Last week we were first off the block with news foretelling a major Xbox 360 meeting was about to be announced in Japan. Expected to be penned in this week, no official details have yet come to light, though further rumblings have caught our attention.
From the original article:
With the Xbox 360 currently seeing a hardware sale tally on par with Ninteno's GameCube, rumour has it that the above-mentioned meeting will see the firm announce that it intends to relaunch its new console into Japan, underlining some of the killer apps it has signed specifically as a lure for the region.
Our German friends over at Gamefront peg the relaunch date for June 29th, with Microsoft planning a major event to draw attention to its console, games and future projects. This date also happens to be the day several high-profile titles have been given revised release dates, including Sega's Chrome Hounds, Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage from Idea Factory , AQ Interactive's Bullet Witch, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, an tricky realism-based FPS expected to do relatively well in Japan.
We've heard nothing official at time of press, and neither has anyone on the ground in Japan. They're attending the meeting, though Microsoft has remained tight-lipped as to what to expect. We'll be there and we'll tell you all about it as it happens.
Relaunching a console is something a novel concept, especially when it's barely a quarter of year old and the move would show a mixture of determination and desperation on the part of Microsoft should the any such plan prove existent. Indeed, Microsoft must be wondering what it needs to do to sell in its new creation to Japanese homes. The 360 was co-designed in Japan and has a Japan-centric line-up, with Microsoft suspected of paying over the odds to secure exclusive rights to games that would be major hardware shifters on any other company's machine.
However, the one hurdle Microsoft cannot overcome in the eyes of Japanese consumers is likely to be the one thing it cannot change – the fact that it's an American company, moving into a marketspace traditionally dominated by Japanese companies. As well as the inherent and unmasked xenophobia at play in the Japanese games market, Microsoft is asking consumers to move out of their comfort zone and buy into something that, although brilliant in its own way, is different to what they are used to and breaks the timeline of their expectations.
Meanwhile Apple breaks tradition and, to rub salt into long-standing rival Microsoft's wounds, now boasts around 60% of the voracious portable music player market in Japan, crippling sales of Sony's new Walkman and online music delivery system.
You can catch a candid, if slightly diplomatic look at the views of the average Japanese gamer on all things Xbox from a survey we ran at launch by clicking here.
From the original article:
Microsoft's Xbox wing in Japan today invited many media outlets, including SPOnG, to a major briefing dated for April 6th next week, with those close to proceedings hinting that some major announcements are planned. Indeed, those close to planning have openly mooted Phantasy Star Universe from Sega and a new Tales of title from Namco will headline the event.
With the Xbox 360 currently seeing a hardware sale tally on par with Ninteno's GameCube, rumour has it that the above-mentioned meeting will see the firm announce that it intends to relaunch its new console into Japan, underlining some of the killer apps it has signed specifically as a lure for the region.
Our German friends over at Gamefront peg the relaunch date for June 29th, with Microsoft planning a major event to draw attention to its console, games and future projects. This date also happens to be the day several high-profile titles have been given revised release dates, including Sega's Chrome Hounds, Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage from Idea Factory , AQ Interactive's Bullet Witch, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, an tricky realism-based FPS expected to do relatively well in Japan.
We've heard nothing official at time of press, and neither has anyone on the ground in Japan. They're attending the meeting, though Microsoft has remained tight-lipped as to what to expect. We'll be there and we'll tell you all about it as it happens.
Relaunching a console is something a novel concept, especially when it's barely a quarter of year old and the move would show a mixture of determination and desperation on the part of Microsoft should the any such plan prove existent. Indeed, Microsoft must be wondering what it needs to do to sell in its new creation to Japanese homes. The 360 was co-designed in Japan and has a Japan-centric line-up, with Microsoft suspected of paying over the odds to secure exclusive rights to games that would be major hardware shifters on any other company's machine.
However, the one hurdle Microsoft cannot overcome in the eyes of Japanese consumers is likely to be the one thing it cannot change – the fact that it's an American company, moving into a marketspace traditionally dominated by Japanese companies. As well as the inherent and unmasked xenophobia at play in the Japanese games market, Microsoft is asking consumers to move out of their comfort zone and buy into something that, although brilliant in its own way, is different to what they are used to and breaks the timeline of their expectations.
Meanwhile Apple breaks tradition and, to rub salt into long-standing rival Microsoft's wounds, now boasts around 60% of the voracious portable music player market in Japan, crippling sales of Sony's new Walkman and online music delivery system.
You can catch a candid, if slightly diplomatic look at the views of the average Japanese gamer on all things Xbox from a survey we ran at launch by clicking here.
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Comments
jadnice 4 Apr 2006 14:44
1/4
How desperate can you be Microsoft?????
majin dboy 4 Apr 2006 15:39
2/4
well considering the last time i checked the gamecube was outselling the 360 in Japan i would say their pretty freakin desperate.
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warbaby 5 Apr 2006 01:49
3/4
What's wrong with being desperate? Microsoft can see that have a problem on their hands and they are willing to do something about it. They can't rely on brand power in Japan because there is none. If they don't do anything they will be stuck with relying on fewer territories to sell their product. And seeing as how the X-box managed to outsell the GCN in fewer areas, Ninty should maybe take a hint and have some initiative.
animetuc 7 Apr 2006 12:36
4/4
ANYBODY FEEL LIKE THIS WHOLE THREAD IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE: "MY HUGE MULTINATIONAL IS BETTER THAN YOURS?"
look, Microsoft is not desperate. I think alot of folk see Japan as this sort of "un-fooled" (By the hype of Xbox) place. The truth of the matter is that Sony and Nintendo, have gained ground in Japan, by using monopolistic business stratagies. Remember Sega sued the big "N" for antitrust in the 1980's? And who can forget all of the publishers that cried foul over Sony's early insistance on game exclusivity? M'Soft has had it's share of problems in the whole monopoly business, but their new model dictates stratagy over dominance.
Anyone that thinks a good console can't have trouble in Japan should remember that Sega's Dreamcast released hit-after-hit and never picked up stride. It is time for new blood in the Japanese market and M'soft should bring it. And If M'soft doesn't win Japan, they'll still continue to make and produce consoles. Japan is the 3rd market...
A Fan of Nintendo Microsoft and Sony!
look, Microsoft is not desperate. I think alot of folk see Japan as this sort of "un-fooled" (By the hype of Xbox) place. The truth of the matter is that Sony and Nintendo, have gained ground in Japan, by using monopolistic business stratagies. Remember Sega sued the big "N" for antitrust in the 1980's? And who can forget all of the publishers that cried foul over Sony's early insistance on game exclusivity? M'Soft has had it's share of problems in the whole monopoly business, but their new model dictates stratagy over dominance.
Anyone that thinks a good console can't have trouble in Japan should remember that Sega's Dreamcast released hit-after-hit and never picked up stride. It is time for new blood in the Japanese market and M'soft should bring it. And If M'soft doesn't win Japan, they'll still continue to make and produce consoles. Japan is the 3rd market...
A Fan of Nintendo Microsoft and Sony!