Microsoft gives Xbox 360 a mulligan in Japan

Japan will NEVER accept an American console.

The long and short of it is because Japanese companies have been consistently producing quality games for over 20 years. Nintendo, Sega, Konami, Capcom, and MUCH more. Atari? Dead and dead again. Ever since the crash in America, the Japanese have DOMINATED the video game industry worldwide. It wasn't until the early 90s when America had a realistic chance to produce console games. It wasn't until the PS1 era when America could make huge hits again. And yet, the Japanese are still much more innovative and produce a much better experience than beating up hookers or fragging your friend a thousand different ways. All we're good at is marketing the game.

The Japanese "owns" the video game as much as, say, America "owns" the movie industry. In the movie industry, the Japanese do well domestically, but never seem to get a single break in America. Not even anime, not even Studio Ghibli, which is pretty much restricted to a small cult of Americans as well as the Cartoon Network. Conversely, American-produced movies are huge hits domestically and worldwide, even in Japan. (This is very similar to, say, music, fast food, etc.)

Now switch to games, switch America's and Japan's positions, and you get the picture. (No pun intended).

And I'll say this one last bit: Even after so long, the Western world still does not "respect" the video game industry. The general public, the gamers, the developers - nobody. (IIRC, the creator of "God of War" compared the VG industry to porn - "not able to create a higher experience"). How many reiterations of FPSes, GTAs, and the like do we have - while so many other bona fide good games and ideas, like adventure games, flouder in production and sales?

We have to find a way to sell experiences and emotions - not just "games".

RE:MS should just forget about Japan altogether - and instead concentrate on the countries that do want the system - like the US and Australia!

Hey your right Microsoft co. is from America, Bill Gates is from America whay don't America get a relaunch and special edition Xbox 360's??

I think people are forgeting that the main launch title for the XBox was not just some crappy EA sports game, it was a WW2 game where you played as the Allies. Imagine how well the PS3 would sell here if the main launch title was a Capcom game where you had to bomb Pearl Harbor or raid the Phillipenes. Not only would it sell like crap, the xenophobes and the anti-gaming crusaders would jump on it like flies on rotting meat.

"Japan will NEVER accept an American console."

Well since most of them have all had games that almost 100% appeal to ONLY western audiences who can blame them? Would you buy something that only had products that ONLY appealed to a Japanese audience?

50. "Would you buy something that only had products that ONLY appealed to a Japanese audience?"

Well, I do have the Sega Saturn. :)

Anywho, there are tens of thousands of Western gamers that think so. There are a lot of Western "otakus" that will never accept anything "gaijin". Of course, they only present a worse image in the gaming world; in some ways, you could say they're trying to out-Japanese the Japanese.

But my point stands: Until we "clean up" gaming, making it feel more like art rather than sh*t (this is only a broad generalization, but I hope you get my point), Western gaming will remain the little-giant $10 billion dollar niche of the entertainment industry.

if you think about it it aint just in japan, its worldwide.

from xbox 180, game cube and the ps2, the japanese are 6:1 on usa console xbox 180. its the product, people dont like xbox, its a huge console with a huge control pad.


and to the guy who said something, as a matter of fact i do ps3 is gonna sell the most. theres like 200 million playstation units out there and people have collections of games which they can keep with the ps3. after the xbox 360 stops backwards compatibilty forever i don no wot xbox people are gonna do with their collections.

one of the reasons psp sold alot was because you can listen to music and watch videos and al this kind of stuf. some ppl may say that it was rubbish but it sold because the ds didnt have it. (ds is stil great tho - new super mario bros). little features on the ps3 are gonna make it sell. like blu tooth, transfering pictures/music/videos on your phone to your ps3. wifi ready? thats a seller.

people just cant accept that japanese consoles are better than usa ones. especially when the xbox 360 is a graphics update from the xbox 180. believe when sony start advertisin 'ooooh blu ray player...cell and rsx nx gen grahpics...wifi ready...backwards compatibilty' and all the other things that make it sound good, people are gonna feel like its worth their money