MS should give up in Japan....

[QUOTE="dsmccracken"]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

HuusAsking

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you can't completely rule out nationalism or foreign distrust. And Japan has a very strong sense of national identity (I'm pretty sure no one will argue this point), and this can't help but have an effect when foreign products come into play.

Actually a large majority of Japanese people are not very patriotic at all. Alot of people still feel embarrased by actions it made during WWII. The politicians however are trying to spur on more nationalism. It's common that in schools and at sporting events people will refuse to stand or sing the national anthem "Kimi ga yo" because they feel it has connections with Japan imperialist past.

Either way so called Japanese nationalism has never stopped the raging success of western companies and products like i-pod, McDonalds, Coca-cola, Lost, Heroes, 24, Gap, Diesel, BMW, Mercedes, French Connection, Subway, Wendy's, Starbucks... I could go on all day listing all the foreign products that are popular over here but I think you see my point.

The claim that the 360 isn't selling well simply because Japanese patriotism and xenophobia prevents them from buying it because it's not a Japanese manufactured is utter and total nonsense.

The Japanese plays Consoles aswell..

Eventually in this globalized world the Japanese will probably drop some of their xenophobia and accept foreign brands..

The Japanese plays Consoles aswell..

Eventually in this globalized world the Japanese will probably drop some of their xenophobia and accept foreign brands..

omgimba

Maybe people like you will oneday stop using unfounded stereotypes as a base for your ignorant opinions on. Please read everything I said above. and stop spewing nonsense.

Actually a large majority of Japanese people are not very patriotic at all. Alot of people still feel embarrased by actions it made during WWII. The politicians however are trying to spur on more nationalism. It's common that in schools and at sporting events people will refuse to stand or sing the national anthem "Kimi ga yo" because they feel it has connections with Japan imperialist past.

Either way so called Japanese nationalism has never stopped the raging success of western companies and products like i-pod, McDonalds, Coca-cola, Lost, Heroes, 24, Gap, Diesel, BMW, Mercedes, French Connection, Subway, Wendy's, Starbucks... I could go on all day listing all the foreign products that are popular over here but I think you see my point.

The claim that the 360 isn't selling well simply because Japanese patriotism and xenophobia prevents them from buying it because it's not a Japanese manufactured is utter and total nonsense.

Tamashii-sosaku

What about western games? Are there certain western games that actually pique Japnaese interest?

No offense, but I thought iPods were on the decline in Japan, being replaced by robust music phones.

What about western games? Are there certain western games that actually pique Japnaese interest?

HuusAsking

iPods are still selling like hotcakes and by far outselling rival Japanese MP3 players like Sony's.

GTA has quite a following over here. When GTAIV was released you could find import copies of it in alot of stores. Even if they don't usually import stuff. It takes a pretty hardcore following to buy a game in a language they can't understand. Part of the problem with GTA though is that the Japanese localization takes almost a year. I think GTA San Andreas came out a year and a half later and GTAIV is being released here in Japan near the end of October. That kills alot of hype the games have.

Guitar Hero which just last month got released over here is also doing pretty well.

One thing that no one seems to take into consideration when they start flinging round accusations of xenophobia whenever a big western release fails to make an impact over here is how much marketing goes into those games. Games like Gears, MGS and GTA have massive advertising campaigns that cover several months. The most ouy'll see for Gears in Japan is a little cardboard cutout on the shelf and perhaps some flyers if you're lucky.

The lack of marketing coupled with huge delays do a great deal to make blockbuster games go unoticed in Japan.

A good example to give you some perspective is Rhythm Tengoku Gold on the DS. It's a huge game over here, massive marketing, massive hype and massive sales. I seriously doub it'll be the same smash as it was in Japan once it eventually reaches western shores. Same for alot of Western games in Japan.

MS doesnt understand that Japanese ppl play only their DS and their handehelds,they dont care for "gaming" or "online"

They even rejected Sony PS3 and only sold in Japan by 2.42 acording to Vg chartz(iknow i know,they are 100% reliable) and 360 sold only 0.68 mils.

Doing a half price aint gonna help them in Japan,Handhelds..they play pokemon all day,they dont want gears of war or God of war.

Pokemon ^_^

So MS should give up,They dont have much of chance,DS got japan lock down,and PSP is doing Very good in japan

Ace132

Both times I went there I saw nothing but people playing PSPs. A few DS but not too many. The Japanese culture is always on the move. Portable gaming just makes sense to them. I think if Sony really pushes the features that you can do between a psp and a ps3 then there might be a big break though with console gaming there.

iPods are still selling like hotcakes and by far outselling rival Japanese MP3 players like Sony's.Tamashii-sosaku

[QUOTE="Ace132"]

MS doesnt understand that Japanese ppl play only their DS and their handehelds,they dont care for "gaming" or "online"

They even rejected Sony PS3 and only sold in Japan by 2.42 acording to Vg chartz(iknow i know,they are 100% reliable) and 360 sold only 0.68 mils.

Doing a half price aint gonna help them in Japan,Handhelds..they play pokemon all day,they dont want gears of war or God of war.

Pokemon ^_^

So MS should give up,They dont have much of chance,DS got japan lock down,and PSP is doing Very good in japan

BigBadLanTerN

Both times I went there I saw nothing but people playing PSPs. A few DS but not too many. The Japanese culture is always on the move. Portable gaming just makes sense to them. I think if Sony really pushes the features that you can do between a psp and a ps3 then there might be a big break though with console gaming there.

[QUOTE="Tamashii-sosaku"]iPods are still selling like hotcakes and by far outselling rival Japanese MP3 players like Sony's.HuusAsking

Not really sure. Not even sure what you mean by MP3 phones to be honest. Mp3 has been a pretty standard feature on most Japanese phones for a couple of years now. I don't think they're really in direct competition with mp3 players though. The i-phone only launched about a month or so ago here in Japan. It seems to be doing pretty well but it's not the big leap in phone hardware that it might be in other regions. Most of the big Japanese phone companies, Docomo, AU and Softbank already have phones out with simillar funtionality.