Xbox One in Japan Remains Uncertain

"Will the next Xbox be sold in Japan?" is a frequently asked question given the 360's enormous failure in the East -- and it's something Microsoft is still sorting out.

[aceitman]

no,no,no it barely sold a million units and xbox one is just a turn off period the box itself is huge .

[ltachiUchiha]

As bad as a million sounds, the 360 did alot better then the original xbox. I just dont see how they will fair any better with all the restrictions they have with the xbox one unless they dismiss them at e3.

[MikeMyers]

It still won't sell but the Xbox will have something far more important, Japanese developer support just like the Xbox 360 did. The original Xbox paled in comparison.

[xDHAV0K24x]

for a reason...the george foreman edition ps3 was fugly and ppl bought it

[darthv72]

I mean, i remember the original xbox did better in JP than the 360. One of the possible reasons the 360 did poorly was how MS stopped the support of the xbox so sudden.

the culture for JP is one of honor and to them, they felt dishonored when Ms stopped the xbox and then expected them to buy the 360. Now, the 360 has been available much longer than the xbox but there could still be that bad taste that the JP gamers didnt want to have happen again.

Ms will need to be as committed (perhaps more) to turning things around for the 3rd time. No guarantees but they obviously have seen an increased commitment by MS in JP to keep the 360 relevant in spite of poor sales. That might just be something they look at when the xb1 comes out.

to them they may actually think...Ms screwed us over the 1st time and they tried really hard the 2nd so maybe the 3rd will be better and we will give them some support. It takes time to win back people who feel betrayed.

That is just my perception of things and does not reflect what others see it as.

[Qrphe]

>One of the possible reasons the 360 did poorly was how MS stopped the support of the xbox so sudden

MS dropped support BECAUSE the 360 did poorly; the Japanese didn't want it in the first place, not the other way around.

I doubt the X1 will catch on in Japan. The Japanese aren't big on sharing or playing games as a family or in parties to begin with.

[SexyGamerDude]

Japanese consumers aren't going to buy a X1. Most of the famous Japanese devs provide for Sony exclusively and that where the consumers will follow.

[rainslacker]

MS dropped support because their deal with NVidia fell through. They couldn't make the consoles anymore, so they had no choice. It's why they rushed the 360 to market. Ideally they wanted to release the 360 a year later, but for the most part it did work out for them going early.

[Dj7FairyTail]

Xbox 360 sold 1.6m units in Japan.

[Anon1974]

I hadn't even considered that the XBox One might not see a release in Japan.

[Sandmano]

The response in the West was not so good so Japan is out of the quwstion.

[ltachiUchiha]

I just dont see how it will work out for them because the 360 was actually a more reasonable choice to grab one at the time microsoft was pushing to get more japanese gamers to buy the 360 & the way I look at it, if most of the gamers here in the united states are disappointed with xbox one then I dont see how they will stand a chance there unless they really go all out and try an cater to japan but they 1st gotta get rid of all the negative things us gamers here in the US are disappointed about before they can even try in japan.

[xDHAV0K24x]

that's true. screw it. I say don't cater to them since they obviously don't care but it's not likely. I guess some $ is better than no $ =/

[Sandmano]

Yes it seems like they dont care about Japan I mean all the features were obviously not targeted at Japan.

[My_Name_BTW_Is_Dante]

Actually I've read a few Japanese responses and a lot of the comments were a lot less harsh. Most of the comments were them not being too sure about the console and that they were waiting to see what other games would be revealed for it before they made a decision to buy it or not.

[DragonKnight]

The Xbox One is probably the most American console to ever exist. Everything about it screams American to the point where one could easily conclude that Microsoft don't even care about the rest of the world. The central focus is Sports and TV, the biggest pastimes in the U.S.

Xbox One shouldn't even bother with Japan.

[SonyPS4]

You're right about that. The XOne MIGHT have a market but that's in America. PS4 and Wii U for worldwide.

[MikeMyers]

Microsoft will be announcing more details in the future about Europe and Asia. Europe will be where they have to really try harder, Japan will never embrace the Xbox unless it becomes a very dominant player like Apple and the portable music device. Japan still supported Sony MP3 players more than any other country until Apple finally got too much marketshare to ignore.

[Brazz]

Can't agree more whit you, can i give you 2 bubbles? no... than take 1.

[ghostrider32]

It would be pointless. Everyone knows in Japan if it's not Playstation or Nintendo, zero fcks will be given.

[TuxedoMoon]

I don't think the Xbox and 360 did "well" in Japan. The first xbox was laughed at because it was huge and the 360 was a faulty system when it first came out. The few Japanese exclusives the 360 barely made its way to the ps3 (still waiting on a few other games). I don't think the Xboxone will catch on in Japan. The box is huge and the Kinect won't work in their homes. The ps4 is a lot easier to develop for, so developers can make games for it with no excuses (cause before the ps3's cell thing made making games hard).

[sway_z]

I'm pretty sure MS have already said they're committed to Japan...so X1 will reach that territory. Whether it's worth the trial is another thing entirely.

You never know with the Japanese, they're kinda quirky in a cool way, plus trends change... but I am doubtful MS can break Japan.

I will say, in Europe the X1 will not be as successful as 360 was, and by quite a margin. The feedback and buzz (in France, Spain & the UK at least) is around PS4.

The feeling in Europe is, the Xbox One seems designed specifically for N. American audiences.

[DivineAssault]

X1 wont survive in japan..

[sashimi]

X1's fate in japan is already set in stone, there is no hope!

[Bathyj]

It has to sell in Japan. Not because its going to sell any serious numbers, probably lucky to do 2 million for its lifetime, but the message MS would be sending if it didnt would be "cant win, dont try" futher re-enforcing the we only like blockbusters mentality.

The dev community still has a very strong Japanese contingent. Whatever game they make now on 360 they know isnt going to sell well there but I wonder how they would feel knowing it wont sell at all in their homeland.

Japan will likely cost MS money overall just to have a presence there but they still have to do it.

[silvacrest]

dont bother microsoft, you will probably have a better chance in a region you have not explored yet

[Baka-akaB]

Of course they'll be there . For their image the can't be missing over there .