Xbox 360 not a hit in Japan

December 11, 2005

Microsoft has launched its much-hyped Xbox 360 console into Japan, but unlike the European and American markets the Japanese are not rushing out to buy them.

When launched in the American and European markets, stores sold out early. In Japan, sales are much lower. One store-owner says that fewer than 50 units were sold in the first 2 hours of its release.

Many believe that in Japan it is difficult for any games console to be successful that isn't from a Japanese company, such as Sony or Nintendo. The first generation of Xbox consoles performed similarly possibly due to being released two years after the PlayStation 2. The large size of the console and the differing style of games was also said to have contributed.

There is still some hope for the Xbox 360, Takeshi Tajima, a BNP Paribas analyst, told Reuters news agency: "most people are going to wait and see."