Although the Xbox 360 has been, in many regards, a success for Microsoft, Japan has yet to embrace the console like the rest of the world, preferring instead Nintendo's Wii and Sony's Playstation 3. Tokyo-based Enterbrain, which publishes game magazines and tracks video game sales, says only 257,800 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in Japan last year, in contrast to 1.2 million PS3s and 3.6 million Wiis. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that MS has decided to start selling a cheaper model in order to woo gamers there. This entry-level offering, which went on-sale in the US last year for $279.99, goes on sale March 6 in Japan for roughly $260 - about a fifth less than the least expensive Xbox 360 now costs in Japan. Still, it's doubtful whether this move will help to spur sales of the machine in Japan; games are what sell consoles, and MS needs more games which appeal to the Japanese market to start making an appreciable dent there.
News source: AP
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