be justified, and you'll have to prove to them that their total monthly sales (Not just 360 sales) will increase because of it.

Ok hang on a sec. How do you define a mom and pop shop here? Cause i think we're talking about different kinds of shops.

 

[Powderkeg]

Ok hang on a sec. How do you define a mom and pop shop here? Cause i think we're talking about different kinds of shops.

Mom and Pop means exactly what it says. Small, family owned, not supported by a larger corporation, not part of a chain. A successful one might actually employ one or two non-family members.

 

[blakjedi]

Well how expensive can they be?! And how hard would it be to just hook up a X360 to a HDTV, without the need of an official kiosk...
Surely nothing a shop, even a small one, can't afford, considering it will help the shop itself selling units.

Kiosks are over $1000 US each easy.

Seperately, the Samsung HDTV is around $900, and the 360 is $300. Add in cables, a case/table/stand and some type of security system to rpevent theft or tampering, and it would probably cost more than an official kiosk.


The average mom and pop shop is lucky to make more than a couple of hundred dollars a month in profit. To them, a kiosk is an expense that has to be justified, and you'll have to prove to them that their total monthly sales (Not just 360 sales) will increase because of it.

Ahhh. the samsung set heas in the upper $700 here in the states *retail*... MS could broker a deal that could probably take of half to a third for those sets because there is nothing that Samsung wants more than to go head to head with Sony... especially in their home market.

Worse to worse the kiosk could be leased to the store with a contingency to sell a certain amount boxes per month... to broker a deal isnt hard... cost is an issue but although I dont personnally see Japan as that important a market for MS... its about pride and eking out every bit of overall marketshare you can.

 

[London Geezer]

Ok hang on a sec. How do you define a mom and pop shop here? Cause i think we're talking about different kinds of shops.

Mom and Pop means exactly what it says. Small, family owned, not supported by a larger corporation, not part of a chain. A successful one might actually employ one or two non-family members.

Well then where i live, small gaming shops have always sported more than acceptable displays and kiosks since it became important to have them.