Is MS Making Headway in Japan?

[Iron Past]

There have been times before where the Xbox 360 has had a sales spurt in Japan (usually relating to a specific game), putting it ahead of Sony's competing console in sales figures for a few days, but never for an entire month. Recently, Microsoft may have hit a decent strategy in Japan, a cheap console with more Eastern-centric games (who would have thought?).

According to Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20498), pulling their numbers from Rueters (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUST33130320081003), the Xbox 360 sold 53,547 units in Japan for September compaired to the PS3's 33,071 units. If they continue their momentum, Microsoft might reach that million unit mark by the holidays after all, but it should be noted that sales have consistently fallen throughout the month for all platforms. The Wii maintained dominance, of course, selling 109,548 units for the month.

Sources - Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20498), Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUST33130320081003)

[Karak]

If momentuem continued sure. Will it? Who knows. With the changes that have occured recently to their lineup, price, and more and more people owning it maybe. I am not sure of the lemming mentality there, but each person who owns and likes a thing will tell a friend who will maybe buy 1.

[Gorvi]

They had a big price drop and two (kinda) big RPGs (Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery) come out, all in the same month. That's a pretty good reason for the bump in sales.

[Virtual Machine]

What do they have on the horizon to appeal to that particular market?

Personally, i think the slowing momentum (vs. Sony)in North America needs to be addressed in more than a short term fashion. This fall is theirs, no doubt, but come January they're in a pretty precarious position (I'm not looking at Nintendo here - they aren't the same market at all - let them stay in Casual hell). I see their market share shrinking while Sony grows stronger. Beyond Gears of War 2 and Fable 2, i find Microsoft's recent activity puzzling. It's like they're treading water - much like Sony in the very early PS3 days, reactive rather than proactive. I think Peter Moore had lined up everything he needed to get the company out ahead at the early part of the race, but when his goals were reached he jumped ship before the tank ran out of gas so to speak. At present, Microsoft seems shockingly low on ideas that appeal to me, their so-called target audience, and they're going so far as to alienate me somewhat with their push at Nintendo's market. Meanwhile, there's Sony, showing me GAMES that look very cool coming in the next 12 months or so, with promises of a hell of a lot more coming.

I hope Microsoft has something awesome up their sleeve, i really do. And it needs to be SOFTWARE! None of this dashboard - casual - arcade - movie rental - motion control - pay to download episode BULLSHIT. I bought the 360 because it was a game console. Which was why i waited on the PS3 (i didn't need a blu ray player when the system launched, and the software wasn't there.) The last new title anyone found aout about from Microsoft was a Halo MMO that was killed in 2006... awesome.

[Iron Past]

<snip>

I see what you're saying, and I agree, but it's way to early to judge. Microsoft's goal last year and this year has been to showcase the games comming before the end of the year, Sony has been showing what will be comming within the next couple of years. I'm sure we'll hear more soon.

[Karak]

I see what you're saying, and I agree, but it's way to early to judge. Microsoft's goal last year and this year has been to showcase the games comming before the end of the year, Sony has been showing what will be comming within the next couple of years. I'm sure we'll hear more soon.

I would have to agree. I do indeed enjoy MS's more short term approach of seeing what is coming that year. I mean we know about future far out games but...having worked with 1 particular company slammed by Sony's "Oh look whats coming in a couple years" mentality I feel personally burned whenever someone shows something years down the road now. I enjoy the short term stuff. Has more of a feel of "for sureness" as my old boss would call it.
One thing is for sure. Despite all the people complaining about last years tradeshows, in the end they actually DID have stuff come out this year. I see no reason to suspect that they suddenly have nothing.

[Xerxes]

I think MS should be just fine. MGS should be way stronger than they are, all cause MS wasted money on Rare and Lionhead and didn't secure better brands. Lionhead should have two games in the pipes with the money they spent. Where the fuck is BC(dead I know but still)? Rare is making avatars and themes?! Bah! Who knows, next year you might get Too Human 2 and Mass Effect 2. That's everyone not Japanese.

Japan is getting Last Remnent and a Star Ocean 4 coming so they might clinch that million systems sooner than later.