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Slow Start For the 360 in Japan
psycln writes "Microsoft may have to try a little harder in marketing the Xbox 360 to Japanese consumers if initial reports coming out of the country Saturday are correct. Several news reports indicate a slow reaction to the new console from Japanese customers. Apparently next day delivery is still an option to the Japanese consumer!" From the BBC article: "One senior store official said the customer reaction had been somewhat "subdued", with fewer than 50 consoles sold in the first two hours. However, Mr Moore said that several hundred units appeared to have been sold at the store he was at within the first three hours. Takeshi Tajima, a BNP Paribas analyst, told Reuters news agency that serious game fans would rush to buy the new console but 'most people are going to wait and see'. "
There are no killer titles for this console yet. And not many third-party developers want to develop a game for a sparsely available platform when they can develop for three well-established platforms that have 140 million units combined.
Maybe Microsoft was a bit too eager to get out of the gates.
Perhaps it's partially a matter of not buying into senseless hype? I'd like to think that at least somewhere on Earth people have the intelligence to see the difference between graphics and gameplay. Not to mention the cost of the console... In any case, some Japanese development firms are working on X360 software, and will probably push sales more than the current games available, both in Japan and the USA
I think the idea is that MS knows it can compete in the US and Europe. So they know that can play the scarcity card here (and there...), but in Japan they know that any shortage would be seen as dropping the ball, since previous console shortages have been caused by Japanese companies ensuring demand in Japan is met, it's uncommon for consoles to have stocking problems like we're used to (that's an assumption though, I'm just saying that shortages for consoles are worse in the US because Japan is taken care of first and foremost). So a shortage in Japan would make them look just as foolish, and MS really wants everybody that wants a 360 in Japan to get a 360.
Was it the best choice? Probably not, but it still makes sense.
"This is considered plagiarism."
What is the price of shipping from Japan?
Why not send fewer units to Japan so you can SEND THEM WHERE PEOPLE ARE WAITING IN LINE TO BUY THEM? I saw pictures somewhere (Kotaku?) that was like the PSP launch in the US. They had pictures of stores with piles of the systems that no one was buying.
Just so you know, the Japanese version of the 360 is almost certainly different enough from the American version that they can't just drop unsold units into American stores. The OS would probably be in Japanese, and at the very least they would have to change the packaging. Microsoft was clearly trying to improve the sales of the Xbox/360 in Japan, and they failed spectacularly (as predicted). MS just doesn't seem to be able to make major inroads in Japan (not suprising for an American company).
You should also consider the costs of shipping the units from Japan to the USA. No, any unsold 360s are likey to stay there. The bright side is that it's likely that MS has already adjusted production and we'll see most units purposed to the USA (and eventually Europe) in the future.
I don't know why the Targets, Best Buys, and Wal-Marts of America aren't screaming bloody murder about the 360 shortages. When I ask about availabilty, all I get is tacit apathy. Sort of in the "oh well" vain.
All those 360 games and accessories collecting dust on the shelves will be a hard sell after the holidays (when money will be tight). People like you (potential customers) are forced to look at alternatives for X-Mas. Once that crusical system decision is made, many consumers stick with it for the long haul.
Microsoft has squandered the chance of doing something really great.
Sure, Windows PCs dominate the market. But so do cheap toupees.
For Japanese people, Xbox360 is too large, too heavy and too fuel-inefficient...like an American Vehicle.