The Xbox 360 has been a failure in Japan, which is strange when you consider how much it dominates the North American market, as well as parts of Europe. The console is unlikely to cross the two million sold mark in Japan (which is how much the original Xbox sold there), and has been soundly outsold by its competitors in the form of Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3. It continues to see terrible sales, and many stores in Japan carry neither the console or games for the console today in 2013.
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And not everyone cares enough about Halo, Gears or having to pay to play online.
Sometimes it's just not worth the extra purchase when most of your gaming needs are already met with a PlayStation and Nintendo system.
The 360, on the other hand, had nothing Japanese people were interested in, and much of Europe found the overly testosterone fueled target market to be off-putting, so of course the 360 didn't fare as well. It's all about your messaging and your target markets. It's extremely difficult to be all things to all people, especially when you have fierce competition, and it's what has plagued both the PS3 and 360 this generation.
Does american cars sell well in Japan? Short answer, NO!
How does american cars sell in China? Yes, very well! That is because the chinese are still upset at the japanese occupation.
Simply put, if there is no competitor then the Japanese will pick american product, see Windows and iPhone. If there are, then they will generally choose their own stuff, unless it has significant brand name value attach to it i.e. prestigious.
Apple iPhones are like that, they commend a certain oh, ah and cost a bundle.
Yes, Japanese people are shallow too and do buy overpriced, low quality products as well as long as it has a brand name on it.
They often flood the US, mostly the factory outlets scouring for deals on brand name emblazoned products too.
See, we humans aren't that different in different parts of the world!
it sold more than the 1st xbox so does that still count as a fail?
Whatever the speculative reason may be, the overall growth of the xbox brand is significant. Before xbox, I would always see PS referenced in movies and tv but then again, those shoes/movies were most likely produced by sony pictures. Nothing wrong with a little free advertising.
But since xbox and most importantly, the 360, I have been seeing the 360 in tv shows and movies. Could it be MS paid the studios to use their product or could it just be a sign of the times in popular culture? I mean that is what "popular" culture is about. What is popular at the time.
One thing is certain though, from a collectors POV the obscurity of JP only titles for the 360 make them more $$ and sought after. I just recently picked up DoDonPachi Resurrection for the 360. That game was never released domestically in the US but it was in EU and JP and it is a very good game that plays on US systems. I recommend it for any serious SHMUP fan.
http://jin115.com/archives/...
Basically disagreeing with Inafune on the patriotic claim, and listed why they just simply didn't buy a worse product.
Most of them listed things such as:
Issue of trust due to Microsoft's lack of and how fast it stopped support for Japan on the original Xbox;
Failure rate, RROD added to the untrustworthiness of the already bad Xbox brand;
360 was also known for scratching up disks and bad support;
Having to constantly pay for online for something that is free on PS3, yet support on content is lacking compared to the west;
Constantly paying for online does not suit the majority of the gaming audience in Japan ie students;
Having to over pay for expensive proprietary add-ons like harddrives and HD-DVD drive;
Lack of games of interest;
A few RPG's were good but the support soon stopped just like the original Xbox, as predicted;
Bonus of Blu-ray and future proofing;
All the exclusives eventually went to PS3 and had more content;
Kinect doesn't work in 90% of Japanese homes;
Don't blame this on patriotism at a country full of iphones and foreign products, you simply made a worse product;
etc...
Over 300 comments there and going
LOOL I remember I was in GameStop and this guy in line in front of me had his COD MW3 disc and the was a hugely engraved ring around the disc, and I laughed :P
Have you seen the add-ons for Vita?
That reason is a joke.
The reality is that the Japanese people are supportive of Sony because of the support Sony gave the nation after WWII. It's wasn't selling long before Kinect. It had a bunch of JRPGs. And the PS3 was not future proof. Future proof, one of the dumbest notions ever applied to a consoles. That's why there won't be a PS4 right?
...I'm still confused why they went with the 3DS but that's another point.
Also, love your name, Dir en Grey is amazing...Vulgar is a great album.
As I recall the Vita didn't have great sales in Japan until the recent price cut, which bundled a memory card into the package. So yeah, that excuse is perfectly valid, and one used here in the states as well for the Vita and Xbox, at least when the Xbox first released it was a big deal, no one mentions it anymore though.
Well, I believe Microsoft did the right thing in stopping Japanese support, because Japan wasn't buying their consoles, very few games sold well, but still didn't help them to keep up, even Kinect flopped there. So they focused all their marketing muscle on the U.S. & EU, and succeeded.
I believe the problem has nothing to do with them being an American company by looking at the success Apple achieve there. I think it has more to do with Microsoft as a whole, could be wrong, who knows, just my 2 cents.
Actually, Xbox 360 did ok in the beginning because of JRPGs and whatnot, but support was quickly dropped.
And not everyone cares enough about Halo, Gears or paying for online to buy an extra systems when all, if not most, of your gaming needs are already met with a PlayStation and Nintendo system.
PS3 was future proof because it received and continues to receive support throughout. Blu-ray also helped.
Future proof implies that it will always be on the leading edge. It was behind PCs a year later just like the 360. Unless you have a case that will be upgradable, it isn't future proof. If formats come out that it can't play, it's not future proof. No technology is future proof. The PS3 can't play 8k video. There's another thing that makes it not future proof.
In comparison with the Xbox 360 ya moron. Not PC.
they are big into handheld
they are still big into arcades
they don't like to buy products that have issues like xbox360 had for first few years with RROD
paying for online
same 3-4 game franchises as exclusives throughout the console cycle
Given how Sony and Nintendo have had amazingly strong showings in prior generations- despite not being very "American"- I'd say that has very little to do with it.
Instead, it's build quality, game variety, and support factor that determined why the other consoles were so successful elsewhere, and why the 360 WASN'T. To be honest, I'm amazed and rather saddened by just how willing my fellow Americans are/were to eat up the 360. They didn't put up much of a fight when it came to holding Microsoft accountable.
Japanese people love American things, especially when American clothing companies open up (and iPods/ iPhones are really popular here too).
MS just failed to aggressively address the market with expectations high for both Sony and Nintendo.
The American flag and British Union Jack are huge fashion points over here. You'll see them on shirts, hats, handbags...it's as if you were in the US or Europe.
Every country has a touch of xenophobia and nationalism here and there, but really, this notion that Japan stays away from foreign products is simply not true.
japan didnt buy 360 because it have interesting games that were gear towards their market. did microsoft really think shooters were going to be real big in japan?
what happened to support it with rpgs they like, after LO i really can't think of one other rpg after FF13 that was released on the console over there.
since you live and teach there, get to witness first hand how the culture is what do you make of majority of these comments here mostly from our American fellows stating otherwise?
the way the keep spouting incorrect facts is simply mind boggling. its pretty clear that Microsoft hasn't done the right things to actually do better in Japan.
if Japanese people only buy Japanese products why didn't they buy the Vita from the off? did people believe they would simply buy it because its from Sony?
Still Japan is not as big as it was years ago for consoles and proof is how the industry in that country has moved on to handhelds to where even the native consoles are struggling which we see on a weekly basis. So arguing over the weakness of Japan for Xbox really doesn't change the fact that this company saw success with those Japan studios outside the country so it was still important to get relations with developers established.
They proved with the 360 they can be successful outside of Japan, but problem is Japan is a market that it's too hard to ignore despite having a small population compared to Europe & America, time will tell thought, but I'm not expecting Microsoft to support Japan much after 2 failed attempts in the gaming business.
Than why it doesn't have Disgaea, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Graces & Xillia, Persona, Kingdom Hearts, Yakuza, Ni no Kuni, or Atelier series?
Even some 360 exclusive such as Tales of Vesperia, Star Ocean 4, or Steins;Gate are not exclusive anymore.
Are you saying it didn't have loads of Japanese exclusives? I mentioned STGs as well. Fighting games.. action games.. got lists?
And i donno about exclusive action games for 360 in japan. But if fighting games, 360 sure don't get Jojo's Bizzare Adventure All Star and BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma in japan (and US).
Btw, what is STG? You mean Real Time Strategic game such as Starcraft or Shogun Total War?
If Yes, i've never heard that 360 got Starcraft / Shogun Total War game in japan...
It's bizarre to me that people think the Xbox 360 didn't have loads of Japanese exclusives, that's really all I can say.
STG means shootemups, by the way. Lookemup!
Go read the news and stop feeding us garbage.
WTH? These exclusives that "don't sell" has taken Sony so far to fund yet 2 another new exclusive IPs so what the hell should I (or anyone) care if they sell according to YOUR personal expectations as long as Sony sees the value in them?
That is why Zipper was closed. Kaz and Howard Stringer have said they need to change and they are making those changes. Like dropping the Cell and going with a x86 processor. Losing millions on exclusives that only a handful of fans will buy is terrible business sense. Only a fool could support it. Sony has barely avoided bankruptcy. And junk bond status is not the as easy as some of you seem to think it is.
It means Sony will basically be treated like a broke-ass poor person when they need money. High interest rates if they can even get a loan or credit line. And Sony needs those things. Everything they do needs to work. Every game that goes out of the door needs to create a profit. They can't afford to make anymore mistakes. If they continue to do so this argument will be moot because they will be in bankruptcy and you will see it really hit the fan. There will be no doubt how bad off Sony is.
Many agree with Roshi, but his comment says it all. Only two of five divisions made a profit. And neither made a huge profit. People need to wake up to reality, Sony is an extremely bad off company. I do believe the PS4 will go a long way in making major profits in gaming again, but overall, the company could still go through major changes in the near future.
Also games games and more games.
Wouldn't the better question be why did America support it?
The Xbox is cheaper...
America likes cheap things...it also has name brand recognition...after being out for a year early.
Cheap and Recognizable...and it plays first and third person shooters...Americans can't ask for more.
There's a reason why the Wii outsold this generation...
Actually there's 2.
1. Old people...family men and women
2. Children
Take away those...and see how many units would have been sold...I'm sure it would be drastically different.
Or how after a year the Wii and PS3 release and the Wii still outsells both consoles when it wasn't released first. Come on people.
but in japan....the culture is just so ethnocentric. theyre mentality is a lot more stubborn than ours. theyre a lot slower to adopt things based on the name the product has on it. there is no way in a million years that an american game console was going to see success in japan. not because that console was any better or worse than its Japanese counterparts. but because the people in japan just dont want anything to do with what isnt japanese.
there was a short time during this gen where microsoft had a stronghold on some solid jrpgs. they definitely did make an effort at some point to make a small dent in the JP market, but it just didnt pay off. though i do think the ps3 is the better of the two consoles overall, microsofts struggles did not come from the fact that they built an inferior machine. they were simply dealing with a culture thats a lot more stubborn to adopt.
In reply to your "but because the people in japan just dont want anything to do with what isnt japanese. ":
Apple's ipod (American product) dominates over Sony's walkman there in Japan. Even though the walkman have better sound quality, longer battery life and shorter charge time, it also costs about $50 more for the equivalent model and the service loses to the easy accessibility of mp3 on i-tunes and Amazon for ipods.
Amazon is another American company that is beating Japan's Rakuten for an online retail store.
There are tons and tons of examples of non-Japanese products out selling the Japanese counter parts there, and pretty much debunks your prejudiced statement.
Even you admit you think PS3 is the better of the two products, so why would you think you are the only one who can fairly judge a product, but not so just because they are Japanese?
Sounds like you are prejudiced towards them more then anything else.
im honestly not even interested in addressing your finger pointing argument beyond that. Take an anthropology course.
PS1 = 109 mil sold
Ps2 = 150 mil sold
Ps3 = 78 mil sold and counting
Psp & ps vita = approx 90 mil sold and counting
Total hardware sold to date is well over 400 mil.
Xbox & Xbox 360 combined total roughly 100 mil to date.
3rd gen Xbox probably won't perform much better then 360 leaving Sony well ahead of their western competition. With sales numbers like Sony commands, ps should continue to be the go to platform for most game devs and gamers alike.
Imagine if people in the EU or NA acted the same way.
No game system produced by an American company will ever succeed in Japan.
It's a wonderful country with a beautiful and unique culture but it's also very xenophobic. Say what you will about Xbox 360 games (because it's clear you're a fanboy) but the primary reason the 360 failed in Japan is because of cultural loyalties.
....and no, finally, i have an xbox and i have fable, but it's still crap.
This maybe too advanced for some of you and the rest are just short circuited to hearing the truth has no real effect on them.
Japan doesnt buy MS consoles because they are foreign/MS it doesnt matter they just will not buy a MS console.
All that MS doesnt appeal to their market and quality BS is a red herring. I am not saying the 360 should dominate the market or even be close in contention but the gap we see between 2 products that are so similar is a much more orchestrated event. If everything was just based on product abilities and services the 360 should easily bring in 1/4 to 1/3 of the Ps3 sales. Remeber it had a most of the same games and was cheaper... that has to account for something.
But honestly who cares... the reality is that Japan doesnt buy that many 360s and they also and more importantly dont buy the current genres of software. Whats the attach rate of Uncharted in Japan or Killzone 2 or COD or Mass Effect, or Bioshock or Skyrim. You know the big stuff.
I respect what MS did most of you wouldnt catch it. They marginalized Japan. They kind of dont even matter anymore. MS still made more money and sold more games without them.
The Japanese clearly do not trust American consoles. (RROD,American tech.)
Not enough support from Japanese companies combined with
totally different tastes and cultures.
Our top system sellers were games where we shoot people
while in Japan it was RPG's focusing on magic and swords.
Any American/European company knows breaking into any market in Japan is a uphill battle filled with many many pitfalls.
Next gen will be more of the same with Nintendo and Sony doing well in Asia. Just look at the track record. We have 8 years of data that do not lie.
Went to the Yodobashi kamera many many times.
No one gives a rats rear about the 360 in Japan.
Things will change next gen, i dont think jap publishers are so stupid to redo the same mistake once more.
I doubt it. The original Xbox had many exclusive titles (e.g. platforming mascots that they were trying out) and , partly thanks to the Kinect, so does the Xbox360.
It's to do with the main reason of Sony and Nintendo being firmly entrenched in Japan as home grown companies that the Japanese have persistently trusted and supported.
The Japanese like long running Japanese style RPG series. But Microsoft give them Fable, a British adventure game and Halo, a FPS series.
Even Sega, primarily a Japanese company, wasn't adequately supported by the Japanese when they released the Dreamcast.
Was it the curse of Sega initially starting off in Hawaii rather than Japan? (apart from various business decisions).
Also, the original Xbox in particular didn't take Japanese preferred aesthetics in to account at all. Big console, big controller.
There is plenty on Xbox consoles for Japanese tastes to enjoy but , at the end of the day, they are actually a conservative nation and follow what they always have done.
There is a greater range of great indie games on the PS3 but I can't say for certain that has had much bearing.