It was evident from the start that Japan was not a Microsoft stronghold, but the numbers are bleaker than I expected.
Back when the Xbox 360 made its way to Japan, the comparison in sales between the U.S. and the Japanese market was amazing. It remains so.
According to Joystiq, Japan’s Xbox sales for last week were pitiful to say the least. The original console might as well not even be in the country and the next-gen version isn’t far ahead. The Japanese bought a total of 10 Xboxes last week and only 1,105 360s.
This is in comparison to 140,858 Nintendo DS Lites and 35,283 PSPs. Based on the numbers, it seems Japan is a handheld market at the moment. The PlayStation 2 does come in third, however.
In the meantime, Microsoft is still claiming it will have 15 million Xbox 360s in consumers’ hands by the middle of next year. With better games on the horizon, such as Halo 3, the numbers might pan out. But, right now the title selection is pretty boring to say the least.
I went to pick up a new game for my husband’s birthday, looked at the selection and bought him a new copy of Fight Night Round 3 instead. The 360, it seems, eats games if it gets knocked over and then picked up while still running. We found this out the hard way. Fight Night was the sacrifice for that lesson.
Whether Microsoft can pull off its lofty sales goal or not remains to be seen, but it sure doesn’t look like Japan will be helping boost the numbers much. It’s my guess the PS3 and Wii will rule in that country. But, if the selection gets better, the 360 might just suprise.
Related:
Japan Gives Xbox 360 Tepid Welcome
Xbox 360 on discount already in Japan
Japan yawns at Xbox 360
Halo 3 To Launch Day Before PS3?
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