Microsoft has sold just over two million consoles during its lifetime in Japan, according to a new report in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, and spotted by VGC. The original Xbox launched on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and in the twenty years since, a total of 2,345,975 units have been sold, the vast majority of which were Xbox 360s. The console breakdown is as follows:

• Xbox – 472,992
• Xbox 360 – 1,616,128
• Xbox One – 114,831
• Xbox Series X/S – 142,024

The Xbox Series X|S is off to a good start, already beating out its predecessor in just 15 months. The Series X|S is also the first Xbox console to launch in Japan at the same time as the rest of the world, and Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that he plans to improve Xbox's place in Japan this generation. Speaking to GamerTag Radio in February 2020, Spencer said "I don’t know if we’re winning in Japan any time soon, but the position that we have in Japan today from a platform isn’t acceptable to me," before getting into more specific plans for this generation. “We’re going to do a much better job with this next, upcoming launch of not waiting ten months to launch in Japan like we did last time. We’re going to make sure our services like Game Pass, xCloud and stuff are there so people will have access to it.” Game Pass was launched in Japan in April 2020, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with Game Pass Ultimate made it to Japan last September.

The report also revealed the top five best-selling games in Japan, with Dead or Alive 3 on the original Xbox topping the list with 271,149 units sold, meaning 46% of original Xbox owners in Japan bought the game.

• Dead or Alive 3 (Xbox) – 271,149
• Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope (Xbox 360) – 208,521
• Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360) – 204,305
• Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) – 203,740
• The Last Remnant (Xbox 360) – 154,493

Source

 

[JuanMena]

In my opinion is not that shocking.

Japanese probably has access to better, more powerful hardware than an XBOX.

Is like trying to sell cellphones to ___________ (add favorite cellphone company).

 

[nikeymikey]

allow me to play devil's advocate for a second: I think rrod on the 360 really damaged people's confidence in xbox consoles, but to be fair, ylod is just as prevalent with phat ps3s. however, rrod is what people remember. I never owned an xbox one, but I own a series x, and I can tell you it doesn't even get warm. I can't tell you how hot the ps5 gets, it's almost silent quiet. however, the ps4 would get even hotter than the ps3, so it's not just xbox with heating issues. you can hear the pop noises on the ps5 when the mobo flexes from heat, but you hear nothing from the series x.

Agreed, My PS3 and PS4 both either get VERY HOT or VERY NOISY or BOTH. I also have never noticed either of those from XSX, i never played my XB1 enough to notice on that and my PS5 is still in its shipping box so i cant comment on that one.
What people should also remember about the RROD was the way MS handled it, a huge pot of cash was set aside to repair/replace pretty much every console, warranties were extended etc. I myself had a console replaced here n the UK and it all went very smoothly.

and this is exactly why i want them to buy out sega so bad
also, all yakuza games being on gamepass would be based

Pretty much all the Yakuza games are or have been on GP already.....

 

[godreborn]

In my opinion is not that shocking.

Japanese probably has access to better, more powerful hardware than an XBOX.

Is like trying to sell cellphones to ___________ (add favorite cellphone company).

having lived there, I can honestly say that Japan is a country of convenience. the playstation numbers are better, yes, but they're not that great when you compare them to Europe or America. I think a lot of Japanese people prefer things to be easily accessible, so a home console isn't exactly that for them, since you have to be at home to use it.

 

[nikeymikey]

In my opinion is not that shocking.

Japanese probably has access to better, more powerful hardware than an XBOX.

Is like trying to sell cellphones to ___________ (add favorite cellphone company).

Said like a true Sony fanboy

 

[64bitmodels]

Pretty much all the Yakuza games are or have been on GP already.....

true, but they removed 0, kiwami 1 and kiwami 2 which are the best
although i bought them already because they were THAT good

 

[64bitmodels]

think rrod on the 360 really damaged people's confidence in xbox consoles, but to be fair, ylod is just as prevalent with phat ps3s

the difference is that the 360 had come out a year earlier and a lot more people owned a 360 in 2007 than a ps3
by the time the PS3 got the issue fixed, more people hopped onboard
meanwhile, by the time the 360 got the issue fixed people started tuning out

 

[godreborn]

Agreed, My PS3 and PS4 both either get VERY HOT or VERY NOISY or BOTH. I also have never noticed either of those from XSX, i never played my XB1 enough to notice on that and my PS5 is still in its shipping box so i cant comment on that one.
What people should also remember about the RROD was the way MS handled it, a huge pot of cash was set aside to repair/replace pretty much every console, warranties were extended etc. I myself had a console replaced here n the UK and it all went very smoothly.

Pretty much all the Yakuza games are or have been on GP already.....

yeah, and just to be clear, I'm not badgering playstation or defending xbox. I also had a rrod console. however, I've had at least four playstations, psx and ps2, where the disc drive failed. that is frustrating in itself. that's why I like having retroarch on the series x, because my ps2's disc drive has failed yet again, and I don't want to buy another laser. it's not perfect emulation, but it's quite a bit better now than the previous build's.

 

[godreborn]

the difference is that the 360 had come out a year earlier and a lot more people owned a 360 in 2007 than a ps3
by the time the PS3 got the issue fixed, more people hopped onboard
meanwhile, by the time the 360 got the issue fixed people started tuning out

the reason is that xbox wanted to beat out playstation, but in so doing, they had left several heating problems. I read that they forgot to account for the dvd drive boxing in the heat. if they had waited until playstation, maybe rrod wouldn't have happened or at least to a lesser extent. to prevent my jtag from getting it (it's 13 years old now), I have the temp thresholds set to 60, so it can be pretty loud. I think a lot of people didn't realize how hot the xbox or playstation was truly getting until we could see temps, now everyone panics when temps get high, so it takes away from the general enjoyment of the system. I prefer not knowing on the ps5 and the series x.

 

[Teletron1]

Japanese people only support Japanese companies, I was really hoping that Sega rumor was real to see if it would have had and effect over there

 

[godreborn]

Japanese people only support Japanese companies, I was really hoping that Sega rumor was real to see if it would have had and effect over there

I would say that is true to an extent. the Japanese are about as ethnocentric as Americans, so they often ascribe more value to something that is "homemade."

 

[64bitmodels]

Japanese people only support Japanese companies, I was really hoping that Sega rumor was real to see if it would have had and effect over there

there is one exception, apple
japanese dudes really like apple

 

[JuanMena]

having lived there, I can honestly say that Japan is a country of convenience. the playstation numbers are better, yes, but they're not that great when you compare them to Europe or America. I think a lot of Japanese people prefer things to be easily accessible, so a home console isn't exactly that for them, since you have to be at home to use it.

Sick burn!

Said like a true Nintendo fanboy

Fixed it.

 

[godreborn]

one things for sure, microsoft has done a lot of things right this gen, unlike sony. backwards compatibility, dev-mode/retroarch, game pass, dev lab where you can build your own controller for almost the same price as a dual sense, themes, and probably some other stuff. sony has really dropped the ball this gen in a lot of areas.

 

[64bitmodels]

having lived there, I can honestly say that Japan is a country of convenience. the playstation numbers are better, yes, but they're not that great when you compare them to Europe or America. I think a lot of Japanese people prefer things to be easily accessible, so a home console isn't exactly that for them, since you have to be at home to use it.

inb4 steam deck sales fly through the roof in japan

 

[godreborn]

inb4 steam deck sales fly through the roof in japan

if you can find one. saw them going on ebay for like $1,600.

 

[godreborn]

sorry, haven't slept, so I post whatever enters my mind. normally, I wouldn't post a response to opinionated posts with my own opinion.

 

[64bitmodels]

one things for sure, microsoft has done a lot of things right this gen, unlike sony. backwards compatibility, dev-mode/retroarch, game pass, dev lab where you can build your own controller for almost the same price as a dual sense, themes, and probably some other stuff. sony has really dropped the ball this gen in a lot of areas.

wish dev lab applied to consoles and not just controllers
also having the superior user interface. Games are easier to find, quick resume is a lifesaver, and the customization for the menu is insane. it's like the complete opposite of the switch, which i just came from

 

[godreborn]

off topic, but I'm going to try building a new oot for pc with audio this time.

 

[nikeymikey]

yeah, and just to be clear, I'm not badgering playstation or defending xbox. I also had a rrod console. however, I've had at least four playstations, psx and ps2, where the disc drive failed. that is frustrating in itself. that's why I like having retroarch on the series x, because my ps2's disc drive has failed yet again, and I don't want to buy another laser. it's not perfect emulation, but it's quite a bit better now than the previous build's.

I used to work in an Independent games store back in the late 90's at the height of the PS1's popularity and part of my job was replacing lasers in those made as cheaply as possible consoles. I literally did 100's of them as we were the only local store that would repair a console for you rather than just trying to sell a new console.
I also have a box of 3 or 4 PS2's with dead lasers in my loft that just are not worth repairing, not saying I've never had any issues with any other brand console because i have, just not as many as I've had with Sony consoles.

 

[godreborn]

I almost thought Nintendo was the only reliable one until my first switch died within six months. I now own three of them, and they haven't given me any problems. I even played 3d world a bit last night.