We've already read all about the uphill battle Microsoft is facing in Japan, Sony's turf. They tried opening a chic
lounge, giant
monuments, a single price point, and were even rewarded by
signs they might be making headway. Along comes
Forbes, who've trotted out a bevy of (you love 'em, we love 'em) analysts to shoot down any hopes Redmond had
of cracking the elusive Japanese market.
"No one — consumers or software makers — has been talking about the Xbox 360 lately, although we only have a couple of
days before the release," teases analyst Nobuyuki Kawamata
of Tokai Tokyo Research
Center.
"We had previously thought that Xbox 360 could gain a major share of the Japanese
market by taking some market share from front-runner Sony Computer… But we now think that such a prospect may not be
realized, given the limited attractiveness of its titles and its lukewarm functions," gushes
analyst Hirotoshi Murakami of Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.
"Given declining enthusiasm for the Xbox 360 by Japanese players and software makers,
it would be almost impossible for Microsoft to overtake Sony or even Nintendo," coos
analyst Yuichi Kobayashi of Shinko Securities.
There's plenty more if you have the stomach for that sort of thing. We had to avert our eyes as these analysts
eviscerated the hopes and dreams of a certain, special software giant in Redmond.
[Thanks, Laughing Man]
