Xbox 360 Shows Initially Restrained Japanese Sales

Following the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360 console in Japan over the weekend, market research firm Enterbrain has published its estimates for the console's initial sell-through, indicating that around 62,000 of the 159,000 consoles had sold through to consumers. Initial software figures were also available, with leading Japanese launch title Ridge Racer 6 selling around 30,000 units, and Perfect Dark Zero selling 15,000 in second place, with Need For Speed: Most Wanted selling almost 7,000 in third. According to Enterbrain, the original Xbox console showed around 123,000 sales in the first three days of its Japanese release in 2002, though the Xbox 360 figure is not surveying the same time period. In addition, Microsoft Japan President Darren Huston told The Associated Press that his company aims to sell 1 million Xbox 360s in Japan by mid-2006, reinforcing the fact that the company is not expecting sales at the level of the U.S. or European launches in the East. However, the pushing back of major Japanese title Dead Or Alive 4 seems to have affected the launch of Microsoft's next-gen console somewhat, according to multiple analysts, who expect sales to pick up when Tecmo's Xbox 360-exclusive fighting game is released at the end of December.