Report: Japan makes up just 1% of worldwide Kinect hardware sales

by Ben Gilbert on Nov 29th 2011 10:30AM

Microsoft has sold approximately 114K units of its hands-free motion peripheral, the Kinect, during the last 12 months in Japan. And the bulk of those sales were within the first few months surrounding its launch in November 2010, then dwindling to the low thousands as early as February 2011.

That's according to a report from this month's Famitsu Xbox magazine, which also outs Kinect Adventures as the top selling game for Kinect at 114K units sold, assuredly assisted to the top spot with placement in hardware bundles. Microsoft has yet to release a statement on the one-year sales numbers, but has remained steadfast in its commitment to the Japanese market -- despite the country's aversion to Microsoft and its products.

Comparatively speaking, Microsoft said it had sold 10 million Kinect units worldwide as of March this year, and this report puts around 94,000 in Japan as of March, making Japanese sales just under a single percentage point of worldwide sales. Eight months later, and Japan comprises just barely above one percentage point of that same 10 million sales number.

[Image credit: Andriasang]

Source: Andriasang

Tags: japan, kinect, Kinect-Adventures, microsoft, sales, xbox

Reader Comments (53)

Then again, they're not exactly drowning in Xbox360s.

They should make tentacle games for it! That would get it rolling...oh the possibilities.

@NPTran23 They should just make decent games for it, period.

@NPTran23 JAPAN IS SO WACKY HURF DUH DURF THEY LIKE TENTACLES AND HAVE DIRTY PANTIES FROM A VENDING MACHINE

Just drop it.

@houstons85

That sounds like a good idea. I don't think Oprah has much influence in Japan, so she didn't appeal to the little grannies hoping to get their dance on. Then again, it IS Oprah.

@houstons85

oh houston, you and your whole not-getting-it thing you got going on....Kinect isn't meant to entertain us "core" gamers. allow that to sink in through your thick skull and maybe you won't care so much, just like the rest of us.

for proof of this, just look at how it's marketed and to whom. as long as good games are still coming out that don't utilize this motion-controller fad, there's really no need to get all aggro about it...

@Liquidfingers

I'd prefer kinect in my car, point and it drives :D Awesome!

@Nergy They're horrible trolls what do you expect? lol they can only repeat the same shit everyone else does.
Just ignore it man.

A whole nation of PS fanboys....lol

@Klearwater Killer Exactly. Or anything Japan-related to gaming. But the way Japanse games are declining in sales over here in the states, Japan is headed to being just 1% in games sold sooner or later.
O.K., that's O.D., but still, they're not revelvant like they were in the past. New 3-D tech with old Japanese gameplay mechanics will not cut it today.

@Klearwater Killer

"A whole nation of PS fanboys"

OK. Or, possibly, a whole nation of people whose average residential space doesn't support a living room large enough to use Kinect.

@copa

TBF, the Xbox doesn't sell too well in Japan before Kinect. Xbox exclusives aren't the type of games that sell there, and the fact that mot of them have loyalties to Nintendo and Sony as Japanese companies.

@jph89

That seems to be what people think.

@StarcasM

States = the world?

@Spunky Monkey 190906 Also, United States = America.

Looks like I'm getting a Kinect for Xmas, but I'm already having second thoughts. There doesn't seem like there is anything out for it and nothing coming out for it that looks good and yesterday they are talking about Kinect 2 already????

I'm worried.

@lonecow Not getting Modern Warfare 3? Only 180K sold in Japan out of 6.8M. :D

@lonecow

Honestly, if you pick one up now, the 3 games that come with it (Adventures, Gunstringer, Fruit Ninja) are all pretty fun. Combine that with the new dashboard update and you will manage get some use out of it.

Or not, I don't know you.

@lonecow

If you have kids, or if you are REALLY interested in making Dance Central part of your regular workout routine, I can recommend it.

Otherwise, I think it's a tough sell at the price point. Child of Eden and Gunstringer are good, but you're not going to be playing them months later.

@copa
I was looking up games and I forgot about Mass Effect 3 integration which sounds cool.

When I said I wanted it it was partly because my wife saw the ad during the movies for it so she can use Netflix without using the controller, and the other reason is we are expecting our first child in January and I want him on a healthy dose of Muppets, so the Seseme Street game looked cool. BUT it will be another few years before he can enjoy that and by then they will have Kinect 3 out with a new Xbox. Ah well. Such is life.

I'm sure I will have fun with it.

@lonecow I would wait, there is a rumor about Kinect 2 already in the works, and those E3 are not to far away...

@Vidaluko I got a Kinect just a few days ago, then came news of a Kinect 2. That bummed the hell outta me.

So basically, none of the people in the picture above actually bought it.

Actually kinda meaningless.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the #1 selling game in Japan with 176K units... what percent of that is 6.8M?

When will Microsoft give up on Japan and put that money toward America and Europe?

@kilroy214

Because they already control most of America and a lot of Europe.

@kilroy214

Right! Because Microsoft totally needs to reallocate their limited funds!

@kilroy214

You say put their money towards America and Europe, but that's the thing, Microsoft has barely put anything into Japan in the first place which is why 360 doesn't sell. They have yet to have a Japanese branch in the way Nintendo and Sony had US branches and therefore can market to both.

I just think Microsoft's efforts were half arsed, 360 is an awesome console and with the right games and marketing, no reason why it couldn't have performed better. I'm sorry, but making two JRPGS exclusive and the rest timed exclusives won't make people switch over -_-They're playing on Sony and Nintendo's home turf, they'd need to work harder.

To be honest, if Europe had a console of its own, it would be the same situation.

I figure that if some 'Bemani'-ish game released on KINECT there, maybe it would get a bit more hype.

Or it's just xenophobia-- rearing it's nasty, unrelated head again.

@foxhound Actually, Kinect sales were triple or quadruple Xbox 360 sales in each of those months.

Which means in Japan if you own a 360, you need a Kinect.

@foxhound
There was. Dance Evolution (titled "Dance Masters" worldwide) was done by DDR producer and all-around crazy guy Naoki Maeda. This was the lone BEMANI effort for Kinect. Heck, it's been the only console BEMANI game in a long time. They refocused their efforts mostly in arcade and iOS platforms with Jubeat, ReflecBeat, and they are still making newer iterations of Beatmania IIDX for arcades.

Think maybe it has anything to do with the size of Japanese living rooms?

I don't think it's just the games. Two out of the three good JRPGs released on consoles this gen were Xbox exclusive at one stage (and Lost Odyssey still is) and they do have their Idolm@ster and Cave shooters. It's probably got a lot to do with a stigma if being uncool or something. Looking at the games alone, sales shouldn't be this bad.

Maybe the Japanese consumer is more sophisticated? Maybe they didnt think Kinectimals and the Michael Jackson Experience were games worth a $100 peripheral that didnt work very well in their tiny apartments? Maybe, just maybe, the Japanese are not into buying gimmiky crap...

@jnemesh

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yes, you've nailed it. The Japanese hate gimmicky crap. Now please excuse me while I go enjoy my square watermelons and teen-panties-in-a-can.

@baby sea tuna I love the fact the majority of japan is pretty much like every other 1st world country, but all we see through our xenogoggles is JAPAN IS SO WACKY DURHURF

Please drop it.

@baby sea tuna

Aww come on, if tentacles were groping up the hottest girls in your neighborhood I'm sure you'd be there to watch :D

Let's not forget the ridicules space requirement.

The crazy price is probably a big hindrance to sales, and the games are just for kids. Parents would just buy a cheaper Wii with better kids games, and Mario/Zelda/Kirby/Donkey Kong are much more appealing (and fun for adults) than what they've got going on for Kinect.

Let's just forget Japan. Gaming is on the verge of death there it seems.

@ItsameMatt03

Yes, because Sony and Nintendo are just a faded memory.

/sarcasm

@ItsameMatt03

Figures with Nintendo selling so many Wiis and Sony still holding the title for the best selling console of all time, which country was that console made again?

@Shockwave

I didn't have time in my original comment to explain what I meant. I'm not saying game companies in Japan are almost dead. I'm talking about the gaming community. It's just slowly withering away. Obviously, Nintendo and Sony Japanese companies, but they have evolved, and are now much more worldwide. You have Nintendo of America and of Europe, and Sony Computer Entertainment of America and Europe. These branches have handled a lot.

Japan has good taste.

@houstons85 check weekly top 10 lol

Wow big news! No one in Japan owns a 360. Also, no one in Japan has the living room space for a Kinect.

I wonder if anyone else notices that's the Great-Friggin-Muta (Keiji Mutoh) in that picture on the far right.

@MattDemers I only stopped to read this post because I saw him in the pic, lol.

It's a smaller percentage (but not by much) than Japan's share of 360 sales, but that isn't surprising: as I understand it, 360 sells largely to otaku who want the latest horizontal-shooter-with-boobs or Western war game or whatever, not to regular families.

As for Japan's 'aversion to Microsoft', I guess this would be why hardly any of them use Windows on their computers... Oh, wait. (They do have an aversion to Xbox, that's for sure. There are some reasons for this.)

I'm not trolling here... but I can't think of any Japanese games I've bought in the 2 years?

No wait, I'm sorry, I did have Dead Rising 2. Ok.

But otherwise...?

And in NO WAY do I look at games and go "Oh, that's a Japanese game... nyah nyah nyah".

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Kinect Adventures

Report: Japan makes up just 1% of worldwide Kinect hardware sales

Reader Comments (53)

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:34AM DekuTree said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:35AM NPTran23 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:46AM houstons85 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 12:32PM Nergy said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:07PM civilciv said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:22PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:25PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 2:53PM ChainSmoker said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:38AM Klearwater Killer said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:44AM StarcasM said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:57AM copa said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:07AM jph89 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:09PM civilciv said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:13PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 2:51PM WeRequireMOARMinerals said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:40AM lonecow said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:50AM JonahFalcon said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:52AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:00AM copa said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:17AM lonecow said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:02PM Vidaluko said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 2:49PM Cafecito said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:43AM Parapraxis said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:45AM JonahFalcon said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:46AM kilroy214 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:56AM jph89 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:59AM Co said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:19PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:47AM foxhound said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:51AM JonahFalcon said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 10:54AM Syesta said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:02AM The Tim said

Posted: Nov 29th 2011 7:20PM Esposch said

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Posted: Nov 29th 2011 11:22AM baby sea tuna said

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Posted: Nov 29th 2011 1:21PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

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