This Old Neon Forum

Microsoft's Xbox One will be launching in 29 new territories throughout the month of September, including in Japan on Thursday the 4th. Xbox One was previously only available in 13 markets compared to the PS4's nearly 50, so this will bring them closer to par.

It'll be interesting to see whether the increased exposure will help them gain some ground on the Wii U's sales.

Kong Wen wrote:Microsoft's Xbox One will be launching in 29 new territories throughout the month of September, including in Japan on Thursday the 4th. Xbox One was previously only available in 13 markets compared to the PS4's nearly 50, so this will bring them closer to par.

It'll be interesting to see whether the increased exposure will help them gain some ground on the Wii U's sales.

They won't overtake Sony though!

The way they decided to release the Xbone might be one of the most retarded moves since E.T for the Atari 2600.

Yes, I know that it used to be common for game systems to be with months in difference depending on what region you lived but that doesn't really work anymore when a) the competition does proper international releases and b) the internet is as widespread as it is and people get pissed about it.

Turai wrote:The way they decided to release the Xbone might be one of the most retarded moves since E.T for the Atari 2600.

Yes, I know that it used to be common for game systems to be with months in difference depending on what region you lived but that doesn't really work anymore when a) the competition does proper international releases and b) the internet is as widespread as it is and people get pissed about it.

I don't think anyone in Japan is pissed about waiting for the Xbox One. I don't think they care. These international markets are minor markets for Microsoft. Delaying releases there gives Microsoft time to articulate their strategy beyond the guesswork and hype that usually forms the basis of an initial launch. They have also had a chance to adapt to what worked and what didn't work in their North American & European launches.

Ultimately, it's not going to make a huge difference. Xbox has never really been a player in Japan, and even the PS4 is selling like crap there right now.

Kong Wen wrote:

Turai wrote:The way they decided to release the Xbone might be one of the most retarded moves since E.T for the Atari 2600.

Yes, I know that it used to be common for game systems to be with months in difference depending on what region you lived but that doesn't really work anymore when a) the competition does proper international releases and b) the internet is as widespread as it is and people get pissed about it.

I don't think anyone in Japan is pissed about waiting for the Xbox One. I don't think they care. These international markets are minor markets for Microsoft. Delaying releases there gives Microsoft time to articulate their strategy beyond the guesswork and hype that usually forms the basis of an initial launch. They have also had a chance to adapt to what worked and what didn't work in their North American & European launches.

Ultimately, it's not going to make a huge difference. Xbox has never really been a player in Japan, and even the PS4 is selling like crap there right now.

You forget that it was delayed in large parts of Europe, which isn't exactly small markets.
Markets now saturated with the more powerful PS4.

Turai wrote:You forget that it was delayed in large parts of Europe, which isn't exactly small markets.
Markets now saturated with the more powerful PS4.

The Xbox One has been available since launch in the UK & Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain.

The new European markets are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

I'd like to see some numbers on just how large those markets are supposed to be. I wonder if there's a good PS4 sales breakdown by European country. I'd bet $100 the sales in the former countries outpace the ones in the latter countries by a respectable margin.

Anyway, this doesn't exactly detract from your point. I just don't think those markets are going to be really important for Xbox's success in the long run. I think there's more untapped potential in the Asian markets (China, India, etc.), but then again they haven't been traditional console bastions for a while.

Kong Wen wrote:

Turai wrote:You forget that it was delayed in large parts of Europe, which isn't exactly small markets.
Markets now saturated with the more powerful PS4.

The new European markets are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

Considering that the Netherlands is the European nerd mecca, it should be worth something.
Maybe not to the point of being equal with the UK but I wouldn't count it out as an important marketing region.

Oh, and more developments, not only was the system extremely late to the party in these areas....some games that was part of the original launch line up still isn't available in those areas. GOOD JOB MICROSOFT!

Xbox One only sold 23k units during the Japanese launch. It's not terribly surprising, but it's not great news for them.