Microsoft slashes price of 360 in Japan

By Robert Purchese Published 1 September, 2008

Arcade machine now just over 100 quid.

Microsoft has slashed the price of Xbox 360 in Japan by 30 per cent.

The Arcade unit will drop by around GBP 40 to become the cheapest console at JPY 19,800 (GBP 102), according to The Nikkei.

This compares favourably to the Nintendo Wii, retailing for JPY 25,000 (GBP 129), and the PlayStation 3 - which sells at JPY 39,800 (GBP 205).

Microsoft plans to knock similar amounts off the price of Premium and Elite Xbox 360 models, apparently.

The Xbox 360 has struggled to penetrate the Japanese market, with just 684,695 units sold across the region. That figure pales when stacked against 2.32 million PS3 sales and 6.67 million Wii sales, according to Enterbrain data.

Still, the future brightened recently after Tales of Vesperia helped Xbox 360 sell more than the PS3 for a week in Japan - although the Wii still managed to double Microsoft's efforts.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (42) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • stevencole7 #1 4 years ago

    ..........and it will still sell like shite!

  • Carlo #2 4 years ago

    Wish they'd drop the price over here too.

  • jellyhead #3 4 years ago

    Drop the price here and i'll buy it for Mass Effect but at the moment i'm not really interested tbh.

  • bushwod #4 4 years ago

    can't give it away over there can they

  • Garulon #5 4 years ago

    Apart from it selling out, you mean?

  • miiiguel #6 4 years ago

    I'm trying for ages to get a jNTSC 360, but play-asia as them all sold out. Anyone knows any other place to get it? (want a Premium though).

  • miiiguel #7 4 years ago

    I'm trying for ages to get a jNTSC 360, but play-asia as them all sold out. Anyone knows any other place to get it? (want a Premium though).

  • zooms #8 4 years ago

    There must a price point that will convince the Japanese to at least try the 360. Not sure why they keep trying so hard in Japan. With the 360 doing well in the USA they would be better off concentrating on Europe.

  • Rash' #9 4 years ago

    As a business move it's smart what with the number of timed exclusive JRPGs on the horizon. Having said that with the limited success of Tales of Verspia only time will tell whether Microsoft's spending gamble will pay off. (Let's not pretend SquareEnix thought making their games timed exclusive on a poorly performing console was a good business move.)

  • Triggerhappytel #10 4 years ago

    I'll buy one if you drop the price over here by £40 each.

    "There must a price point that will convince the Japanese to at least try the 360. Not sure why they keep trying so hard in Japan. With the 360 doing well in the USA they would be better off concentrating on Europe."

    Yeah, I know Japan is a big potential market, but what about if they all but cut their losses there and plough the resources into Europe/China/South America?

  • oceanmotion #11 4 years ago

    I don't think Europe will get another price cut so soon. Arcade is cheaper than the Wii. No idea how sales are going in the UK but I imagine consoles are not the first choice when your salary comes in these days.

  • oreillymj #12 4 years ago

    Should rename it DesperationStation

  • mcmonkeyplc #13 4 years ago

    £40! Fucking hell they cant even give it away if they dont shift at that price.

    I think I may import a few at that price!

  • crazyhorse174 #14 4 years ago

    £40! Fucking hell they cant even give it away if they dont shift at that price.

    I think I may import a few at that price!

    Did you actually read the article? Its been dropped BY £40.

  • IneptPercy #15 4 years ago

    They really do want into that market, does make you wonder why it is doing so badly they really are getting some goods games over there.

    Much like the Xbox was over here, it wasn't ment to lead it was just ment to spread the word, it seemed to work as the 360 is doing very well here, now the 360 has the job of breaking into japan to roll the carpet out for the next xbox.

  • Gnort #16 4 years ago

    Several retail leaks have confirmed that the US is getting a price cut on all Xbox models on 6 September, so with Japan getting a cut, surely we can expect a cut in the European price too? Or did we get a price cut that the other regions didn't earlier on?

  • miiiguel #17 4 years ago

    "Several retail leaks have confirmed that the US is getting a price cut on all Xbox models on 6 September"
    That is confirmed, but I read it's on the 7th of September.

  • Gl3n #18 4 years ago

    Crikey! how much of a loss is that then?

  • crazyhorse174 #19 4 years ago

    By the time you add on a HDD and a wireless adapter it's still not really cheap though is it?

    In most peoples eyes it will probably just signal that it's one step away from joining the original Xbox in xbox heaven...

    Yes, but you don't NEED either to be able to play games on it and if you want to be able to save, then just buy a gamecard.

    Why do people keep making the same, irrelevant arguments?

  • miiiguel #20 4 years ago

    ^ one word "bitter".
    There's a portuguese saying that goes like: "you don't shag her nor leave her, mate"

  • Doctor_What #21 4 years ago

    @ Umberty : spot on. The bits you really do need to get the basic kit working properly mean that it's not any cheaper than even the PS3, but it looks good when they can say 'from £100' in shop windows.

  • callum9999 #22 4 years ago

    Do they not sell the PS2 in Japan then if the xbox is now the cheapest console (or is it just ridiculously overpriced?)

  • AJUK #23 4 years ago

    Sorry arguments are next door in room 12A.

  • Kenshin001 #24 4 years ago

    "Japan will not adopt an American console. End of story."

    Especially when it does not have MGS4, FFXIII or GT5.

  • SeesThroughAll #25 4 years ago

    IT. IS. AMERICAN.

    Same reason it sells so much in America.

    I'm glad some countries resist economical takeover by the US, anyway.

    /awaits storm.

  • Bluetooth #26 4 years ago

    You can buy all 3 consoles in Japan for half the cost when compared to buying all 3 in Europe. We have women with different eye and hair colours though, so it balances out.
    Edited by 1 at 01/09/08 @ 15:29

  • Xerx3s #27 4 years ago

    "Japan will not adopt an American console. End of story. "

    Sega is American. Oh.

  • Xerx3s #28 4 years ago

    "The fact is, 99% of all 360 games are western developed, or geared towards the western audience, and the Japanese gaming tastes are not compatible with that. "

    Yup, if it wasn't for that, I would be back again on the pc within a heartbeat.

  • smelly #29 4 years ago

    >Nothing to do with price. 360 is now the cheapest console.

    Except it isnt.. as you pretty much need to buy add ons to make it usable for anything..

    >Nothing to do with capability. 360 is still easily the best games platform.

    If you like fps games (and japanese dont)

  • bonker #30 4 years ago

    "The reason the 360 fails in Japan is because the 360 has a predominantly AMERICAN lineup of games."

    Fixed.

  • Skywise #31 4 years ago

    Still even if they'd practically give the 360 away I doubt the Japanese would be interested in a Western console with no Japanese release of Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy Versus 13 and (probably) Dragon Quest 10.

  • muzzer77 #32 4 years ago

    Desperation...........

  • patchbox360 #33 4 years ago


    the highest rated and most games in every genre
    the highest rated and most games in every genre
    the highest rated and most games in every genre

    = xbox360

  • IneptPercy #34 4 years ago

    I wish people really would give up with the 360 add on argument, My younger cousin has an xbox arcade, he doesn't have a hi def TV and it isn't online and his consoles does him just fine.

    Don't get me wrong I won't say this is the case for everybody and I wouldn't consider it for myself as mine is online, but even then any sensible online gamer will wire the internet connection anyway. I can honestly say that when I buy a PS3 I will wire that too.

    As for games lineups I would have said the 360 was far better for a good while, now its very close and down to just what exclusives they have, if I didn't own any of the 2 right now i would have to think about it, but already owning a 360 now means the PS3 needs to do more, basically the later you join the race the better you have to be.

  • Skywise #35 4 years ago

    @Hedbog: maybe the price drop move will cause some people to buy it as a 2nd console for the American/European games. They've certainly put in some effort with the JRPGs but 360 is still lacking a must buy JRPG. I was hoping Mistwalker would produce one but so far their output disappoints me.
    Edited by 1 at 01/09/08 @ 23:26

  • smelly #36 4 years ago

    @patchbox360 - thats funny.. i thought mario galaxy and smash bros werent available on the 360...

  • smelly #37 4 years ago

    .. or when you say "every genre" you mean "as long as it's an fps"?

  • onyx_elite #38 4 years ago

    It's not about price though is it? You can't market a console to the japanese by flooding them with sports games and FPSs. They don't like that stuff. If they released a game where you had to nurture a small red ball until it turned into a big blue cube that'd sell like hot cakes.

  • Daikon #39 4 years ago

    Japan will not adopt an American console. End of story.

    Yes, I guess that also explains why Sony's Walkman dominates the Japanese MP3 player market and Apple can't even give iPods away for free in Japan.
    Oh wait...

    Moron.

  • FrankCannon #40 4 years ago

    XBox360 = best price point, best game exclusives, worst reliability, worst noise. Hopefully HDD install should help but as you have to buy a Microsoft HDD for an arm and a leg it's not an appealling thought.

    PS3 = better design/build quality, more subtle front end, quiet but needs better software quickly. It's fantastic that you can fit a bog standard hard drive without invalidating your warranty and considering that it's MS that are championing downloadable games and films they should be worried about this.

    Anyone who types Micro$oft should also type Son¥.

  • Gradius #41 3 years ago

    Is smelly a spasticated walrus?

    I think so.

  • bonker #42 3 years ago

    "You can buy all 3 consoles in Japan for half the cost when compared to buying all 3 in Europe. We have women with different eye and hair colours though, so it balances out. "

    Until you take Western women's attitudes and bodies into account then the advantage slams back to the Jap's ...