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Tombor · 01-07-2003, 11:24 AM

I think Microsoft should stick around. Xbox sales have been up the last couple weeks. They actually FINALLY outsold PSOne, GB Color, and Wonderswan and were pretty close to Gamecube simply because of the release of Orta. Famitsu posted some numbers recently that actually show that Xbox has a higher sell-through rate than PS2 and Gamecube. The ratio for games owned to Xboxes in Japan is roughll 6 to ever system. PS2 has 3 to 1 and Gamecube had something 2.5 whatever to 1. Obviously no consolation for the system there, roughly 310,000 in nearly a year, but it shows there's some audience for it.

What's weird, if you really look at it, Microsoft has done a few good things with the system there. Gates, I guess from some reports, personally meets with just about every development house there imaginable in hopes to getting someone signed, and they've managed to get From Software, sort of the Bungie of Japan with its Armored Core and King's Field series, and Sega to jump on board. Xbox has, already, and has a greater potential to be a niche system for a lot of these little development houses like KIKI, Takuyo, Dream Publishing, AquaPlus, MediaQuest, and Cave making games for it because of (a) the still bitch and a half development costs for PS2 (and its pretty pompus owner) and (b) the fact that there too the only Gamecube games that make any money are either from Sega, Capcom, Nintendo themselves, or some sort of licensed kiddie shovelware from Bandai or Konami (you don't see many Japanese developers all over Cube either). Xbox may be cheap enough that a Takuyo, or a KIKI, can sell 1,000-6,000 copies of Magi Death Fight or Triangle Again and turn a profit (christ, there's a Triangle Again 2 already...). And believe me, if you ever saw Magi Death Fight Takuyo could easily make money off of 50 sales.

Yeah, Xbox is done for in Japan. I mean, it really is. But that doesn't mean this is going to be the next step for Xbox Next. And like Brian said its been their a year already, you already have a handful of excellent games (Halo, Otogi, Tekki, Murakumo, JSRF, Orta, Phantom Crash and a few others) why not just keep it around for 4 more years. If I were Microsoft I would've just bitten the bullet, say **** it, and start pushing amazing non-Japanese taste games down their throats. Show them that Splinter Cell, Morrowind, MechAssault, Deathrow, Ghost Recon, Unreal Championship, and whateve else jumps to mind are amazing games. There seems to be a really hardcore market of Japanese gamers importing American games (Yo-Gi in Japan) and MOST are either interested in Xbox or already own modded systems. Carve a nice niche out and sit on that and try to expand further with the next system (knowing Microsoft they'll keep towing the hoe).

01-07-2003, 11:24 AM	#8
Tombor Xbox Writer Tombor is offline Location: Ohio Now Playing: Red Dead Revolver Posts: 200	I think Microsoft should stick around. Xbox sales have been up the last couple weeks. They actually FINALLY outsold PSOne, GB Color, and Wonderswan and were pretty close to Gamecube simply because of the release of Orta. Famitsu posted some numbers recently that actually show that Xbox has a higher sell-through rate than PS2 and Gamecube. The ratio for games owned to Xboxes in Japan is roughll 6 to ever system. PS2 has 3 to 1 and Gamecube had something 2.5 whatever to 1. Obviously no consolation for the system there, roughly 310,000 in nearly a year, but it shows there's some audience for it. What's weird, if you really look at it, Microsoft has done a few good things with the system there. Gates, I guess from some reports, personally meets with just about every development house there imaginable in hopes to getting someone signed, and they've managed to get From Software, sort of the Bungie of Japan with its Armored Core and King's Field series, and Sega to jump on board. Xbox has, already, and has a greater potential to be a niche system for a lot of these little development houses like KIKI, Takuyo, Dream Publishing, AquaPlus, MediaQuest, and Cave making games for it because of (a) the still bitch and a half development costs for PS2 (and its pretty pompus owner) and (b) the fact that there too the only Gamecube games that make any money are either from Sega, Capcom, Nintendo themselves, or some sort of licensed kiddie shovelware from Bandai or Konami (you don't see many Japanese developers all over Cube either). Xbox may be cheap enough that a Takuyo, or a KIKI, can sell 1,000-6,000 copies of Magi Death Fight or Triangle Again and turn a profit (christ, there's a Triangle Again 2 already...). And believe me, if you ever saw Magi Death Fight Takuyo could easily make money off of 50 sales. Yeah, Xbox is done for in Japan. I mean, it really is. But that doesn't mean this is going to be the next step for Xbox Next. And like Brian said its been their a year already, you already have a handful of excellent games (Halo, Otogi, Tekki, Murakumo, JSRF, Orta, Phantom Crash and a few others) why not just keep it around for 4 more years. If I were Microsoft I would've just bitten the bullet, say **** it, and start pushing amazing non-Japanese taste games down their throats. Show them that Splinter Cell, Morrowind, MechAssault, Deathrow, Ghost Recon, Unreal Championship, and whateve else jumps to mind are amazing games. There seems to be a really hardcore market of Japanese gamers importing American games (Yo-Gi in Japan) and MOST are either interested in Xbox or already own modded systems. Carve a nice niche out and sit on that and try to expand further with the next system (knowing Microsoft they'll keep towing the hoe).