Xbox360 Now $170 In Japan, Games $25? >

	2006/03/26 13:09:38: Posted by DM
	According to this print ad from a Japanese magazine, the Xbox360 is now selling for just around $170.00 USD in Japan. Remember Japan has only 1 SKU so this is the equivalent of our premium model. The games advertised are also selling at around $26 USD. Bad news for MS in Japan, click on the news title for the image of the ad. If someone can translate the rest of the info, please comment it.
	Labeled With  xbox360 microsoft Comments [36]  | Rate this article: -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  | Avg. rating of 6.6

Pretty sad how far microsoft is going for the unappreciative bunch over there. Microsoft is definetly not dropping the price for any of sakaguchi's games they want to buy it fine if they don't screw them send the games to the usa and europe.

Eh.. if even Japanese boycotts Mystwalker's games, I don't think there will be any future 360 games from Mystwalker :/

But anyway, I can't read Japanese so that ad doesn't make much sense to me. It could be a SPECIAL discount that lets you sign up for a monthly service and get the 360 for low price. It's been done before, and wouldn't be surprising.

I think GamersReports need to actually TRANSLATE the article before posting it. This is just lame.

if they mark it lower japanese people still won"t buy

there are very commited only to jap products..the ps3 will be the top selling machine in that country.

FYI, its a price if you sign up for a phone deal, the normal price is still about 300 USD.

"FYI, its a price if you sign up for a phone deal, the normal price is still about 300 USD."

Even so, Microsoft is still taking a fatty loss. They should probably give up on Japan, and focus on lowering the prices here in order to make a fat enough dent in the inevitable PS3 launch.

Think about it, if Microsoft dropped the price to even $200 here, the things would absolutly fly off shelves. We'd be faced with yet another shortage. I know I'd buy one. Besides, they could afford the loss, this is Microsoft we're talking about.

Microsoft is not lowering the system in Europe or America. The system is selling just fine for the price they have. In japan the stores were pretty much selling it for that price in the beginning. The system was just sitting on the shelves and they took it upon them selves and sold the system that low anyway. Microsoft just doesn't have any pull in Japan. So if you can't beat them than join them and that's all they did. Nothing special because they were taking a loss anyway.

translate :)

new article

xbox360 launch package :19800yen(fixed price:39795yen)

Dead Or Alive 4 :2980yen(fixed price:8190yen)

Dynasty Warriors 4sp :2980yen(fixed price:8190yen)

These are special price, becouse the store collapsed and end of the fiscal year in PJ.

Presently, at the mass sales store it is average 36000 yen($307).

And With the Yahoo! auction it is 32000 yen.

they're doing "high-def" "jump in to us" commercials on TV.... they were advertising Final Fantasy Title...so that may be a killer one

MS always said they would lose Japan, I don't think they realized just how totally uninterested the Japanese would be, but they were always gunning for second. On a side note selling products for vastly reduced prices abroad versus the home market is known as dumping, and illegal.

They're hardly dumping. The sellers over there are reducing the price, and Microsoft is LOSING money. They're having no trouble selling units over here at higher prices.

I don't think anyone would accuse Microsoft of dumping 360's in Japan, especially since there still isn't a walk-in supply of 360's in most stores nationwide.

bwahaha. XBox 360 at $200 is still not going to sell WHEN YOU CANNOT PRODUCE ANY!!! They promise the shortages will end soon - when is soon? When Vista comes out?

By next year, 'average' consumers are going to ponder - humm, should I get my kid the hot NEW videogame console or the already no-longer cool machine that's been out a year and NOT SELLING all that well? Or the new Nintendo that will play like 5 generations of games ... XBox 360 is the new Dreamcast - not sure why you hire a guy to run your marketing who failed once with the same strategy - if we go out first, we win it all?

Of course, it helps when you can produce more than a small allotment - then have to leave the shelves EMPTY for 6 months while Steve Ballmer helps build a new factory. Real smart.



Xbox 360 is already done. No one cares anymore. It's basically Xbox 1.5 - MS spent all their time on designing faceplates to sell you at $20 but nothing on making sure the factory can produce more than a million machines in ONE YEAR ... good strategy, MS. Maybe they can bundle a 360 with Vista & Office sometime in 2007.

Maybe they're bored with the whole 260 thing and are now going to tackle the handheld - it's not Sony & Nintendo are entrenched there ... oh wait, they are.

How about the mp3 market? Nope, lost that one also?

Hopefully they'll sell a crapload of those MS watches - maybe sync with XBox 360 - after all, it has like 32 MB of memory!

What store is this from?

i'm an idiot.

*Edited because flaming others is just as pointless as flaming yourself.*

This price is the price that is special in Japan

Like I said earlier. MS failed in japan from the beginning. Now its funny, because I also said one time if they fail japan then they are going to fail in europe and in america. I know some of you may agree and some of you wont. But listen, a week ago we were all talking about the piracy that could happen. Now if they completely fail in Japan and people start copying the games. Than whats going to happen is third party game makers are going to stop all production of there games for the system because of being scared of loosing to much revenue. If that happens then people all together is going to loose interest in buying the system. All it takes is one thing to go wrong to start a chain reaction of bad things to happen. That maybe the case here. So everybody who is going yeah!! Maybe we will get a deal to. Is stupid. Because if we get a deal like that anytime soon then I'm selling my system because I know its over for the Xbox360.

That price is probably as an earlier post stated: A special liquidation price from a store thats going under. And in reply to supersithzilla's comment, if the Japanese only bought Japanese products, why is the ipod selling so well?

Damn, while important Japan is just a small part in the gaming industry. You all make it seem like if Japan doesn't accept it the Xbox is doom. There are more gamers in Europe and the US market to make up for Japan's dislike. The Asian market release was last week I believe and it was accepted really well. You all need to chill and stop giving Japan more credit than it's due.

You can't blame people for their belief silverwolf. If you want to blame some one than blame Microsoft. This time around all Microsoft did was cared about how the system does in japan. They even made the design for the system so it could appeal to the Japanese market. Not America or Europe. That system wouldn't even gotten worldwide release if the japanese market wasn't evolved. So if you want to blame some one for that kind of state of mind than blame Microsoft. They are the ones who convinced us that failure and success depends on the japanese market. Also if the piracy thing happens its not going to make the situation for them any easier. Microsoft maybe and I say maybe, Not definite, be in trouble.

This is actually pretty common. It is still about $300 USD, but, when you sign up for a contract with the company for DSL or cell, they give you a discount. I remember when I signed up for Yahoo BB!, I payed about $55 USD for my PSP!

Silverwolf, think twice if you think Japan is just a small part in the gaming industry. Obviously you have never travel to other countries, especially Asia or to be specific, Japan; plus so obvious you're much belong to the younger group of gamer which doesn't know much of the gaming industry history. Save up some money, pay Japan a visit and have a cultureshock, then place your comment again afterward.

Guys,

Its not microsoft setting this price. Distributors set the pricing. There is 0% markup on xboxes. Retail cost to retailers is how they are sold. Walmart pays 3 dollars under retail Bestbuy pays 4 dollars under retail. most other retailers pay 299 and 398 for the respective models

You have only to wander through any consumer electronics shop in Tokyo, (and other major cities come to that) to find that the Xbox simply doesn't exist as a viable system in Japan. I only found one second-hand shop in the whole of Tokyo, (on a side street near the crafts museum) That sold Xbox titles at all. There was more retro stuff available for sale than there was for the Xbox. I spent around a week trawling Akihababra, dawn 'till dusk, with the wife, and it just wall to wall Sony. Nintendo put on a good show in places. But basicly it's a PS2 nation.

The other wierd thing is that there are hardly any PC games. The most I saw was a single standalone cardboard rack, and even then they were mostly imports. I'm not saying they not produced, but I was looking for them, and I couldn't find them. I even asked friends and had them translate magazines while we were there.

Amazing place for a geek holiday though :)

Jap! Are you really Japanese? Do you live in Japan? I've been to other parts of the world (thanks to the military). But not Japan but I would more than love too (it's been a dream of mine). Japan has some of the best developers and that's why Japan happens to be an important market. But eventually Japanese developers will start develloping games to cater to the US, EU and japanese gamers a like. Capcom has started this trend (Lost Planet) and more will follow. They will realize that targeting all markets instead of just there home town is more profitable. Why do you think the PS3 is now region free!

That said, Japan is nothing like the rest of Asia. I bought a pirated GBA copy of Advanced Wars 2 in a decent night market in Bangkok without knowing it. Full printed manual, box set, the works. The other wierd thing was finding a small software concession stand in a large retail arcade/mall, (either in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok, I cant remember :) Where they were selling boxed original PC games, for around 10 Euro's. I bought "sands of time" there, brand new game at the time. The unintended benefit of widespread piracy. The real thing has to be much cheaper if you expect it to sell at all.

Japan has all the need of gaming consoles. Microsoft really doesnt know how to market a CONSOLE system. The purpose of a CONSOLE system is to have HIT games that your system and ONLY your system can play. They did this with Halo. Maybe 1 or two other games that appeal to some off genres of console gamers... Thats about it. Any other game with mass publicity AND sales is always out for OTHER SYSTEMS as well as the xbox. Its hard to justify a $600 spend for even 3 games unless you are a SERIOUS FAN of the series. Microsoft's main claim to success is LIVE. LIVE allows geek gamers a ranking system for all the games that support it, and geeks love ranking themselves against other geeks. Being the ALPHA geek of a group is the sick desire of almost every LIVE player out there.



Why would japan NEED xbox? Japan has ever other system. Why does ANYONE really need Xbox if they have other console systems. Titles are what make a console, not graphics. You can flame this comment with "BUT TITLE XXX ROCKED AZZ" but go get the sale numbers of XXX and go get the sale numbers of any final fantasy title, zelda title, good mario title, etc... These are games that bring in money for the consoles they represent and NOONE else. Xbox sure does have halo....

*Edited: Flaming*

It's true Jack, I thought you were headed some where. Than you lost me.

Jack,

I think you'll find the idea of the xbox, (or indeed, any games platform) is to make money. It's called capitalism, prevalant throughout the world since the fall of communism :) I've no idea what the rest of your article actually meant, care to elucidate?

In Oz we get xBox360 for $650 AUD. They are kidding right....

"there are very commited only to jap products..the ps3 will be the top selling machine in that country."

Yes, and is that why the iPod is selling so well? The Japanese stick to the Playstation and Nintendo because they give the Japanese what they want.

i'm a tard!

UPDATE: Kanji enabled reader Ryan F. let us know that there’s not much else in the ad to go on, but that the prices are for new, not used, titles and that the Xbox 360 is referred to as the “Launch Commemoration Package”. Japanese Kotaku scout Sean A. also wrote into let me know that the price is conditional on signing up for @TCOM service (an ISP that I personally don’t know about, Sean, but thanks for the benefit of the doubt) AND buying an Xbox 360 with your game. Thanks a billion yen, guys!

Rest assured that Japanese retailers

Nice.

Tim you are a complete douschbag for sending me this link....XBOX 360 RULES!!!!! Tim...lick my ball sack hoe...

Tim get back to work slackass. Also I heard that the toliet paper at E3 is going to be Japanese XBOX360's

Mike & BAP: Quit your jobs and get real ones. BAP are they still paying you beans, or did you get raise to be CLOSE to the salary they are paying Jason?? Maybe if they start paying you money like I get then you can afford a better system like PS3. Mike, well Mike you should be working closer to home. Everytime gas prices go up you are getting a paycut and because of your ignorance you can find your own way to E3...

;-0