XBox 360 launched in Japan

[dubyateeeff]

www.kotaku.com has some coverage, but, they havent posted anything that positive last I checked.

 

[one]

Let me present my perspective with those Impress Watch reports with many pics.

First, MS held a party with alcoholic beverages for hardcore fans and Xbox evangelists in Japan at Xbox 360 LOUNGE at Aoyama on the eve of the launch. Peter Moore attended the event.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20051210/xbox1.htm

Then, in the next early morning, the launch countdown event was held at the Tsutaya CD/DVD/game store in Shibuya which is 1 or 2 subway stations away from Aoyama. So most likely those super hardcore fans who were at the Xbox Lounge party went there after staying up the Friday night. 200 people lined up there and Peter Moore appeared. Gamespot reports this event.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20051210/xbox2.htm

But how about other places? Let's check out major electronic outlets in Tokyo, they are located in Akihabara and Shinjuku. Typically otaku/nerd guys go to Akihabara rather than hip Shibuya. These pics tell the story. There's a stark contrast with the launch event at Shibuya Tsutaya.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20051210/akiba.htm

Though these days you can purchase gadgets on the net often cheaper than retail stores, eagerly awaited items such as PSP still attract people in long lines.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/shibuya.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/pspsin.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/ike.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/pspetc.htm

Now these are reports about the Xbox 1 launch in Japan in early 2002, Bill Gates himself appeared in a TV show in Japan and did the promotion at the launch event in Shibuya. Some celebrity guests were invited there, it was a splendid event which clearly shows the commitment of Microsoft was bigger back then in the PR level. Stores at Akihabara and Shinjuku pulled more people in 2002 than in 2005. Even though MS is believed to be a rich company, this time they seem to have opted out of the PR war in Japan. They might invest the money in other substantial places though.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020219/tsutaya.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020221/xbox.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020222/shibu.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020222/akiba.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20020222/shin.htm

But, the true Xbox 360 launch in Japan is, frankly speaking, when DOA4 is released, so there's still a chance. But I wonder how MS could allow the delay. MS should have concluded a deal that fines Tecmo tremendous money for delay rather than taking the risk of losing face on the launch day and endangering the supply in other regions.

 

[dantruon]

Im sorry but i think that Microsoft has failed in Japan big times and for those that said wait til the big games come out next year.......guess what is coming out Spring next year in Japan?

 

[mckmas8808]

Wow that's kinda telling.

 

[Bad_Boy]

lol, i think i see psp headphones on two of them.

 

[Edge]

User comments, from people living in Japan, posted in response to Gamespot article:

Kurisu

Just to chime in... I live in Hiroshima, and went to Sofmap (a pretty large electronics chain)located pretty much in the middle of the big central shopping avenue of the city. It was 1pm in the afternoon, and when I went up to the TV game floor, I saw a stack of (if memory serves) six or seven 360's sitting pristine and unbought right in the main traffic thoroughfare. Nobody was playing the display kiosk, and no more people were stopping to watch the video demos than were stopping to watch movies for Rogue Galaxy or Biohazard 4 (which is to say hardly any at all). Nowhere did I see signs proclaiming "Sold Out!" or "Supplies Limited!" I did see one Japanese guy walking around the floor with one bagged up, but that was it. Granted Sofmap is not the largest electronics store in Hiroshima, but it is number two, and in my observation it's a much more geek-oriented store. And if *they* couldn't sell them.... Oh, and me? The closest 360 game to holding my interest currently would be the FFXI beta, and I *quit* playing that game three years ago. The backwards compatibility isn't extensive enough to pick it up for catch-up purposes. I just bought Rogue Galaxy, anyway. Who needs a new generation when the current one is still so good? Posted 12/10/2005 11:08am

sigel_x

I live in Japan and although things might be looking good in tokyo, I live in the countryside. I went into a shop next to my apartment and the stack of xbox 360s was still 20 high at 4 pm with no body there to pick them up. saw a guy purchase mario cart ds when i was there but and a guy checking out the 360 kiosk but no one buying a 360. microsoft probably were able to turn heads in tokyo but outside that, unless Yamagata prefecture is the exception to the rule, I have no doubt that I can go back to the store tommorrow walk in and pick one up. not near the madness of the states or uk. Posted 12/10/2005 7:59am

dennisgai2004

I live Japan.... And I went today to one of the biggest Electronic shops in big city and have NOT seen any one buying XBOX360! It didn't even look like they were selling it. Just some empty boxes on their side... no price, no live system, nothing...

From comments (listed at bottom of article) posted by users for this article:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141063.html

No surprises here.

 

[mrdarko]

wow!

even if i were just waiting for the ps3 or rev,i would pick-up a 360 for that price!

it works out at $322/£183 here in the uk a psp value pack is £180! or £300 for

psp/1gb ms/1 game.

oh well

 

[Nicked]

I think word of mouth will be strong with the X360. Poor sales but with increasing consumer interest and if DoA4 - and more particularly Lost Oddyssey + Blue Dragon - deliver and are great games, sales could be good. But the launch looks like a failure atm.

Whats naive is to think that square wouldn't go where the money is .

Which is why Playstation 3 is where its at.
First to bust some of your arguments right open.
1) Final Fantasy sells more in Japan than in NA + Europe combined (inc. JPN International versions). Obviously so does DQ.
2) Square-Enix sells these titles in Japan for a hefty premium, their profit margin is much, much higher in Japan.
3) Final Fantasy XIII isn't going to be released in 2006 so the installed base argument is moot. By 2007 things should be anywhere from "PS3 slightly behind" to "PS3 slightly ahead".

 

[Oninotsume]

Wireframe: I was saying that you were correct in my last post meaning that the original article you quoted was in fact contradictory. The sales parable can be easily explained through the fact that the Xbox 360 sold out at the EVENT store, but nowhere else.

It's way too early to judge if the 360 is a success here in Japan or not. The audience is so much different than that in the west. I was at Yodobashi Camera (a giant electronics chain) the other week and they had the Xbox 360 kiosk next to a Metal Gear 3 Subsistence kiosk. You would think that everyone would be oogling over the 360, but the kicker is that the Metal Gear Kiosk was showing the TGS video of MGS4. There was a huge crowd around the MGS kiosk and no one touching the Xbox 360. I stepped away to go look at some products and when I came back there was an even bigger crowd around MGS4 and one person playing a Tetris like game on the 360 It just seemed surreal.

The gaming audience has changed here a lot in the past ten years. You barely ever find lines for any type of gaming device, and if you do they aren't as extreme as they were in the past. That being said I was also here for the launch of the PS2 and that was utterly insane. There were lines everywhere, and it was sold out for months. Only people lucky enough to have preordered it several months in advance maybe got their hands on it. If my memory serves me correctly the PS2 sold more units in its first day than the entire Dreamcast installed base.

So, anyway I think it's extremely premature to say the Xbox 360 has failed in Japan, it just wasn't met with any triumphant greeting at the door.

 

[expletive]

Frankly, I'm surprised they sold as many as they did with this launch lineup. Did they think Japanese were going to line up in the cold to play RR6 which already has received lukewarm reviews since 11/22?

 

[mckmas8808]

Plain and simple guys a new next-gen console should sell itself. It's not looking good so far.

 

[expletive]

Plain and simple guys a new next-gen console should sell itself. It's not looking good so far.

I thought it was all about the games? In Japan MS needs to give gamers a reason to buy the thing, i dont think this launch lineup has one (though i honestly dont know a thing about everyparty).

 

[wireframe]

Wireframe: I was saying that you were correct in my last post meaning that the original article you quoted was in fact contradictory. The sales parable can be easily explained through the fact that the Xbox 360 sold out at the EVENT store, but nowhere else.

Gotcha. It just threw me off that you agreed it was contradictory and then offered more evidence that it was basically right. I see what you are saying now.

It's way too early to judge if the 360 is a success here in Japan or not. The audience is so much different than that in the west. I was at Yodobashi Camera (a giant electronics chain) the other week and they had the Xbox 360 kiosk next to a Metal Gear 3 Subsistence kiosk. You would think that everyone would be oogling over the 360, but the kicker is that the Metal Gear Kiosk was showing the TGS video of MGS4. There was a huge crowd around the MGS kiosk and no one touching the Xbox 360. I stepped away to go look at some products and when I came back there was an even bigger crowd around MGS4 and one person playing a Tetris like game on the 360 It just seemed surreal.

Heh. That does sound surreal, but I can defeinitely imagine it happening. I don't think the demographic represented on these boards are at all indicative of what happens in the real world. Here we mentally masturbate over technological specifications, what-ifs, and how-sos. In the real world it's about games, the final product. Nobody cares if Snake's moustache has 60,000 polys. They like it when it looks good, but most of all they just want their Snake.

So, anyway I think it's extremely premature to say the Xbox 360 has failed in Japan, it just wasn't met with any triumphant greeting at the door.

And I don't think anyone expected it to, not even the most hopeful at Microsoft. I do, however, think they expect it to play a part in the market later in its life, with more titles for the Japanese market that will also help it in worldwide sales.

I think it would make for a wonderfully interesting thread to talk about "What does the Xbox have to be to appeal to the Japanese market?" I used to think that the Japanese were just being xenophobic and proud of their Japanese products and industry, but I am no longer sure that is the case at all. Look at the Playstation and Nintendo. They both do extremely well outside Japan. It's not like you have to be Japanese to like it (though it may not hurt). Personally, I think the Xbox could even have the natural edge from being an import, an exotic product, but it also needs to cover the basics, and the sales of the Xbox seem to indicate that this is not being done.

 

[mckmas8808]

I thought it was all about the games? In Japan MS needs to give gamers a reason to buy the thing, i dont think this launch lineup has one (though i honestly dont know a thing about everyparty).

No not really new consoles should sales themselves. Sorry but the first day the console should sell itself. After that I agree with you the games are what's important.

 

[aldo]

'We signal the beginning of what we believe will be market leadership even here in Japan,' Xbox marketing head Peter Moore said at the launch.

Based on the current Japanese interest, it may only take Sony a month or two next spring to overtake the X360 in Japan.

IMO, without any desirable Japanese titles available, MS really has shot themselves in the foot by stocking up shelves in Japan with X360s that would have otherwise been whisked off the shelves if made available in Europe and NA.

MS informed us how they learned from the Xbox that they needed more Japanese titles for the Xbox360. When they prepare for the release of the Xbox720 they will note how they learned from the X360 that those titles need to be AVAILABLE at launch. I wonder what lesson they will have learned by the time they launch the Xbox1080.

-aldo

 

[Nicked]

Based on the current Japanese interest, it may only take Sony a month or two next spring to overtake the X360 in Japan.

If Sony does launch the PS3 in Spring, it probably won't take more than a day (same as with the DCS2). Sony will probably launch with close to a million units based on heritage, and the X360 probably won't have shipped half that by then (remember 3mil WW in 3months - takes us to spring - most to NA + Europe would seem smarter).

I don't think PS3 success = X360 failure in Japan though. If the Mistwalker titles are great the word of mouth may spread and we might see the X360 rapidly increase its week over week sales. Of course Revolution might come out and clusterfuck them both...

 

[Oninotsume]

Recap of the X360 launch in Osaka.

This guys site has a pretty entertaining play-by-play report of the Xbox 360 launch in Osaka starting from at least two days before until the present.
http://www.kotaku.com/

 

[Deepak]

http://www.the-magicbox.com/gaming.htm

RUMOR: The pop diva Madonna trashed her free Xbox 360 in a Japanese dumpster, according to the her blog page. (Unconfirmed whether this is truly her blog page.)

Xbox 360 Degrees! [Posted on Dec 6, 2005 http://madonnasthoughts.blogspot.com/]

I received my FREE Xbox 360 yesterday! Too bad though. The thing over-heated and doesn't work. I was going to play a game with my friends in Japan, but it crashed on us. The power supply on this device is HUGE! At least I know why they called it the Xbox 360 and not the Xbox 2. The damn thing gets up to about 360 DEGREES!!!! It's frightening!
Oh well. My Xbox 360 is in a Japanese dumpster. I just don't have time to fool with getting it replaced. I'm not much into TV or video games anyways. My children aren't allowed to play them either. I guess they were dumb to give me one knowing that I don't really have any use for them. I know they gave them to other celebrities as well. Paris Hilton got one. Barf. That's even more reason to trash the glitchy console!​

​

 

[jvd]

To bad its not a sound bite , i love making fun of her fake british acent

 

[expletive]

No not really new consoles should sales themselves. Sorry but the first day the console should sell itself. After that I agree with you the games are what's important.

I would agree in almost all cases with the exception of the Xbox in Japan. Seeing how poorly the first one did after a bunch of games had already been released, what makes you think that this console would sell with 6 very average ones? And for the record, i do agree this is not what MS had wanted for their launch but once NNN, DOA4 and eA were pushed back, i think this was expected.