The Xbox's "killer app" for Japan?

[Caustic Saint]

Microsoft's lack of success with the Xbox in Japan is something that's been discussed before, but could MS have finally found a way to get J-gamers interested?



Microsoft to debut Xbox Video Chat in Japan

Announced at E3 this year, "Xbox Video Chat" is due to be released first in Japan. The bundle, which includes camera, 12 months of Xbox Live service, chat disc and Live Starter Kit will go on sale before the end of 2004, for 7140 yen. The product is being developed mainly in Japan, and some of the key features include:
- up to 5 people video conferencing simultaneously
- 10 different video effects, 7 different voice effects
- 20 preset illustrations and sound effects
- 51 background themes for use during chat sessions
- send vibrations to particpants' controllers: "Shake"
- "Me" mode in which you can expand your own picture to fill the screen
- host can remove participants and participation can be restricted to invite only

I don't quite get the need to send vibrations to other chatters' controllers, since most gamers are male. Who are they hoping this feature will lure in?

Lonely girls, of course!



Interesting tactic, but I think any lonely female gamers have already picked up a PS2, a copy of Rez and the Trance Vibrator. (as discussed over at Game Girl Advance)



I mean, if they can play a game on their own that rewards their progress with vibrations, why would they want to depend on a bunch of guys who can't get girlfriends to send random vibrations their way? (Of course, any girl who shows up in an Xbox video chat is going to have guys shaking her controller 100% of the time, so it's hardly random at all.)

Interesting idea for a console app, but I don't think it's what MS needs to crack the market.

(Japanese Xbox Video Chat page here)

[Taro Toporific]

Microsoft's lack of success with the Xbox in Japan is something that's been discussed before...

Ohhh, without my glasses on, I thought it said Microsoft VideoShat.


Of course, that "shat" might be apropos. Media Create reported thatweekly sales of in Japan of Xbox just 574 units, for the week ending June 6. Sheeeeeeeeee-it, that's poorer sales than Rob Pongi selling his black velvet Elvis paintings on his blanket in front of Roppingi station.

[Caustic Saint]

More Japanese sales woe for Xbox

It really does seem that Japan will never quite 'get' Xbox in this generation. Despite reports of extra marketing activity and price-cuts, Microsoft's console continues to falter in Asia's key territory with Media Create reporting weekly sales of just 574 units, for the week ending June 6.

Unless Microsoft finds new ways of expanding its appeal beyond its very 'westernised' image and branding, the Xbox will continue to sink without trace in Asian territories.

Yeah, I don't think this will help it succeed, but it is a neat idea. I check the console charts over at Magic Box pretty regularly, and the Xbox has never had any numbers worth talking about. (In the positive sense, at least.) They've only sold 20,079 this year, compared with 1,318,309 PS2s and 378,024 Gamecubes. Hell, even the PSOne has managed to sell 11,116 this year. For a while, it was even beating the Xbox in weekly sales.

There were rumors of a hardware redesign, similar to the Playstation to PSOne transformation, but such a unit's never materialized. If they could do that, and cut the price even more, I might be tempted to pick one up.

MS has to realize that if they can't move units with the current bundle in Japan (system, 2 controllers, DVD kit, Halo, Crimson Skies and 2 months on Live) at their 19.740 yen price point - something needs to change. Realistically though, I think they should pretty much write off Japan for this generation. Keep the name out there and seriously rethink things for the Xbox 2. (Which could launch next year according to some reports, since MS wants a lot of lead-time vs. the PS3.)

[Caustic Saint]

It's coming.... (make your own joke)

November 25 has been set as the release date for Xbox Video Chat in Japan.

[amdg]

What the fuck is wrong with game industry people? They have all the best things coming out between now and christmas. Can I afford to drop 1000 bucks during that period? How much are we expected to pay for xbox's new chat?

Game industy perspective:

Now I know what you're thinking "What? How is 'getting your title buried in a shit heap of other games so that it doesn't sell nearly as well as it could have' playing it safe?" I have a theory on this that I call "The Christmas Decoration Phenomenon." As near as I can tell, there are legions of trolls that sit in marketing offices all day crunching numbers. They are really sensitive to patterns, even ones that the normal human eye is incapable of seeing. It would seem that, at some point a few years back, some clever marketing troll said to himself "hmm... a lot of games sell around Christmas, because people go and buy toys for kids at Christmas. I know! If we sell our game at Christmas, we'll make tons of money!" And it worked. For years, it seemed that the maxim was "lets push this game and get it out the door at Christmas." And, like the decorations at department stores, the definition of "Christmas Time" keeps getting pushed back sooner and sooner and lasting longer and longer. Now, "The Holiday Season" begins in September and ends in January.

~ Dodger (a game industry guy)

Games coming out this month:

Guilty Gear X2 - 9/7 - 19.99
Burnout 3 - 9/7 - 49.99
Fable - 9/14 - 49.99
X-Men Legends - 9/22 - 49.99
The Sims 2 - 9/14 - 49.99
Star Wars Battlefront - 9/20 - 49.99
Myst IV Revelation - 9/21 - 39.99
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - 9/28 - 49.99
Sly 2: Band of Thieves - 9/14 - 39.99
Mega Man X Command Mission - 9/21 - 39.99

Also,
Evil Genius
Rome: Total War
Locomotion
Port Royale 2
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Full Spectrum
Silent Hill 4
Red Star
Gradius V
Demon Stone
Def Jam Fight For NY
Armored Core: Nexus