Microsoft unleashes new Xbox in Japan to lukewarm reaction

[Professor S]

Lets be honest. The Japanese are a extremely nationalistic people. They generally look down on any foreign products and they view their culture as greater than all others. They refer to all foreigners as "gaijin", which is an insult and not unlike a white person calling a black person a "nigger".

The fact that an American/foreign company makes the Xbox may not be the only reason why the Japanese reject the Xbox, it is a very big one, and it is also why the Japanese reaction to the 360 doesn't surprise me at all. In fact I was expecting it.

[MuGen]

Originally Posted by Professor S

Lets be honest. The Japanese are a extremely nationalistic people. They generally look down on any foreign products and they view their culture as greater than all others. They refer to all foreigners as "gaijin", which is an insult and not unlike a white person calling a black person a "nigger".

The fact that an American/foreign company makes the Xbox may not be the only reason why the Japanese reject the Xbox, it is a very big one, and it is also why the Japanese reaction to the 360 doesn't surprise me at all. In fact I was expecting it.

Thats a very old fashioned and traditional view of the japanese people...You may be safe saying that about the older generation, but the newer generation is very open. And stop with the friggin nonsense. Gaijin is directly translated to 'foreigner' and has nothing to do with race or ehtnicity. So don't go comparing japanese words you don't understand to racial slurs.

And if someone from japan called you Gaijin with a hostile look... it was probably you.

edit: i didnt seek ur question link... i'm of course of asian descent. been to japan couple of times though and the markets are cluttered w/ rpg's and mario party ads,

[Perfect Stu]

ha! ha! ha! and may godzirra stomp on that yankee doodle trash!

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Sony

Thats a very old fashioned and traditional view of the japanese people...You may be safe saying that about the older generation, but the newer generation is very open. And stop with the friggin nonsense. Gaijin is directly translated to 'foreigner' and has nothing to do with race or ehtnicity. So don't go comparing japanese words you don't understand to racial slurs.

And if someone from japan called you Gaijin with a hostile look... it was probably you.

edit: i didnt seek ur question link... i'm of course of asian descent. been to japan couple of times though and the markets are cluttered w/ rpg's and mario party ads,

I've never been to Japan, but I know wrestlers who have lived and worked there. They are referred to as Gaijin, and it is not a general term no matter what the literal translation is.

Gaijin are looked down upon. Sorry if you don't want to see it that way. Maybe the youth are different, but those that actually run things see it a different way. A traditional and nationalistic way.

[Neo]

More dismal numbers from cnn...

Microsoft sold 62,135 machines over the weekend, or just 39 percent of the 159,000 consoles it is estimated to have shipped to stores, according to data from market researcher Enterbrain Inc.

The figures indicate a slower start than the original Xbox, which failed in Japan.

[MuGen]

Originally Posted by Professor S

I've never been to Japan, but I know wrestlers who have lived and worked there. They are referred to as Gaijin, and it is not a general term no matter what the literal translation is.

Gaijin are looked down upon. Sorry if you don't want to see it that way. Maybe the youth are different, but those that actually run things see it a different way. A traditional and nationalistic way.

And which people would be the ones who would most likely buy an Xbox 360 is at all? The youth....

Yet your rationalization of Xbox 360's poor selling performance in japan was because Japanese people have a superiority complex....

You've never been to japan and you do not understand it's culture. Same goes with japanese people's perspective of foreigners. How do you know if it's "looked down upon" or just "fear"

Human nature tells us we always fear what we can't understand. And don't take the perspective of wrestlers you knew who were there. Ultimately it comes down to your experiences and what your opinion about it is. I bet you if you went to Japan you'd have a blast. No one would get in your face without a reason. Wrestlers face animosity wherever they go, from fans who don't like there character to rival fans.

My advice to you is to visit Japan and see how their culture works and how they go about their lives before making a stereotype about them. Remember... they came from an Imperialistic origin with Emperors and a Monarchy. You could say their stubborness roots from that, but today things are a lot different. How do you think they got their clothes, their start in technology and their industrialization? The WEST....

they are what they are today because they accepted western philosophy. If not you'd still be seeing samurais....

[Teuthida]

The Japanese are a funny case in terms of nationality. They hate to include themselves with the rest of Asia. The most popular selling manga as of late are ones that put down Chinese and Koreans. It's quite popular to bash South Korea since the Korean pop scene and other things have been invading Japan. Sorta like how here some people lash out against anime and are tired of the Japanese influence on the media they used to like. Japan's modern culture grabs bits from other countries. Most of their knowledge of the US for example comes from such things like MTV...not a real awareness. Thus when my friend's cousin came to the states from Japan to visit he was pretty dumbfounded that his dreds and Rastafarian clothing weren't the norm.

As for Xbox 360 not selling well why do you assume iPods are virtually nonexistent in South Korea whereas way too popular here? Where a product originates is a big influence on who buys it even if you refuse to believe it.

[DarrenMcLeod]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-36...ces-142368.php

[Teuthida]

Oh my. I feel kinda bad for MS.

J Allard needs a hug.

[Shadow Fox]

Originally Posted by Teuthida

The Japanese are a funny case in terms of nationality. They hate to include themselves with the rest of Asia. The most popular selling manga as of late are ones that put down Chinese and Koreans. It's quite popular to bash South Korea since the Korean pop scene and other things have been invading Japan. Sorta like how here some people lash out against anime and are tired of the Japanese influence on the media they used to like. Japan's modern culture grabs bits from other countries. Most of their knowledge of the US for example comes from such things like MTV...not a real awareness. Thus when my friend's cousin came to the states from Japan to visit he was pretty dumbfounded that his dreds and Rastafarian clothing weren't the norm.

As for Xbox 360 not selling well why do you assume iPods are virtually nonexistent in South Korea whereas way too popular here? Where a product originates is a big influence on who buys it even if you refuse to believe it.

If that's the case then, why does everyone in Japan use either Windows, Linux, or MacOSX on their computers?

Why hasn't an all-Japanese OS surfaced to cater to their needs?

Answer: because the AMERICAN OS's cater to their needs. If Xbox and Xbox 360 did the same with games, you'd see the same acceptance.

In other words, it doesn't matter whether Sony or Nintendo were Amercian or Russian companies; the Japanese would still eat up everything they make because those games, and MARKETING OF THOSE GAMES, appeal to them.

Think about it- just think about finding a Japanese gamer that hasn't heard of Tetris.

Then ask the same Japanese gamer if they've heard of Halo, or Unreal Tournament.

Sorry, just had to get that bit off of my chest.

[Teuthida]

If you disregard Atari, Japan has always been the major video game country...just like America brought computers into homes. People in every country around the world bitch and moan about Microsoft, but Windows still dominates. Think use of an operating system is in kind of a different catagory anyway...what OS you use determines what programs can use and your overall experience of what a computer is. If want to use a similar example to the consoles then I hightly doubt the Dell Dude has been overseas.

After all the advertising MS has been doing in Japan I think I would be annoyed enough not to want one even if I might have considered it before. They were shoving this thing down people's throats. Like those damn PSP graffittish ads here in NYC which are making me hate a system I was previously indifferent about.

But you're right on having the games they want. Thing is MS is trying to get those types of games for 360.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Sony

Human nature tells us we always fear what we can't understand. And don't take the perspective of wrestlers you knew who were there. Ultimately it comes down to your experiences and what your opinion about it is. I bet you if you went to Japan you'd have a blast. No one would get in your face without a reason. Wrestlers face animosity wherever they go, from fans who don't like there character to rival fans.

My advice to you is to visit Japan and see how their culture works and how they go about their lives before making a stereotype about them. Remember... they came from an Imperialistic origin with Emperors and a Monarchy. You could say their stubborness roots from that, but today things are a lot different. How do you think they got their clothes, their start in technology and their industrialization? The WEST....

they are what they are today because they accepted western philosophy. If not you'd still be seeing samurais....

1) I know I'd have a great time in Japan, and its one of the 3 places I want to visit before I kick off. When I say that Gaijin are looked down upon, I don't mean that the Japanese would outwardly treat them badly. Japanese nationailism isn't the same as American racism. Its soft and polite, you are treated with respect, but you are still not considered at their level.

2) You know nothing about wrestlers, how they are treated, or how wrestling works in Japan. I'll leave it at that.

3) While Samurais do not exist anymore in Japan, Samurai culture and its code of honor are still very prevalent. Afterall, non-feudal Japan is still very young, so to think that the old ways are not still evident is the equivalent of saying that racism/classism no longer exists in America (and no, I'm not comparing Japanese nationalism to malignant racism or slavery)

4) I spent a semester studying Japanese culture, and I've followed Japanese Puroresu and Sumo for years. I know a thing or two about the Japanese and their culture and history.

The Japanese will accept foreign ideas and products, but it takes a while, and they initially distrust foreign goods. An American can be accepted on the same level as a indigenous Japanese, but it takes years of proving yourself. The proof even lies in Japanese writing. In Japanese media, native Japanese names are presented in a traditonal dialect, while Gaijin names are presented in a lower, phonetic-based dialect.

And just curious Sony, have you ever been to Japan? If so, what was your experience like?

[MuGen]

Yes, a couple of years ago for graduation I spent 2 weeks in Japan. And I made several friends over there whom I still keep in touch with. I also study Japanese culture and I have several Japanese friends who live here now whom lived most of their lives in Japan. They enlight me almost everyday with new things about japanese culture and how things are done.

All I'm saying is, it's not as it once was before. The only reason Japan is such a power house now is because of Western civilization's influence on them. They wouldn't have cars today nor would they have any kind of electronic device without western industrialization of Japan.

Originally Posted by ProfessorS

I'm not comparing Japanese nationalism to malignant racism or slavery)

hmm...

Originally Posted by ProfessorS

They refer to all foreigners as "gaijin", which is an insult and not unlike a white person calling a black person a "nigger".

I'd say the offensive nature of the world 'nigger' is held on a very high pedestal compared to 'gaijin.' It's safe to say that the older Japanese people still hold a grudge and evident stubborness towards foreigners because Foreigners are the ones that changed their way of life. You may say the way of the samurai is still prevalent, because the older generation hold on to their traditions with a firm grasp. As seen in The Last Samurai... they were very religious about their traditional ways and held on strong to keep Japan from modernizing. Their conviction for their traditional culture was steadfast. Today, you see that in the old generation. The youth is changing Japan however and things are a lot more open. US and European bands from afar are heralded in Japan now, and the iPod is widely used now in Japan.

Although the first games weren't from Japan.... it was Nintendo that came out as the pioneer in video games. And so the videogame industry has been widely dominated by the japanese market. So in all honestly, Microsoft never had a chance in Japan.

[DarrenMcLeod]

When you say "Eurasia," what exactly are you referring to?

[Teuthida]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3146296

Clears up the price cut. @TCOM trying to get some more business.