First I would say that Japan is probably the LEAST important market out of the group they are launching in...China is probably the biggest "prize" here...but the problem is that traditionally, Microsoft has struggled in ALL of these countries and territories. Japan is NEVER going to be successful for Xbox...despite MS pandering to the market. The reasons for this are many...from the limited living space most Japanese have (that will not accommodate a Kinect, even if they wanted it, which they most definitely DO NOT...), to the fact that console gaming is on the decline in Japan, with most of the gaming being done on portable consoles and (gasp!) mobile phones.

We also have a situation where Microsoft is facing INCREDIBLE backlash from most of these countries over the NSA scandal...and with the NSA admitting at least that they were "looking into" monitoring Kinect...I doubt many foreign gamers will trust MS and put an Xbox in their home...even if they weren't already biased against Western companies!

Bottom line...there is a REASON that the 360 did not do well in these countries and a reason that MS skipped them with the initial launch of the XB1!

MS fans keep looking to the "next big thing" that will "save" their console...but increasingly it is looking like MS and Xbox One will not recover from the hole they dug for themselves. It's just one more item to get crossed off on the chalkboard!