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360 Backwards Compatibility Lacking In Japan

Posted by Zonk on from the fuzzy-end-of-the-lollypop dept.

Gamespot reports that the backwards compatible list for the 360 at launch in Japan is ... somewhat abbreviated. From the article: "While the US list of Xbox games playable on the Xbox 360 has more than 200 titles, the Japanese list only carries 12 games. Microsoft Japan notes that additional titles will be added to the list in the future, so it might be a matter of time before the remaining games from the American list appears."

40 comments

  1. Xbox in Japan by mrbaggs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Given the extremely low sales of the Xbox in Japan this isnt suprising. Just let a few games that sold well play and dont worry about the rest is probably thier strategy.

    1. Re:Xbox in Japan by BigDork1001 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Given the extremely low sales of the Xbox in Japan this isnt suprising.

      I'm going to take the opposite side of this and say it is surprising. Since the X-box didn't sell well in Japan I'd think they'd be doing everything they can to ensure stronger sales.

      --
      "Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home" - Cicero
    2. Re:Xbox in Japan by higuy48 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It absolutely is surprising. XBox division bigwigs are on record as saying that if they don't break into Japan this generation, they will consider the XBox 360 a failure. It's been on /. already.

      --
      And now, for a sig that's a complete copout.
  2. Betrayal by Golias · · Score: 2, Funny

    While the lack of some of these titles from the compatable Japan list is regretable, I just noticed that not even the more-complete US list has "DOA: eXtreme Beach Volleyball" on the list of compatible games.

    This new console is dead to me now. It hurts too much to even talk about. *sniff*

    Thank goodness I still have the original X-Box, which allows The Greatest Console Game Evar to run just fine. Ah, Kasumi... I haven't bought you anything lately, have I? No matter, a couple days of playing The Hopping Game at the pool, and I can get you those sunglasses you like. *twitch* *twitch*

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    1. Re:Betrayal by Delphiki · · Score: 1

      Don't worry man, you know DOA: eXtreme Beach Volleyball 2 is going to come out at some point. Or maybe it'll be called DOA: eXXtremer Beach Volleyball, with the extra X meaning it's twice as extreme. Think about the bikinis that can be rendered with all that next-gen power.

      --

      Feel free to mod me "-1 - Angry Jerk".

    2. Re:Betrayal by Golias · · Score: 1

      Don't worry man, you know DOA: eXtreme Beach Volleyball 2 is going to come out at some point.

      Don't toy with my heart like that. A sequel is too much to hope for.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    3. Re:Betrayal by DeadScreenSky · · Score: 1

      It's possible you are just being your normal funny self, but there actually is a sequel to DOAXBV coming to X360. It will apparently also have at least one more sport in it, so the title won't have "volleyball" in it. You can see the (probably temporary) cover for the game in the bottom right of this Japanese ad.

      --
      There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
  3. Not surprising? by interiot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The original XBox did quite poorly in sales in Japan, for a variety of reasons. Obviously MS is hoping to do better with the XBox 360 (eg. smaller footprint, launch in US and Japan at the same time, many more japanese publishers signed on), but one would naturally assume that backwards compatibility for the 360 isn't very valued by consumers in Japan, compared to the US. As such, it's only logical for MS to spend less money on that.

  4. Burnout? by Gulthek · · Score: 1

    None of the Burnout games are on the US compatibility list.

    1. Re:Burnout? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They will release new versions for the 360. They are already almost done with the first one.

  5. Wow -- 100% compatability! by Kormac · · Score: 2, Funny

    As an American gamer, I'm pissed...

    Why did Microsoft go to such great lengths to get all of the original Xbox games that sold well in Japan to have emulation on the 360, while there are numerous popular American releases that are not playable on the 360? :)

    Kormac

    1. Re:Wow -- 100% compatability! by Meagermanx · · Score: 1

      Because the Japanese only like 12 games, so it was way easier to pull off?

    2. Re:Wow -- 100% compatability! by paedobear · · Score: 1

      They didn't - the thing on that list that sold well is Ninja Gaiden / Ninja Gaiden Black. The rest were in the discount bin within weeks of release.

    3. Re:Wow -- 100% compatability! by bugbread · · Score: 1

      To be fair, Halo also sold OK. It wasn't well liked, but a lot of people bought it at the start to see what the fuss was.

      But, yeah, other than that, GTA? Fable? Jade Empire? You'd think, since this was for the Japanese market, they'd pick games that Japanese knew, not games that Westerners knew and that were relative unknowns in Japan.

  6. Moot point by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you don't have enough room next to your TV for an xbox and a 360 then you probably can't afford a 360 anyway...

    1. Re:Moot point by Golias · · Score: 5, Funny

      If you don't have enough room next to your TV for an xbox and a 360 then you probably can't afford a 360 anyway...

      Hello? We're talking about Japan here. They probably turned the case of their old X-Box into a hide-a-bed for visiting relatives.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    2. Re:Moot point by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Heh. This is japan, where everywhere has the land value of manhattan(or more) and space is at a premium. Plus, a 360 is only $400. Living anywhere in the US where cost is high and space is low, that's peanuts compared to what your rent would be.

      There are numerous reasons why a good month for the XBox in Japan was 4-digit sales figures, and size was one of them.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    3. Re:Moot point by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Not only that, the X360 is much cheaper in Japan than in the US. I don't recall the exact number but I think it was 324$ for the Arm version (not the crippled Core one, that one's probably even cheaper).

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:Moot point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And a wildly xenophobic culture could be another reason.

  7. How does the emulation on the 360 work? by brunes69 · · Score: 1

    I guess I don't understand how they wil be adding support "later". Are they planning on issuing a patch you need to download via the broadband?

    Or is this simply a case of them not "certifying" the games yet?

    1. Re:How does the emulation on the 360 work? by RebelScum · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yes, you will be able to update the emulator via Xbox Live, whenever they add support for more titles.

      Plus, I've read that MS will release updates via xbox.com , that you'll be able to burn to a CD, which you can then pop into the 360 and it'll update for you.

  8. Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by rAiNsT0rm · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I have many colleagues and friends in Japan and the word on the 360... none, there is none. They could care less, and many see MS pandering to them as an insult and even despise the system. They see it for what it is, a bloated, expensive, doo-dad with no real history or substance. I can't argue with them.

    The thing is though that MS NEEDS japan or they basically can throw in the towel now. They know it, its killing them and they showed it in their latest stock talks. This type of thing is another nail in the coffin. I'm not even surprised if it tanks in europe either, from what i hear there is little interest there too.

    --
    http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
    1. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by jdubois79 · · Score: 1

      I disagree with this statement. The buzz for the Xbox360 has been such that people that had never heard of an Xbox before are at least knowledgeable of the brand.

      It's currently impossible to go into any place that sells video games without seeing the ubiquitous Xbox360 lineup brochures. There are numerous Xbox360 commercials on TV, etc.

      Whether or not this will relate to a successful release in Japan is up in the air, but at least now people are aware of this thing called the Xbox360, whereas before I told people I had an Xbox, and they thought I was talking about a toaster.

      As for the compatibility list, however, the thing that boggles my mind is that NONE of the DOA series is up there. The game that probably has the most brand recognition among the Japanese gaming community, and they don't include it at launch? What are the akibakei geeks going to oggle on the new system? Ninty-nine nights? Not likely.

      --
      --------
      Nothing can be done before the tremendous power!
      RabidComics
    2. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by Belly · · Score: 1

      Your friends and colleagues represent.. themselves, I'd say, and thats about it.

      The XBox 360 is getting a *lot* of visibility in both the regular media, and in IT/gaming media. As the other poster mentioned, posters and advertising is abundant, especially in gaming shops and places like Akihabara.
      Since pre-ordering started nearly everytime I've been in a shop offering them(quite a lot in the last month or so) I've seen people here pre-ordering them.

      Grammar nazi note - "They could care less"? You're saying that they do actually care, then. I assume you meant to write "could not care less".

    3. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Er, europe is in fact very much excited about the xbox 360... your sources are lying to you!

    4. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by badasscat · · Score: 1

      The XBox 360 is getting a *lot* of visibility in both the regular media, and in IT/gaming media. As the other poster mentioned, posters and advertising is abundant, especially in gaming shops and places like Akihabara.

      Note that this was true of the original Xbox as well.

      Note also that Japan is more than Akihabara. I don't know if you're a westerner in Japan or a native Japanese, but a lot of westerners seem to think that the entire nation of Japan visits Akihabara to buy their electronics. I'm not sure why this is; it's just a single neighborhood in a single city.

      I wonder, for example, how many Xbox 360 posters you'd see if you went to the WonderGoo in Ryu-Gasaki? Probably not many. (You're free to go there and prove me wrong if you like.) What about at 7-11's, which is where most rural Japanese buy their systems? What about in other large cities like Osaka or Sapporo? Japan is a country of 125 million people; they don't all live in or near Akihabara.

      I'm sure MS is running TV ads but a lot of companies run TV ads that you've probably still never heard of. My co-worker yesterday, for example, told me he'd never heard of Bristol-Myers Squibb. This is a huge pharmeceutical company with an ad budget that probably rivals McDonalds. I think the point is if you're not interested in the product to begin with, you're pretty much just going to tune it out. And there is just not much interest in the Xbox 360 there.

      You can deny it all you want, just like some people denied the lack of interest in the original Xbox. I argued with people about this 5 years ago too; I even predicted the number of units it'd sell at launch to within 10,000 units. I do think the 360 will do a bit better initially but not that much better, and interest will wane quickly just as it did with the original system. It's not a system casual gamers have any interest whatsoever there; it's strictly for the hardcore and the import crowd. Nothing MS has done has changed that, whatever the impression you might get from walking around one tiny neighborhood in one city.

    5. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by Delphiki · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is that, your antecdotal evidence is better than his anecdotal evidence because you guessed right about one number four years ago. That seems to sum up the entire content of your post.

      --

      Feel free to mod me "-1 - Angry Jerk".

    6. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by rAiNsT0rm · · Score: 1

      Except my "antecdotal" evidence is based on the FACT that *I* personally was an *Industry Analyst* in the videogame industry. I specialized in Japan and Europe trends, figures, and projections. I'm not talking to aunt Sally in Japan... I'm talking to majorly informed professionals who work in the videogame industry.

      Say what you will, in a few months you will see quite clearly that what I stated is spot-on. No sense in arguing with you about it, you *obviously* know something I and many other's do not...

      --
      http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
    7. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Must be the parts of Europe that don't consider outlawing violent games because I'm not seeing it.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    8. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by Belly · · Score: 1

      Huh? So your anecdotal evidence is somehow better because it comes from anecdotal evidence from some other people you knew in the industry? Have they done surveys across the country to see if people have heard of the Xbox 360? If not then how is their information any better than others?
      I'm in the industry too, have been watching the local media coverage as well as just paying attention to what I see every day, and from what I've seen saying the Xbox 360 "doesn't exist to Japanese" is just BS.
      Speaking to 'aunt sally' in Japan might have been a better indicator, since I assume you mean a typical person on the street - which is the exposure we're talking about, yes?

    9. Re:Xbox 360 doesn't exist to Japanese by Belly · · Score: 1

      Note that I said places *like* Akihabara - other cities such as Osaka and Fukuoka have their own electrical goods districts.
      I don't know why you got this fixation on Akihabara when I only mentioned it once. Yes, Japan has a population of 125million or so - but don't forget more than 10% of that is in the Tokyo area.
      No, I don't think most Japanese buy their stuff from Akiba - most buy from the large electrical retail chains such as Yodobashi Camera, Yamada Denki, Kojima etc. These places are far more common in the smaller towns and cities.

  9. This is bad news.... by Frodo+Crockett · · Score: 1

    ...for those few Japanese gamers whose appartment is large enough to accommodate an Xbox.

    --
    "The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
  10. Um by Premo_Maggot · · Score: 2, Funny

    People in Japan are buying Xbox 360's???

    --
    Good karma sticks to me like velcro on a piece of plexiglass.
    Move along, citizen.
  11. I hope it suceeds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope it suceeds in Japan. I freaking hate Sony, even more than MS. Die PS3, die! We need a 4th party, someone who kicks both the PS3s and Xbox 360's ass (nintendo is in a different field).

    1. Re:I hope it suceeds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. I dislike Microsoft but I pretty much loathe Sony at this point.

    2. Re:I hope it suceeds by DiscoBoy · · Score: 1

      You must be waiting for "The Phantom" along with DN Forever...

      --
      "Just stay away from me Bishop, you got that straight?"
  12. When I was there... by Kuukai · · Score: 1

    ...earlier this year I saw Xboxen for around $60. I believe some places will try to sell you a Saturn for that much. Presumably the price is now even lower, and will be lower still when the 360 actually comes out. So, anyone who wants to play all of the old Xbox games will be able to do so for less than the cost of a nice tshirt there (ie 30 bucks). Slashdot Japan isn't even listing this as news. Then again, Slashdot Japan is about as big as the Xbox over there...

    --
    Sendou Wave Kick!!
  13. Eventually by dimfeld · · Score: 1

    Not yet anyway. More games will be supported post-launch as their emulators are finished, then you can download them either via Xbox Live or from Microsoft and put them on a CD to update the Xbox's emulator.

  14. It's enough by bonzoesc · · Score: 3, Funny

    12 games, that's one game for every Xbox sold in Japan!