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Popular Japanese Retailer to stop selling Xbox Series Consoles
Lognor
Banned
Holy shit. That's nuts. Nintendo land indeed. Sony is facing a similar problem as xbox, to a lesser degree. How can either of them complete against Nintendo in Japan?
michaelius
Banned
X360 had few moment when it outsold ps3 in Japan due to that wave of exclusives - then it turned out all of the were timed and they stopped buying new ones and it slipped into irrelevancy where it remains till now.
hououinkyouma00
Member
Yeah the problem is Xbox as a product doesn’t speak to the Japanese market. Apple and IKEA speak to the Japanese market. The Xbox launched as the most “American” console ever. It was huge loud and brash. Xbox goes on and on about trying to appeal to the market but they have never tried hard enough and never will.
Xbox will NEVER be popular in Japan. Game pass won’t help. Xcloud won’t help. It’s a lost cause IMO.
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Cutty Flam
Banned
Damn that’s before Halo releases too
LordBlodgett
Member
Ummm, in less than a year Series consoles have reached 92k according to this article, and I actually think that number might be behind a little. This is actually a pretty good rebound from the unbelievably bad Xbox One. If the Series consoles keep it up over the next 6-7 years a final number of 700k-900k is a pretty conservative estimate. Of course selling less than a million consoles for a first world population of 125 million is still pretty awful, but it would be a very good rebound for Microsoft.
I still think Microsoft's best chance for Japan is Xcloud, but it's too early to tell
don't bother with the trolls
SlimeGooGoo
Party Gooper
.
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Fugitive Sex
Member
Which European homes have you been in where space isn't an issue, and can compare to American homes?
MasterCornholio
Member
I lived in Spain and now currently reside on the US so I'm well aware of the average living space.
In the article they stated that the size of typical IKEA furniture was to big for the average Japanese household. Obviously that doesn't mean that furniture doesn't work in Europe or the US but in Japan it's an issue due to the size of the average household. It's pretty common knowledge that space is very expensive in Japan and in places like Tokio your average apartment is the size of a small studio here.
Hopefully that makes more sense.
Average Apartment Size in Tokyo – The Answer May Surprise You
It is hard for foreigners to imagine the average apartment size in Tokyo just by the rumors. We will have a look at the factual data in this article.
questionjapan.com
I'm not saying that there are not Japanese that live in large houses but it certainly isn't as common as in other parts of the world.
Edit: Another part of the article that explains what they did with the sizes.
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StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Going by that pic, the majority of Ikea stuff would fit in that Japanese style apartment.I lived in Spain and now currently reside on the US so I'm well aware of the average living space.
In the article they stated that the size of typical IKEA furniture was to big for the average Japanese household. Obviously that doesn't mean that furniture doesn't work in Europe or the US but in Japan it's an issue due to the size of the average household. It's pretty common knowledge that space is very expensive in Japan and in places like Tokio your average apartment is the size of a small studio here.
Hopefully that makes more sense.
Average Apartment Size in Tokyo – The Answer May Surprise You
It is hard for foreigners to imagine the average apartment size in Tokyo just by the rumors. We will have a look at the factual data in this article.
I'm not saying that there are not Japanese that live in large houses but it certainly isn't as common as in other parts of the world.
Things that wouldn't would be giant wall units, king sized bed frames, giant plants, and something most Japanese people probably dont have space for (patio sets).
But Ikea has modest sized furniture for all sizes. What probably happened is they didnt focus enough on skewing products to small size and left in ridiculous store demos like 15 ft kitchen cabinetry sets.
Like everyone else I bought Ikea stuff when I didn't have money. And everything I bought fit fine in a 1 bedroom 570 sq ft condo (my first place) including Ikea Billy bookcases, computer desk and queen sized bedframe.
At 66 sq meters thats 700 sq ft which is even bigger than my first condo. If I had room, they have room.
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MasterCornholio
Member
They also changed the design of some of their products to make them smaller.
Assuming the size of an average Japanese apartment is the same as a European or an American household was one of their mistakes.
Edit: Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that size was the only factor but it was definitely one of them. The article states that pretty clearly and IKEA is doing much better than before in Japan.
Edit 2: Sorry for editing so much but looking at some pictures it appears that they changed their store design to reflect the smaller sizes of Japanese homes.
You usually don't see any displays this cramped in any IKEAs in Europe or the US.
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20cent
Banned
Luxury items (LV, Hermes, Chanel, etc)
MrFunSocks
Banned
Microsoft don’t and shouldn’t care about the Japanese market because the Japanese market does not and will not ever care about them. They don’t even care about PlayStation at this stage.
The less resources MS spend on Japan the better. They are better ways to flush money down the toilet. Just give them xcloud on mobile and call it a day and they’ll have the same amount of success/failure.
The less resources MS spend on Japan the better. They are better ways to flush money down the toilet. Just give them xcloud on mobile and call it a day and they’ll have the same amount of success/failure.
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Eddie-Griffin
Banned
People sometimes act like it's important for MS to be there but it's not in anyway shape or form. It should have been dropped after the 360, but I'm surprised they tried again after Xbox One.
Instead push harder on strong markets, expand In Africa and other parts of Asia where they have decent mindshare to build on overtime.
Instead push harder on strong markets, expand In Africa and other parts of Asia where they have decent mindshare to build on overtime.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I dont know if that home layout pic is representative of usage, but looking at the front door area with the shoes, about 1/4 of the entire layout is some kind of shoe lobby. Zero condos (in Canada at least) that are that small (66 sq meters = 700 sq ft) is going to use 175 sq ft for a lobby. Youre going to walk in, see a closet, a small area for shoes and maybe a coat rack on the wall and you'll right away be in the main walkway or kitchen or something. It wont be a giant welcoming lobby.They also changed the design of some of their products to make them smaller.
Assuming the size of an average Japanese apartment is the same as a European or an American household was one of their mistakes.
Edit: Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that size was the only factor but it was definitely one of them. The article states that pretty clearly and IKEA is doing much better than before in Japan.
Edit 2: Sorry for editing so much but looking at some pictures it appears that they changed their store design to reflect the smaller sizes of Japanese homes.
You usually don't see any displays this cramped in any IKEAs in Europe or the US.
If many Japanese homes use up a lot of real estate for a lobby, no wonder the living space is so small.
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MasterCornholio
Member
I'm pretty sure the size of the store in Canada would make the Japanese uncomfortable due to them being used to smaller spaces.
It's a very different culture so I can understand why there's some aversion to large open spaces. I can't imagine them walking into a IKEA in Canada and feeling comfortable with the setup there.
Edit: I will admit that I haven't been to an IKEA in Canada but the ones in Spain and the US are pretty big in my opinion.
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DaleinCalgary
Member
I'm not sure why we discuss Japan anymore. They don't really matter anymore as this is a global industry now and they do and play what they like.
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Shaqazooloo
Member
The Series X/S is on track to outsell lifetime sales of One by the end of the year.
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Did it ever actually outsell PS3? I feel like they never quite broke the back of the PS3 when they had all of those timed exclusives.
PS3 getting those games with extra content DID break the back of the Xbox in Japan though.
Mobile Suit Gooch
Grundle: The Awakening
I have an xbox and bought like one game. kek
lh032
I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
I mean when gamepass offers a huge catalogue of games for download/streaming, there is no reason to buy a game , unless you REALLY want to keep it.
EDIT: oh wait i know what you mean, ill amend my post.
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CityHunter1981
Member
Lol at all the people claiming XBOX is selling very good in Japan and stating the amazon sales charts. I said a while already XBOX is selling well here, because the majority of the consoles are shipped to China, so scalpers will buy the stock and we have specialized shops here, where you can sell it for a profit and they will sell to China.
The software sells are proof that most of the consoles don't stay in Japan.
The software sells are proof that most of the consoles don't stay in Japan.
RoyalLaFlame
Banned
Living in China, I noticed the gaming behaviors of the locals. I'm pretty sure Japan is the same thing. Asian countries, in general, favor mobility over playing in front of a TV. They have such a culture, that most of them spend their days outside, only go home to sleep and take showers. They work a lot (they spend enormous amounts of time in the company, including weekends), but they do have big breaks. Those breaks are dedicated either to sleeping or for some gaming. And guess what they use for gaming? Yeah, phone.
The other day I bought a second hand TV for my home and the seller was kind enough to drive to my location and hand it over personally. We had a brief talk, and he noticed I have a PS4 Pro. I asked him if he likes to play console and he said "Yeah, I do, but I don't have the time, so I always play on my phone." At this time he showed me Arena of Valor on his phone and some other games I couldn't figure out what they were.
Japan is the same. They need mobility and most of them are actually not looking forward to spend a fortune on videogames, when society asks so much from them. So they grab their phones and call it a day.
MS needs to understand this (and Sony as well). Gamers here don't give a shit about it, they have to be able to play anywhere. MS already has xCloud which, if well marketed, will be fucking huge here. But still, I don't know if it's enough.
The other day I bought a second hand TV for my home and the seller was kind enough to drive to my location and hand it over personally. We had a brief talk, and he noticed I have a PS4 Pro. I asked him if he likes to play console and he said "Yeah, I do, but I don't have the time, so I always play on my phone." At this time he showed me Arena of Valor on his phone and some other games I couldn't figure out what they were.
Japan is the same. They need mobility and most of them are actually not looking forward to spend a fortune on videogames, when society asks so much from them. So they grab their phones and call it a day.
MS needs to understand this (and Sony as well). Gamers here don't give a shit about it, they have to be able to play anywhere. MS already has xCloud which, if well marketed, will be fucking huge here. But still, I don't know if it's enough.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
PS4 suffered from really sluggish adoption in Japan though. It's why they were still putting out cross gen games like Persona 5 and Tales of Berseria 3-4 years into the generation. Seems like PS5 is gonna have similar issues.
Tiago Rodrigues
Member
I think Sony and MS know that quite well. Specially Sony. They are literally a Japanese company and there's a reason they are doing things for the mobile market as well. They are simply doing it independently from their console business.
There's not much more they can do regarding consoles though. The market is changing there and fast.
Do you want them to go the Switch route? Betting on mediocre specs for a hybrid, affordable console? Or create a portable console and have their teams split between producing games for 2 distinct devices?
They know home consoles are quite niche in Japan, China etc...and it's getting worse. And that's why they are turning into other markets even in Asia.
If Sony cracks even almost no market-share in China, it's still bringing them potentially millions of consoles sold in the end.
There's a reason why even companies like Square-Enix are prioritizing english for their facial mocap on FFXVI. Japanese comes next. This was unthinkable back when FFX released.
Forkspoken's writers are american and the main character or at least the actress that play it, is anything but Japanese as well. Square-Enix is betting on a black woman from new york city as the main character of their next big IP. And this is happening with games produced by their Japanese studios.
Why is that happening? Because both are huge and expensive AAA titles and they know most of those sales will be happening outside of their country.
It sucks to witness the home console market shrink in Japan...but it is the reality.
jhjfss
Member
I wonder if MS would make a handheld console but its Xcloud only? They wouldn't have to comprise on specs and would basically stream from seriesX blades
I looked at some online concepts and its interesting.
01011001
Banned
in about 2 to 3 years RDNA should be shrunken down enough to allow for a portable Series S
the Steam Deck has an RDNA2 GPU that can clock high enough to reach 1.7TF. that's almost already half a Series S. If we assume AMD can improve their hardware in line with how they did so far, a 4TF mobile RDNA2/3/4 APU should not be out of reach for too long.
so basically, in a few years they can make a portable that is in line with their home console performance, meaning no additional downgrade needed, it will simply be able to play Series X|S games in Series S mode.
the question is if Microsoft thinks that's a good idea or not. it will be possible at about the mid point of this generation for sure.
There's literally zero point when you can use your phones touch controls or a cheap controller like a Kishi or controller clip.I wonder if MS would make a handheld console but its Xcloud only? They wouldn't have to comprise on specs and would basically stream from seriesX blades
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Jemm
Member
Strange, considering Xbox Series S|X is having a much better start than Xbox One in Japan (Source: Famitsu):
Pic from this article.
Pic from this article.
Unknown Soldier
Member
No one cares about Xbox in Japan. This has been true for over 20 years now. It's never going to change.
yazenov
Member
The problem for Microsoft is that this phenomenon is not only exclusive to Japan. Outside of the US and UK, Microsoft is facing similar issues, but maybe just not as abysmal as Japan. People are buying less boxes software sales on the platform.
Some of you who said MS should just drop Japan and move on. So your basically saying that they should drop all the other countries as well where they are facing similar issues.
The issue lies with the focus on Gamepass, where they are pushing their consumers towards renting games instead of buying games, being the best value in gaming according to them. So obviously software purchasing habits are negative affected by their policy.
Watch other countries retailers follow Japan by dropping the Xbox hardware.
Some of you who said MS should just drop Japan and move on. So your basically saying that they should drop all the other countries as well where they are facing similar issues.
The issue lies with the focus on Gamepass, where they are pushing their consumers towards renting games instead of buying games, being the best value in gaming according to them. So obviously software purchasing habits are negative affected by their policy.
Watch other countries retailers follow Japan by dropping the Xbox hardware.
TheTony316
Member
He's talking about Japan sales.
Barakov
Member
lachesis
Member
A few months ago, Hermen Hulst (IIRC), the head of Playstation Worldwide Studios, formerly from Guerilla, said in an interview regarding Japanese market, saying
"We are in some ways very much a Japanese company still."
Some Japanese people who follow this kind of stuff, got actually ticked off, saying "What do you mean by 'in some ways?'" & I chuckled a bit.
Sony as whole, may still be considered a Japanese company with strong presence in Japanese mobile gaming scene thanks to Fate:Grand Order, and also consumer electronics such as TV, Camera and audio - but they are not the behemoth of electronics maker they used to be in 80s. The console brand "Playstation" however is becoming more foreign than ever, in my opinion. Just as the Japanese are moving away from consoles, Sony themselves are moving away too - or at the least, they are being quite passive, regretfully. They seem to be taking the PSP/Vita approach as far as Playstation is concerned. Sony gained popularity where Nintendo and other companies like Sega/NEC laid the groundwork - then called it quits on that market when they became the leader position and things got a bit tougher (such as Japanese developer struggled to move onto HD) - rather than helping and leading them to the next gen era. That's something that I don't quite appreciate about Sony - that they call quits pretty quick on a lot of things. It could be a smart business decision, but if you are a market leader as whole - I do appreciate a bit of perseverance than bailing out.
Xbox had very little to lose in Japan to begin with. They started at a place where it couldn't get any worse, in fact. I think XSS and XSX combined is reaching the lifetime sales # of Xbox One already - in just a mere one year. Fort that alone, I think MS did pretty commendable job, although still way to go to catch up to even 360's popularity and they are still being outsold by PS5 by 10+:1 ratio or so.
I'm not even sure - or I don't even remember seeing an XSX console on that recent TGS video. I think only Xbox that was shown was actually Series S. Heck, it's even showing a Dual Shock 4 in Xbox video.
It was all about GamePass and key JP titles like Yakuza 7, DQ Builders 2, DQ XI etc - as well as pushing the play anywhere, on any device with "xbox.com/play" cloud gaming.
It's pretty apparent that they are not really pushing the hardware much but the service. It's an interesting gamble that I'm intrigued how they'll react in the long run... although more "Japanese" games would be needed. Still too western heavy, even though they tried their best to show them the western games towards the end of the video, and putting all the Japanese ones first and foremost to appeal to Japanese... but they lack the depth.
So yeah. I think Famitsu's physical totals, more than ever shows only the part of the picture for Xbox due to GamePass and cloud. PS5, I do think to less degree as they have no "direct" competition to a subscription service where you get day 1 releases. It just appears that PS5, doesn't really have the killer software specific for PS5 just yet. Hoping that something along the way will change soon as I'm looking forward to it as well.
"We are in some ways very much a Japanese company still."
Some Japanese people who follow this kind of stuff, got actually ticked off, saying "What do you mean by 'in some ways?'" & I chuckled a bit.
Sony as whole, may still be considered a Japanese company with strong presence in Japanese mobile gaming scene thanks to Fate:Grand Order, and also consumer electronics such as TV, Camera and audio - but they are not the behemoth of electronics maker they used to be in 80s. The console brand "Playstation" however is becoming more foreign than ever, in my opinion. Just as the Japanese are moving away from consoles, Sony themselves are moving away too - or at the least, they are being quite passive, regretfully. They seem to be taking the PSP/Vita approach as far as Playstation is concerned. Sony gained popularity where Nintendo and other companies like Sega/NEC laid the groundwork - then called it quits on that market when they became the leader position and things got a bit tougher (such as Japanese developer struggled to move onto HD) - rather than helping and leading them to the next gen era. That's something that I don't quite appreciate about Sony - that they call quits pretty quick on a lot of things. It could be a smart business decision, but if you are a market leader as whole - I do appreciate a bit of perseverance than bailing out.
Xbox had very little to lose in Japan to begin with. They started at a place where it couldn't get any worse, in fact. I think XSS and XSX combined is reaching the lifetime sales # of Xbox One already - in just a mere one year. Fort that alone, I think MS did pretty commendable job, although still way to go to catch up to even 360's popularity and they are still being outsold by PS5 by 10+:1 ratio or so.
I'm not even sure - or I don't even remember seeing an XSX console on that recent TGS video. I think only Xbox that was shown was actually Series S. Heck, it's even showing a Dual Shock 4 in Xbox video.
It was all about GamePass and key JP titles like Yakuza 7, DQ Builders 2, DQ XI etc - as well as pushing the play anywhere, on any device with "xbox.com/play" cloud gaming.
It's pretty apparent that they are not really pushing the hardware much but the service. It's an interesting gamble that I'm intrigued how they'll react in the long run... although more "Japanese" games would be needed. Still too western heavy, even though they tried their best to show them the western games towards the end of the video, and putting all the Japanese ones first and foremost to appeal to Japanese... but they lack the depth.
So yeah. I think Famitsu's physical totals, more than ever shows only the part of the picture for Xbox due to GamePass and cloud. PS5, I do think to less degree as they have no "direct" competition to a subscription service where you get day 1 releases. It just appears that PS5, doesn't really have the killer software specific for PS5 just yet. Hoping that something along the way will change soon as I'm looking forward to it as well.
nikolino840
Member
Could be a clever way to earn money in qy
Xbox will never be even a moderate success in Japan until they have exclusive software that Japan cares about enough to spend money on their console because they can't play it anywhere else.
If you don't already provide an established IP Japan won't care. If you don't have a well known director or studio Japan won't care. On top of that if your console is not a handheld then consider that it is going to be at least 2 to 2.5 times harder to find great success in the market in the current climate.
Since Sony has started losing market share with the PS3 they have been trying all of the above to really excel in Japan but they unfortunately do not have even 1 long running Japanese franchise to their name that they can bank on to sell their home console. It has only worked recently when they got their hands back on Monster Hunter with World and had long awaited software released on their console like Persona 5 and FFVII Remake.
I think this is why Sony closed Japan Studio. They tried and tried but realized it just wasn't going to work. I think they're going to keep working with 3rd parties like FROM and KojiP and try to make acquisitions where possible so they can maintain the franchise and build it up in Japan. I also think they have been waiting a long time for GranBlue Fantasy ReLink and see going to bet big on that and probably publish it in the West but I could be wrong. Same with Project Awakening. But I could be wrong.
Anyway you have to understand that my point is to comprehend how far and away Microsoft is from being successful in Japan you must understand that Sony would have to be successful in Japan before Microsoft could even be, because Sony are the ones who have all the relationships and partnerships that Microsoft don't and even then they are not doing great. This is before I even talk about Japan's work and social life culture and their somewhat xenophobic consumer habits outside of the biggest outliers but both have been covered here already somewhat. Thanks for reading my blog.
If you don't already provide an established IP Japan won't care. If you don't have a well known director or studio Japan won't care. On top of that if your console is not a handheld then consider that it is going to be at least 2 to 2.5 times harder to find great success in the market in the current climate.
Since Sony has started losing market share with the PS3 they have been trying all of the above to really excel in Japan but they unfortunately do not have even 1 long running Japanese franchise to their name that they can bank on to sell their home console. It has only worked recently when they got their hands back on Monster Hunter with World and had long awaited software released on their console like Persona 5 and FFVII Remake.
I think this is why Sony closed Japan Studio. They tried and tried but realized it just wasn't going to work. I think they're going to keep working with 3rd parties like FROM and KojiP and try to make acquisitions where possible so they can maintain the franchise and build it up in Japan. I also think they have been waiting a long time for GranBlue Fantasy ReLink and see going to bet big on that and probably publish it in the West but I could be wrong. Same with Project Awakening. But I could be wrong.
Anyway you have to understand that my point is to comprehend how far and away Microsoft is from being successful in Japan you must understand that Sony would have to be successful in Japan before Microsoft could even be, because Sony are the ones who have all the relationships and partnerships that Microsoft don't and even then they are not doing great. This is before I even talk about Japan's work and social life culture and their somewhat xenophobic consumer habits outside of the biggest outliers but both have been covered here already somewhat. Thanks for reading my blog.
Japan is just a proxy for the other markets that it wants to play in imo. I think they are probably spending more time/effort focusing on making the series s a thing in the developing markets and xcloud a thing.
It also can't abandon Japan completely cause it needs it developers for other markets.
It also can't abandon Japan completely cause it needs it developers for other markets.
Both. software doesn't sell on xbox. It barely sells on PS5 in japan but xbox is completely dead.
ethomaz
Banned
PS5 is selling better in Japan than PS4… that is a fact.
ethomaz
Banned
Basically all of them.
Japan loves western products including American.
I mean it is weird how you guys fantasy with Japan being an alternative dimension with aliens lol
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