Japanese Gamer

[Ginger Tosser]

Sorry my mistake thought i read somewhere it was.

Xbox live didn't do it for me for mainly for all the twats and kids on it and the lag on PE4 which was the main reason for getting live. I did enjoy Rainbow 6 Black Arrow though, Halo 2 was a none event for me i just got bored and killed very quick online.

So they'll have to improve on live before i'll bother again.

[Castor Krieg]

One more thing, as a response to the first post (late, I know). About the 1000 people - it doesn't matter how large the nation is ie. total number of JAP gamers. 1000 people is representative with a margin of error of 3%. Which clearly pictures Japanese gamers as being totally un-innovative. When I read that I was in mode - I thought the country of Katamari, ICO, DS, etc. would be more innovative. Maybe Pokemons burned everybody's brain cells?

[Ginger Tosser]

Maybe Japanese gamers just don't like the endless supply of FPS games. Maybe Microsoft should be more innovative and develop games like Katamari, Rez etc

They may have some Japanese developers on board but it depends on what there allowed to produce.

[Zanza]

I dont know if you've ever used a PS2 online, but Xbox Live isn't that far ahead of Sony. Xbox Live is the best online system available to gamers this generation, but only because its the most accessible, being online out the box is huge advantage.

The PS2 has an excellent online ability, unfortunately its just not very accessible, you need to fawk out the cash for a harddrive and broad band adapter, but its there and being used by just as many people as Xbox Live. Games like FFXI, Resident Evil Outbreak, and the soon to be relelased Phantasy Star Universe prove that PS2 is capable of an online service, if not more capable than Xbox Live.

I guess we will just have to wait and see though, at the end of the day we know what Microsoft are going to produce with the Xbox Live service for the next gen, and I must say It looks outstanding! I just hope Sony and Nintendo are paying attention and pull of something with similar functionality

[edandersen]

Personally i think that the free service will win.

You forget how much needing a credit card acts like an idiot-filter.

[Castor Krieg]

The PS2 has an excellent online ability, unfortunately its just not very accessible, you need to fawk out the cash for a harddrive and broad band adapter, but its their and being used by just as many people as Xbox Live.

That may be so, unfortunately people won't give a damn about buying all the additional things, if they have the complete set right out-of-the-box. Especially when we are taking about "casual gamers" type of people, who just want to turn on the console and play. We just have to wait and see what kind of on-line will Sony come up with. One thing is certain: no HDD = bad idea.

[Zanza]

You would think that, but some parents still let their 13 year old kids kick my ass on Halo 2 while screaming "SUCK MY BALLS" over their microphones.

[Ginger Tosser]

You forget how much needing a credit card acts like an idiot-filter.

Didn't work on Xbox Live, it was full of twats especially on PE4.

One thing is certain: no HDD = bad idea.

PS2 seems to have worked without it

[Zanza]

That may be so, unfortunately people won't give a damn about buying all the additional things, if they have the complete set right out-of-the-box. Especially when we are taking about "casual gamers" type of people, who just want to turn on the console and play. We just have to wait and see what kind of on-line will Sony come up with. One thing is certain: no HDD = bad idea.

Aye, its a wait and see for sure, we know nothing of what the PS3 and Revolution hold for us in terms of "out of the box" ability, something they hopefully wont be stupid enough to screw us on. Obviously Nintendo must have plans for this, as they released information on their plan for a downloadable back catalogue.

[eastyy]

Personally i always felt that that microsoft should have created another company or branch and released the xbox under that name instead of the microsoft name

[Castor Krieg]

Personally i always felt that that microsoft should have created another company or branch and released the xbox under that name instead of the microsoft name

Why so? Sony just got American as a CEO, doesn't seem to effect their sales in Japan much. But then again, that's that kind of split-personality thing: Microsoft=non-Japanese=bad, Sony=American CEO=good.

[cHawKso]

It's not as simple as japanese people percieving Microsoft as a 'bad' company and Sony as a 'good' company. I think alot of it is to do with a group mentality. Individualism isn't really encouraged in Japan and the last thing people want to be is the annoying nail that keeps sticking up. My cousins (who are casual gamers) have a PS2 purely on the basis that their peer group has this console, and they owned a Playstation beforehand. Why would they take a risk on an Xbox with such a small market presence in Japan and an almost total lack of any advertising to create awareness. The PS2 is a safe buy.

Think about it, if a new TV brand just appeared out of nowhere and cost as much as an established TV brand, would you take the risk and switch to it without knowing anything about it. Without people knowing what you're selling, they're not going to take the risk of buying an unknown.

From my experience, Microsoft don't have a negative image in Japan at all - they dominate the OS market like they do anywhere else and no-one complains about it. But without brand awareness for the Xbox it's going to fail. Plus it's big and ugly, which doesn't help.

"A reputation is difficult to create, trade, or imitate"

[eastyy]

Well to be honest when i was thinking world wide not just japan while microsoft did far far better than i expected just when you think of the word microsoft what are the first things that come into your head.Not the same things as if you think of sony or nintendo

[cHawKso]

Very true. But when Sony first launched the Playstation they weren't affiliated with videogames either. Another reason the Playstation brand does so well in Japan maybe because the Sony name is synonymous with home electronics there. In my grandparents house almost every piece of consumer electronics they own is Sony, which is true of alot of my friends there too.

The big home electronics firms in Japan, Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi, and Sharp have no equivalent to a home console (except the Q), so maybe the Playstation is seen as the logical option for when purchasing a console - regarded an item of consumer electronics.

[Castor Krieg]

Think about it, if a new TV brand just appeared out of nowhere and cost as much as an established TV brand, would you take the risk and switch to it without knowing anything about it. Without people knowing what you're selling, they're not going to take the risk of buying an unknown.

OK, but people don't want to know? It was with my GC, PS2, X-BOX, and PSP - I had to surf the web and see what is that all about. So if you don't shove the Japanese gamers info right into their mouth, they're not going to go out and find out? Is it like - everybody getting PS2 "because", but you need to advertise other consoles in order for people to buy them?