Not likely since in 2009 they're going to start preparations for 720.


"Add in their nationalistic fervor to ignoring foreign made products, MS's stigma of the last xbox (massive console + american size controller), and it's hard to imagine how they could see any success over there.

I think it's awesome how hard MS is fighting for that market given the high wall of entry. Maybe in 2009 they'll be able to release a '360 slim' and have a game library large enough to tempt even the most cautious japanese."

I think this is the biggest reason of all. I think this is the reason sales have slowed everywhere. 

 The Japanese are perplexing when it comes to their buying habits.  Many of the American products they like are culture based.  They do like aspects of American culture, like Levi jeans.  The iPod doesn't bomb there because it is hands over fists better than many of the Japanese offerings.  The 360 fails because Japan is seen by the Japanese as being very, very strong in the video game market.  They would much rather buy the domestic product that they consider superior, regardless of the game offerings.  Microsoft never had a chance in Japan with the 360.  It doesn't have anything to do with Microsoft.  The Xbox brand would have to be overwelmingly better and become a world wide cultural invasion before the Japanese would buy it in larger numbers.

I give this thread a 9.6. 

360 is simply not popular there for many reasons as Starcraft says. I'm also not sure that the glut of JRPGs will help, nor that MS really think it will either.

MS made it clear recently they are no longer going to go crazy over Japan so it seems to me they are looking to try and secure Western JRPG players by paying for exclusives (as lets face it on native 360 install base in Japan plus the consoles core demographics it would struggle to get JRPG exclusives without paying for them) and if it helps in Japan then fine, and if it doesn't then stuff them they won't get the games then (or will have to wait for them to hit PS3 or Wii for timed exclusives).

As a result 360 has (given its current install base and core demographics) an artificially high percentage of JRPGs heading its way - hence 'king of JRPG' currently from a Western (but I suspect not Japanese) perspective.

IDK they dont like microsoft whitch is to bad for them =/ they are missing out on a lot of good games

Branding is one of the bigger issues. And a large part of the Xbox image problem is that console gaming in the mind of the typical Japanese gamer has always been a Japanese brand industry.

Any chance MS had to change that was lost with the relative failure of the original Xbox.

The MS name, after two generations of consoles, has become Japan's Sega in that market, even while it continues to soldier on in NA.

Part of the other issue seems to be MS lack of ability to adapt to current changes in the Japanese gaming market. Hardcore gaming is definitely in decline in Japan, yet MS continues to push that angle as a means to keep the system alive (on life support) in that region.

Personal opinions aside about JRPGs, the format has remained largely unchanged since its original inception. It may well just be that the Japanese gamers simply aren't bullish enough about them anymore to buy another console.

The release of FFXIII for the PS3 should be a good test to see whether this is the case or not. If it sells mediocre and provides only a modest but short lived bump in hardware sales, consider this confirmed.

O.T: good question. Maybe they don't trust 360 and were not impressed with the original xbox.

Off Topic: I never like rpgs or jrpgs but since I own a 360 and the excitement over rpgs is getting me interested.
which rpg and jrpg game is the easiest for me to start with?

None of them. I highly doubt if you haven't liked them before, you'll like them now, unless you are going to be delusional, and start liking them because they are on the XBox360.

You can try Mass Effect. It's from a great company (Bioware), and has a good mix of action/RPG. It's still definitely an RPG though. Not sure what you might like on the JRPG side of things though. It's IMO a love or hate situation with JRPGs.

Maybe the Japanese decided to boycott M$ like the wii fans did to ubisoft or maybe the Japanese are "playing beyond"(beyond consoles that is lol)