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[Madness]

Then why pray tell does Apple do so well there?

Because Apple is dominant worldwide. It's either Apple for their iPhone, or HTC (Taiwan), Samsung/LG (South Korea), Xiaomi/Huawei (China).

And even then, phones like the Sony Xperia Z3 were the best selling smartphone. All around the world, Sony Xperia sales are down, except in Japan, a place where Samsung struggles so much, they remove their Samsung name from their phones, only being Docomo Galaxy, so that the South Korean, cheapness, inferior perception goes away.

A lot of you guys are acting like this is news you've never heard before. So extrapolate that to consoles. Unless the Xbox was some unique console that provided something so stupendous that Japanese gamers just had to have it, there is nothing they can do that would make them an instant buy over homegrown Sony and Nintendo.

 

[GameAddict411]

I mean people like to pretend it doesn't happen but even Samsung went so far as to remove all traces of its name from their Galaxy S6 last year in Japan to try and boost sales, and to do away with the stigma of being a South Korean company, low quality, cheap etc. Just about any other country in the world would love to own a Samsung flagship, but a South Korean company like Samsung has had it very tough.

Wow! I never knew it was that bad. What's the most popular phone maker in Japan apart from Apple?

Edit: I guess my question is answered.

 

[KillerMan91]

This.

Hardly a shock, is it?

X360 sold around 1.65 million units in Japan. Xbox One is going to hard time to sell even 100k. Its pretty shocking just how hard the thing bombed even if we are talking about Japan.

 

[Grover]

 

[nicanica]

Well facts are facts: Xbox needs to release more games where 1000 year old witches look like 12 year school girls who fall backwards a lot in their skirts

 

[TheFurizzlyBear]

To everybody saying "why bother?" ~100 gamers a week in Japan decide they want an Xbox One. We should at least support the fact MS is making it easier for them to get one without importing. We tend to get pissy when a niche does not make it to our markets so I imagine there are some Japanese Xbox fans who would react the same.

 

[Bear Force One]

Because Apple is dominant worldwide. It's either Apple for their iPhone, or HTC (Taiwan), Samsung/LG (South Korea), Xiaomi/Huawei (China).

And even then, phones like the Sony Xperia Z3 were the best selling smartphone. All around the world, Sony Xperia sales are down, except in Japan, a place where Samsung struggles so much, they remove their Samsung name from their phones, only being Docomo Galaxy, so that the South Korean, cheapness, inferior perception goes away.

A lot of you guys are acting like this is news you've never heard before. So extrapolate that to consoles. Unless the Xbox was some unique console that provided something so stupendous that Japanese gamers just had to have it, there is nothing they can do that would make them an instant buy over homegrown Sony and Nintendo.

Well then that disproves any ridiculous claims of ethnocentrism.

It's simply not an appealing product for most of the world. Hell, it's on pace to sell half of what the 360 did.

 

[Cranster]

It's not worth the time. It happens in thread after thread. They'll never give you an answer. Even if they do it'll be something like "those are exceptions to the rule!" which has no meaning whatsoever and does absolutely nothing to address the question.

It's just plain ignorance with a healthy scoop of "I gotta defend my favorite console by blaming something else other than my favorite console."

Last I checked Apple is not in the console market, Microsoft has tried to win over the Japanese market and at this point it's futile because most Japanese gamers will never accept Microsoft or atleast not anytime soon.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Interesting to raise Sega. Wasn't the Saturn generation where Sega died, it was the Dreamcast. Great games, powerful console, forward looking with online and the controller...

Yes, Sega pulled the plug on their hardware with the Dreamcast, but what happened between Sega CD, 32x, and Saturn is what did took them to that place. They basically did everything right as far as Dreamcast goes, but too little too late. History may have been slightly different had they gone Genesis-Saturn-Dreamcast, without the short-lived 'upgrades' in sega CD and 32x eroding consumer confidence.

Dreamcast lived on in spirit anyways....

 

[Wheatly]

They sure didn't buy all of those SEGA, From Soft, NAMCO, Square Enix, Konami, Capcm games that were clearly funded by MS to get that audience for the past 15+ years

"Try harder!" lol fuck outta here. You're delusional if you think any effort by MS in Japan is worthwhile.

PS4 is selling better everywhere else in the world besides the US for many reasons

I could also make the argument that the only reason the Xbone is the top selling console in the USA because of American ethnocentrism and not wanting to buy "jap crap".

Herp

 

[Shenmue]

Wow! I never knew it was that bad. What's the most popular phone maker in Japan apart from Apple?

Edit: I guess my question is answered.

Samsung is removed not because it's not Japanese. It's removed because Japan and South Korea outright dislike each other and constantly feud over anything and everything.

Post WW2 Japan is the Asian nation most accepting and adoring of American culture given the the US's heavy involvement in the rebuilding of the nation.

Don't let that Samsung example fool you and somehow be equated to the Xbox issue. There's a reason why Samsung's name is hidden while HTC is not (Japan and Taiwan are on great terms).

 

[PseudoViper]

"Xbone got 99 problems and it's just week one,
I feel bad for them son, cause only 99 sold and it's just week one..."

 

[Bear Force One]

Last I checked Apple is not in the console market, Microsoft has tried to win over the Japanese market and at this point it's futile because most Japanese gamers will never accept Microsoft or atleast not anytime soon.

Yet Apple (and Disney) disputes the claims of ethnocentrism clearly.

 

[Jotaka]

A lot of you guys are acting like this is news you've never heard before. So extrapolate that to consoles. Unless the Xbox was some unique console that provided something so stupendous that Japanese gamers just had to have it, there is nothing they can do that would make them an instant buy over homegrown Sony and Nintendo.

and you have answered the question why xbox didnt sell in japan lol

 

[GameAddict411]

Samsung is removed not because it's not Japanese. It's removed because Japan and South Korea outright dislike each other and constantly feud over anything and everything.

Post WW2 Japan is the Asian nation most accepting and adoring of American culture given the the US's heavy involvement in the rebuilding of the nation.

Don't let that Samsung example fool you and somehow be equated to the Xbox issue.

I know it's irrelevant to the topic, but it's still very interesting. They basically renamed their phones.

 

[King_Moc]

PS4 is selling better everywhere else in the world besides the US for many reasons

I could also make the argument that the only reason the Xbone is the top selling console in the USA because of American ethnocentrism and not wanting to buy "jap crap".

Herp

About that...

 

[VincentMatts]

I dunno why they keep wasting money on that market. Id stop shipping them there altogether.

 

[juicyfruitas]

Let's not go the cheap and ignorant route of using ethnocentrism as the primary reason for xbox's failure in Japan.

If Panasonic owned and released the xbox in Japan with the same software lineup, marketing and branding efforts it'd be on life support as well.

 

[mejin]

Last I checked Apple is not in the console market, Microsoft has tried to win over the Japanese market and at this point it's futile because most Japanese gamers will never accept Microsoft or atleast not anytime soon.

So, should Microsoft stay only on US? UK?

Microsoft did a crap job in Japan. You can't blame them not wanting XB1 when Microsoft never really tried this gen.

 

[chromatic9]

New shipment arrived today

 

[Wheatly]

Samsung is removed not because it's not Japanese. It's removed because Japan and South Korea outright dislike each other and constantly feud over anything and everything.

Post WW2 Japan is the Asian nation most accepting and adoring of American culture given the the US's heavy involvement in the rebuilding of the nation.

Don't let that Samsung example fool you and somehow be equated to the Xbox issue. There's a reason why Samsung's name is hidden while HTC is not (Japan and Taiwan are on great terms).

Or maybe they recognize that Samsung phones suck?

My galaxy S3 would turn into an oven, then crash and freeze every time I tried to use the GPS

 

[Shenmue]

I know it's irrelevant to the topic, but it's still very interesting. They basically renamed their phones.

Yup that's how bad it is. Watch Japanese and Korean TV, especially the news (which is supposed to be unbiased) and you'll often see that stories are exaggerated or outright made up to disparage the other country. Both countries are guilty of it.

 

[Wheatly]

About that...

Oh its not anymore?

That's new to me

 

[Cranster]

So, should Microsoft stay only on US? UK?

Microsoft did a crap job in Japan. You can't blame them not wanting XB1 when Microsoft never really tried this gen.

They tried with the Xbox 360 and didn't even make a dent.

Yet Apple (and Disney) disputes the claims of ethnocentrism clearly.

It doesn't disprove anything.

 

[The Elite]

Quick. Release Lost Odyssey 2.


..

...

 

[InsaneTiger]

 

[GlamFM]

Nice, looks like the PS4 might be able to catch up in Japan after all.

 

[ar4757]

lol no what are you talking about? It's doing better than the Wii-U. Xbox's been in second place before, in fact it's always been the second place option. That's just the way things are.



Yeah, more games for Asia to ignore lol

I heard lots of speculation that this may be Microsoft's last console, so his question isn't out of nowhere. Whether it's possible or not is a different story, and one we can't be sure of.

Yeah i hated how i couldn't find a single iPhone or mcdonalds last time i was in Japan.

Sounds more like American ignorance at its greatest.

Pretty sure lots of Japanese people use iphones. Beats America where every clueless person has an iphone. And they have mcdonalds everywhere, haven't you heard of the squid ink burger XD

 

[Squalor]

I got 99 problems..

All on Xbox One.

BUY ME!

 

[MisterR]

He's not wrong though.

Apparently there is lots of ethnocentrism everywhere, since the Xbox One only sells well in the US and UK.

 

[krang]

I feel like the only person here who prefers the western focus of Xbox. If that's at the expense of Japanese sales then so be it, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Oh its not anymore?

That's new to me

It never was.

I feel like the only person here who prefers the western focus of Xbox. If that's at the expense of Japanese sales then so be it, as far as I'm concerned.

American focus you mean.

It's not doing so hot in Europe.

 

[Bastables]

What? We learned it in economics class as well man. Consumer ethnocentrism exists, especially in places like Japan, South Korea, China, US and Germany. Many citizens are often hesitant to purchase or associate with foreign brands, either due to socio-cultural reasons or greater brand affinity for their own national brands. Examples include not buying certain automobiles, certain electronics etc.

Your economics class is pants, Starbucks, Windows, Apple, MacDonald, Kfc success in Japan should indicate ethnocentrism is a minor variable or really a misinterpreted result of poor ability to sell a product.

 

[cakely]

Media Create can now start publishing a top 100 list of all of the new Japanese Xbox One owners.

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

Ethnocentric pride may not be the sole reason the Microsoft consoles don't sell well in Japan, but it's clearly a large one.

 

[KHlover]

Well facts are facts: Xbox needs to release more games where 1000 year old witches look like 12 year school girls who fall backwards a lot in their skirts

#FE bombed
Those kinda games only sell on Vita, won't do anything good for MS.

I feel like the only person here who prefers the western focus of Xbox. If that's at the expense of Japanese sales then so be it, as far as I'm concerned.

More like US focus. At the expense of worldwide sales.

 

[funkystudent]

Its a giant black box with no Japanese games on it.

Its basically the OG Xbox again for Japan.



Even the weird underbelly of creepy moe games that gave the 360 a boost now and again isnt on Xbox anymore.

 

[krang]

American focus you mean.

It's not doing so hot in Europe.

FH2 is one of my favourite games this gen, just as a quick example.

 

[wachie]

Ethnocentric pride at its greatest. How sad.

Time to boycott and burn PS4s.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

honestly I find it more shocking that even at the height of hoilday fever, the console couldnt even sell 5,000 units.

A post hoilday slump is far more expected but not even selling well in the holidays is disasterous.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

And here I thought leaving GameFAQS would get me away from all the "Japanese are xenophobic" shit whenever Xbox sales there are brought up...

 

[Dreamgazer]

FH2 is one of my favourite games this gen, just as a quick example.

I don't get it. Are you implying arcade racing games are a "western focused" thing?

 

[Squalor]

Ethnocentric pride at its greatest. How sad.

Because they don't want an inferior system?

 

[SolidAwesome]

Tim Dog is going to be pissed

 

[King_Moc]

Oh its not anymore?

That's new to me

I think XB1 has only won 2 months since launch in 2013 (November and December 2014), and they didn't put it ahead.

It doesn't disprove anything.

Unless you have some sort of evidence as to how gamers in Japan are all xenophobes, but consumers of other industries aren't, then it kind of does. Nationalism pills being packaged with the PS4 maybe?

I feel like the only person here who prefers the western focus of Xbox. If that's at the expense of Japanese sales then so be it, as far as I'm concerned.

There's a console that does both.

 

[RibMan]

Exception to the rule. Even Halo 5 did...okay in Japan. Those franchises are popular there. Popular EVERYWHERE.

11./00. [XB1] Halo 5: Guardians # <ACT> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2015.10.29} (¥7.452) - 7.455 / NEW

I get your point, but Halo 5 did not do okay in Japan. The Xbox One's installbase is very very low in Japan, but 7,000 for a mainline Halo game is abysmal. To put that number into perspective, Lair sold about 3 times as much in Japan. Yes, that Lair.

 

[Squalor]

Oh its not anymore?

That's new to me

Now you're just trolling.

It was never winning. Stop.

 

[mejin]

Some of you guys don't understand. If Microsoft doesn't give a damn to the japanese/asia market they will not lose only this market. Several other countries in the world appreciate japanese games and XB really lacks them right now. This is like a snowball.

Brand is damaged as fuck worldwide.

 

[krang]

There's a console that does both.

I saw 2015's exclusives. Nah, thanks.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

The continuing stigma of Xbox being thought of as an incredibly American console not meant for a japanese audience strikes again as it does every week.