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"Microsoft kicked in Japan"

taken from games radar

Last week's hardware sales figures from Japan show what a lean time the Xbox is having in that most critical of markets, with around 4,000 consoles sold, compared to approximately 25,000 for the Gamecube and over 100,000 for PS2.

The total number of consoles sold in Japan currently stands at 4.05m for PS2, 1.29m for Gamecube, and 0.19m for Xbox, with figures for Microsoft's machine showing a heavy decline since its Feb 22nd launch.

Microsoft watchers hope for a swift price cut to boost the flagging console - Xbox currently costs £184 in Japan, with PS2 weighing in at £157 and Gamecube at £132. A move to undercut the rival consoles is expected to help drive sales figures.

mwaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha ha

die MS

Calm down Sonic! I'm not against the X-Box, I just think microsoft aren't putting all they can into the machine. If the sales figures improve and they get some more origanal games for their format, I will consider buying one. But I aint going to stake nearly £400 on a console which could become the next Dreamcast.

cipro wrote:
> The X-Box hasn't even been released for a month, and already its becoming a
> flop. I also read somwhere it costs more to build an X-Box than the price
> microsoft are selling at. It doesn't seem Bill Gates knows how to handle the
> game market, and it looks like hes p[aying the price. Serves himself right :D

hahahahaa... you know that Sony, Sega, and Nintendo do exactly the same thing?

Consoles are ALWAYS sold at a loss- the profits come on the game royalties!

Anyway, the Xbox has crashed in Japan... so? It's got a foothold in the American market so big that MS will have a bigger market share (worldwide) than Nintendo. Now how can you call that a flop???

Oh, have you even seen the American sales figures...

And before you say it... no I don't have an Xbox.

i think the main reason why the xbox was'nt such a big success in japan was the lack of games with japanese in them, most of them are in english.

The X-Box is going to have a pritty hard time surviving if it can't break into the Japanease market, if Japanease people aren't willing to buy an X-Box, then Eastern developers probably won't risk making games for it.

Most console games come from Japan and some of the biggest games on the PS2 have been developed over there such as Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy X. These are the types of games Microsoft need to produce in order to get ahead in the console wars.

Although 4000 is pitiful, I agree with your sentiments Tom

cipro wrote:
I also read somwhere it costs more to build an X-Box than the price
> microsoft are selling at.
--
Yup. But it was the same for Sony, I think.
--


Well, Sony released the PS2 for £300 to begin with. Is the PS2 a flop? Nope, it is a great success. So, what stops the XBox from being a success? 4,000 people is still a lot of people. If each one buys 5 games, thats 20,000 games! Yes, that is less then the PS2, but it is still alot.

Give it a chance! You said yourself it has only been out here and in Japan for about a month. If you don't want one, don't buy one. But don't bother me about it.

Hey Hey Hey, the PS2 had launch problems, although that was to do with not having enough, but there's no point in deeming it the EX Box just yet, it's only been out in the UK for what, 3 weeks?

The X-Box hasn't even been released for a month, and already its becoming a flop. I also read somwhere it costs more to build an X-Box than the price microsoft are selling at. It doesn't seem Bill Gates knows how to handle the game market, and it looks like hes p[aying the price. Serves himself right :D

VOODOO MAN actually wrote, but evil Microsoft bugs seeking revenge on him after he didn't purchase the DVD playback kit for his X Box, changed the previous:
> PC sales for that week were?

*Smiles* at Rickoss, but not in that way, just in a not too over the top 'lol' way.