Microsoft XBOX360 console lands on Japanese market

Xbox360, the latest game console of Microsoft, which had just swept the North American and European markets, recently landed in Japan, posing a direct challenge to the Asian market long dominated by Sony's PS series.

Altogether 1.8 million sets of Xbox products were sold in the three years before their entry into Asia, while in the past five years Sony had sold 21 million sets of PS2. The gap is due to the type of Xbox games, insiders say, which had been lacking role playing liked by Asians but highlighting combat and brain building favored by Europeans and Americans.

To cater for the Japanese market, Microsoft made more than 100 adjustments on Xbox360, including a new game "Final Fantasy VI" and changing the body color into silvery white. Microsoft expects to sell 1 million sets in Japan by mid next year, grabbing away its market share before the debut of Sony's latest model PS3.

Xbox360 is priced at about 313 US dollars in Japan, much lower than the 399 dollars in America and 471 dollars in Europe; while Sony has not breathed the price of its PS3.

By People's Daily Online