Microsoft to cut Xbox 360 prices (in Japan) soon

Will it make any difference in their battle against Sony and Nintendo?

From IWon.com

Sep 8, 4:32 AM (ET)

By HIROKO TABUCHI

TOKYO (AP) - Microsoft Co. is set to release a cheaper, bare-bones version of the Xbox 360 video game console in Japan to boost flagging sales ahead of the arrival of new machines from rivals later in the year.

The Japanese unit of U.S.-based Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) will launch a Xbox 360 console on Nov. 2 that comes without the 20-gigabyte hard drive and other accessories included with the standard version, according to Microsoft spokesman Jun Yoshihara.

The low-end version, already sold as the Xbox 360 Core System in the United States and Europe, will sell for 29,800 yen ($255) - about 10,000 yen ($86) less than its standard version, Yoshihara said.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, will also offer two free games to buyers of the new model in Japan for a limited time, he said.

... more at link

So, Microsoft comes up swinging at their "friends" from Sony and Nintendo. Will it really be enough to gain some ground and momentum, or is it just trying to tread water in stay in place?

Microsoft has some tough competition in the battle against Sony and Nintendo? Given the news that my friend Skittles referenced in his recent post at his site SkepticalGaming.com, they may have a tough job in a battle against Nintendo and their quietly building release of their formerly code-named "Revolution" box, now known as Wii.

Sony on the other hand seems to making their own missteps and giving their competition -- both Nintendo and Microsoft -- a serious chance at kicking their butts around for a while before they can get themselves settled in.

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I had originally missed the segment of the news blurb about the "includes two free games"... As another friend (Hoffer) suggested in response to my posting of the news blurb, this really doesn't make much difference unless Microsoft has games that the Japanese consumers want.

With that said, two free games on top of $80 off the price is a pretty sweet deal. Using U.S. pricing, that's a savings of about $160 (figure $40 per game at a minimum) off the going rate. Not too shabby for someone that is thinking of getting a next gen console system.

Still, Microsoft has long been plagued with problems in the Japanese market -- specifically over the types of software they have available. Japanese gamers are different animals than are the U.S. gamers. U.S. gamers seem to love FPS games (first person shooters such as Halo, Call of Duty and the like), action games, sports games (especially Madden NFL as an example), and other games that don't seem to play well to the Japanese market. Japanese gamers seem to love RPGs (role playing games), especially RPGs with anime type characters and graphical worlds such as Final Fantasy type games and the like, as well as puzzle type games (like Tetris and similar games).

Sony and Nintendo have always seemed to hold a lead in the software arena versus Microsoft as Microsoft just hasn't found a "killer app" RPG to get behind and use to beat up on their competition with. Fable was supposed to help them in that area but it never seemed to live up to the hype and found itself with many things cut just to get it out the door.

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Go look at the Playstation 3 price and tell me which one your would buy. You might as well as upgrade your computer at home than buy the PS3. The new Nintendo looks pretty neat though.

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If you would have told me a few moths ago that the Wii was shaping up to be a strong competetitor I probably would have laughed... Now I dont know what to think. Its like a giant comedy of errors really:

XBox360 - They been out for almost a year and still dont have what could be considered a flagship title.

Wii - Good price, some interesting titles in the works... But its a... Wii...

PS3 - Boy you sure want to like it, but Sony has turned into the abusive husband of their fanboy spouses. Almost a year from the original launch date? $600? No European release?

Like I said, its a comedy of errors, I think Im going to sit this war out for at least another year.

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Save yourslef that money, and buy a Shiny new Flagship Geforce 8 Series Card, I know I will!!

DX10 will own ANY console for the next 5 years till PS4 and Xbox 3. And even then, DX10 a-z will still own those other consoles.

Wii= The name says it all, its a kiddy console, unless you think moving your arm around for 4+ hours is good, for me, its immature and its like a workout. If I want to do excesices, I'll go to the gym, so no Thank You.

Xbox360= Cheaper than PS3, with lots of games by the time PS3 releases, Like Gears of War and others.

PS3= Overhyped, Super Expensive Console, With no REAL Exclusive content, in fact , there are developers that have stopped making games cuz of development, and SDK costs. Sony Wants to make it look like an Do-All-Be-All "Gadget", and saying its a computer. It MAY have computer hardware, but if you cant upgrade, its no computer. And that BlueRay Drive is really unnecesary, look at X360, it has good games that dont need all that space at all, I bet 50 Gbs will be good in about 3 years into the future, but the first 2 years is just going to be wasted space, and we will have to pay for that overpriced BluRay player and console rolled into 1. BlueRay is just too expensive. And those 8, 1 unused, Synergistyc Cores will take time to use efficiently and to full power, IF EVER.

Just my 2 Cents

Monc34

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