According to the BBC, the Japanese launch of the Xbox 360 was sluggish compared to its North American debut where gamers lined up more than 13 hours before the console’s official launch.
Stores in the U.S. reported sell outs of their stock hours before the units went on sale, but in Japan units were still available hours into the official launch.
Although there were lines for the main launch event in Tokyo, the BBC reported that a store official told the AFP news agency that less than 50 consoles sold in the first two hours.
Peter Moore, Xbox marketing head, however, had a different spin on the launch. The BBC reported Moore felt that Xbox market leadership was imminent, "even here in Japan."
The lack of developed games for the 360 is a problem in the Japanese market, analysts say. Also, the Xbox has traditionally lagged behind Sony’s Playstation in Japan, which is the second biggest gaming market after the U.S.
The U.S. and European launches for the 360 took place in November and early December. In the U.S., more than 400,000 consoles have sold to date. About 75,000 units have been sold in Great Britain.
Although U.S. stores reported complete sell outs of their stocks even before the official sales time, current lack of compatibility with regular Xbox games and hardware glitches have plagued the system since its launch.
Microsoft has blamed a lack of available chips for console shortages and is working to correct the glitches and compatibility issues.
Despite a bumpy launch in the U.S., the system’s popularity remains strong as evidenced by auction sales on eBay where premium console bundles are selling for more than $1,000 and some takes have broken the $10K mark.
Source: BBC
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