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Microsoft delays Xbox One launch in China
- Thread starter Kayant
- Start date
It's not like there's a shortage of consoles in NA.
You realize there's a huge market for luxury items in China, right? There's a whole group that changes their cars every year, like some here do with phones lol
This isn't aimed for the average person. We'll see if it works. The iPhone is aimed at the average person in USA, but it is an aspirational item in China.
Like Japan had?
rokkerkory
Member
Lol there are so many rich people in china that can support a niche x1 product
KillerStar
Member
It's especially disrespectful ...
SwiftDeath
Member
Interesting turn of events
mcz117chief
Member
Awww man, and I was so looking forward to it :/
Not that I live in China, I just want to see how well it does, if it will either be a surprise hit or another Japan disaster
Not that I live in China, I just want to see how well it does, if it will either be a surprise hit or another Japan disaster
How is this interesting? Honestly? The xbox sells like garbage everywhere and yet this is interesting? I'm gonna go out out on a limb and say you don't own an xb1(nor want one), and have an iphone in your pocket. If i am wrong I am not sorry.
If you meant it's interesting that they even want to release the console in Asia, then yes it is interesting on why they are wasting their time.
I guess a delayed launch is just interesting. Means there is drama behind the scenes that for some is interesting. Don't know why you seem upset about this.
Calm down mr hypersensitivity. When was the last time a console was delayed 3 days prior to launch and now can't give much specifics as to what might be happening?
So are we talking about most gamer is not console gamer or average Chinese income is not the way you think it is? That is 2 different topics.
I'm sure the 3 people in line are furious.
But it isn't the demand or lack of it that people find interesting. It is a delayed launch 3 days before said launch. I don't care where it is that speaks to things going really wrong behind the scenes and people want to know why.
thesuperfunk
Member
Strange situation ...
They're probably realizing why they're wasting time launching there in the first place.
3rdamention
Member
Woah, woah, relax there brother. He may have thought it was interesting that it was delayed 3 days before launch? Systems should have been shipped already, especially with time it takes to get through customs to China...
Gah I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now. That is not why they delayed the launch.
Aren't they built in china? Must be a long route from the factories.
Chittagong
Gold Member
Imagine an anonymous cardboard box by the door of your warehouse with a label 'to China' on it, with 5 Xbones inside. It's your job to drive it to post office. It's Friday, you have been out early lining up for your iPhone 6. You forget.
Chairmanchuck
Member
Of course I do that. I know people that save up just to buy a Gucci bag to show off. I kknow there are so many rich people in the country, that spend thousands of dollars on overpriced accessories.
But often these accessories are something to show off.
I cant just say "Hey. I bought an Xbox One. Look at me!"
Actually I know a lot of people in China that have an iPhone that still earn the average salary.
And you can get it cheaper if you import from HK.
If you say it isnt aimed for the average person, then who is it aimed for? Foreigners working there? The "rich elite"?
I just dont see what market they are aiming for, since it is still just a console, not a lifestyle item.
I am talking about if there is a market for the Xbox One there and the average income as well as the preferences of the gamers play a huge part in that I would say.
Im an expert btw 
Seriously though. I wish China would support a console and a console would do well in their market, but I dont think the Xbox One will be successfull in doing that.
Foreign manufacturers engage in round tripping of goods they sell into China to save on taxes. That means they are exported and re-imported.
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
The iphone is a symbol of affluence in China (and often even in many other countries). It is a foreign product that is super popular everywhere else. Having one shows that you are in step with the rest of the world and that you can afford to buy one. A game console won't achieve that kind of effect nor can it be carried around to be shown off.
Lol Xbones are not luxury items. What are you going to do take it outside on your shoulder boom box style?
Surely not in China.
I love how chairmanchuck is making well thought out posts based on his personal experiences in the country along with factual data and everyone's like "LOL WHAT AN IGNORAMUS."
Or can it?
A Beijinger is not an average person. The average person in China is not getting an iPhone with an average salary.Of course I do that. I know people that save up just to buy a Gucci bag to show off. I kknow there are so many rich people in the country, that spend thousands of dollars on overpriced accessories.
But often these accessories are something to show off.
I cant just say "Hey. I bought an Xbox One. Look at me!"
Actually I know a lot of people in China that have an iPhone that still earn the average salary.
And you can get it cheaper if you import from HK.
If you say it isnt aimed for the average person, then who is it aimed for? Foreigners working there? The "rich elite"?
I just dont see what market they are aiming for, since it is still just a console, not a lifestyle item.
I am talking about if there is a market for the Xbox One there and the average income as well as the preferences of the gamers play a huge part in that I would say.
Im an expert btw
Seriously though. I wish China would support a console and a console would do well in their market, but I dont think the Xbox One will be successfull in doing that.
If you are talking about 4000 as average in Beijing, why aren't you surprised about them having iPhones that launch at 5500 RMB?
There is a market for putting expensive things in the home (look at the piano market) and a market for expensive gadgets (just look at the popularity of DSLRs which cost the same as iPhones).
Valkyria
Banned
So much this, it's baffling.
i wouldnt be sure about that.
chinese pay premium prices for stuff from europe or the US. if it is interesting for them, they want it and it doesnt matter if its expensive. have a look how many people buy iphones. its incredible. there are so many rich people these days there, ms/apple and whoever is not targeting the average joe there, they clearly know that once you are interesting for the rich elite people, they will buy your shit.
Chairmanchuck
Member
I know there is a market for that there. I am just wondering if the Xbone would be for these people? I mean in the end its still a gaming device, that will have an average lifetime of maybe 6-7 years.
A piano you usually have either for a lifetime or at least more than 10 years.
I know that the iPhones will launch at 5500RMB. But last year the price fell in just two months to about 3300 for the 5c and about 4300 for the 5s. All major resellers had to lower the price, because it didnt sell that well, especially the 5c.
(Thats how I got mine
)But the iPhone is still a lifestyle product in the chinese eyes. An Xbox One is still just a gaming console. And especially one that most of their games wouldnt cater to Chinese. I mean MS needs to build up an almost PC-exclusive country to "accept" consoles.
Its not just like Japan, where they can release "one more console" into the market.
MS is the first one since years to do it again.
miDnIghtEr20C
Banned
So much concern over the Xbox One releasing in.... China of all places.
X1 is already out, we already know everything about it, we know how people dislike it, we know that people still are holding on to grudges for some reason that happened at E3 couple years back.
But now people are concerned at this turn of events..... IN CHINA?
Lol.... come on people. It's delayed in China for whatever reason. Big whoop. We already know what the X1 does and how nobody will buy it there anyways.
China big concern news for MS. Lol. Didn't they just say they were trying to stop MS and Windows there or something for whatever reason the Chines had.
X1 is already out, we already know everything about it, we know how people dislike it, we know that people still are holding on to grudges for some reason that happened at E3 couple years back.
But now people are concerned at this turn of events..... IN CHINA?
Lol.... come on people. It's delayed in China for whatever reason. Big whoop. We already know what the X1 does and how nobody will buy it there anyways.
China big concern news for MS. Lol. Didn't they just say they were trying to stop MS and Windows there or something for whatever reason the Chines had.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
Uh people are so poor in China that they sell their kids for iPhones.
Only a small percent of China can afford anything, which is probably less than 1%.
Chairmanchuck
Member
I wouldnt say there is no chance to sell the Xbones in China well. But if they want to sell them, then they need to market it as a lifestyle product, not as a console.
I somehow doubt that this is what they are doing.
Like I said. I dont see anyone really excited about the Xbone in China if you look at the gaming forums and websites there. I am sure they would like the PS4 more, also partly because of more "anime"-games.
They loved the PSP there a few years ago. Saw so many people playing Monster Hunter, from young to old, in the subway.
So this is what being 5 million units behind brings out in people..
I don't think it will do well since it's not a good product. But I don't think his anecdotes are an accurate reflection of the high priced goods market in China. He is familiar with students and new graduates and discusses an average urban income that is 1) old (2013 average is closer to 6000) and 2) brought down by very low income earners. The starting salary for a college graduate at my company's Beijing office is 35,000 RMB/month for instance, and people with good degrees usually are able to start at 10k up. Beijing also has the Silicon Valley of China, with a lot of workers in the tech field. Starting salary at Baidu is 16,000/month, a foreign law firm 20-25k, teaching English 10-12k etc.I love how chairmanchuck is making well thought out posts based on his personal experiences in the country along with factual data and everyone's like "LOL WHAT AN IGNORAMUS."
Or can it?
3rdamention
Member
Lol, I am not reading hardly any of these posts as "concerned." Most people are more intrigued or simply interested in what could cause the system to be delayed, without a new launch date, 3 days before launch....
It's it simple localization? Is it a supply issue? A hardware issue? Shipping or logistics issue? A software issue? A government issue?
What could cause them to delay so close to launch? It's just interesting, not "concern" unless "interested" is the new "concerned."
japan is not a market where you can simply drop a console as you have seen, the xbox brand has gradually sold worse with each launch. japan is simply a country which does not accept a foreign videogamesystem. there was a quite good article on eurogamer a few years ago.
but china is different. they are open to new things, they have japanese stuff, they have korean stuff, they have american and european stuff on their market, while the other two eastasian market have embargoes or the taxes on foreign products are too high.
china on the other hand is consuming as much as they can. it simply does not look like you can actually fail with a high priced electronic product there.
on the other hand, yeah, china and korea have been for the last 20 years pc-gaming-markets... its hard to actually get into that market. korea has the gaming cafe, so thats why most people would not buy a system for their home. they rarely have this "i invite friends to my home"-culture there. i dont know about china....
dreamcastmaster
Banned
I've been working in China for 7 years and Chairmanchuck is pretty much spot on with the information he's giving. Average wage for office workers in my experience is 5K a month.
All those luxury goods like the iPhone or laptop are often the only high price item average people own. The Piano market is for the rich different demographic.
You're also assuming the same people that will buy luxury goods are the same people that will buy an xbox, and those two groups don't necessarily converge (they may and in some cases do).
The problem is those people that buy luxury items buy them to flaunt it. They buy cars, jewelery, handbags, phones and anything else they can show off because there self worth is tied into being able to show off these things and get attention (positive or negative attention mind you) from others around them that cannot afford the same product. This is much harder to do with a game console. A console, by its very nature, ends up tucked away under the tv or in an entertainment center and you don't go around showing it off to strangers, usually just to friends that come over. If these friends (presumably luxury owners too) don't care that you have it, then its worth is non existent to people who buy luxury items.
There is a clear difference between buying luxury clothing, cars, bags, phones etc. and trying to place a game console as a "luxury good".
Chairmanchuck
Member
China is the same actually.
At least the teeangers go to net-cafés to play their Dota, Lol, Crossfire and so on. After they move out though they usually, if they like gaming, buy a PC to play those games.
If you need me, you know where to find me
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
It's bigger than bigger.