Xbox 360 Readies Japan Launch

RED HERRING | Xbox 360 Readies Japan Launch: "Gamers waited in long lines in Europe and the United States in recent days to snatch up Microsoft’s latest game console, but analysts expect a more muted response on Saturday when the software giant launches the Xbox 360 in Japan—rival Sony PlayStation territory.

Microsoft is keen to win over Japanese gamers, an important group in the next-generation console war (see Xbox 360 Starts Console War). At $4 billion, Japan is the No. 3 gaming market after the $10-billion North American market and the European market.

Problem is, Microsoft’s two biggest competitors, Japan’s Sony and Nintendo, already rule the neighborhood. With the previous version of its Xbox, Microsoft failed to win over Japan’s consumers, leaving Sony to capture 80 percent of the Japanese market, according to DFC Intelligence.

Microsoft is looking to sell as many 360s as it can before Sony’s PlayStation 3 goes on sale mid-2006..."