Xbox 360 Beats PlayStation to Japan Stores

[j_shady]

TOKYO - Microsoft Corp. will get the jump on Sony this Saturday by introducing the next-generation
Xbox 360 in its rival's backyard, but winning over Japan's notoriously finicky video game fans will be an uphill battle for the American interloper.

Microsoft is still smarting from the failure of its original Xbox in Japan, the world's second-biggest video game market after the United States and a realm long dominated by Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).'s PlayStation. This time it's determined to break into the stronghold.

Part of its strategy is beating Sony to stores. While the Japanese electronics giant is working on a new PlayStation 3, it won't go on sale until next year. Microsoft hopes the Xbox 360's earlier release will convert hard-core gamers who can't wait that long.

Xbox 360 debuted last month in the United States to winding lines of wide-eyed fans, store-aisle brawls to snag machines and top billing on Christmas wish lists. The Japan launch begins with a countdown party at 6:45 a.m. Saturday in Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district.

"Microsoft has big expectations this time," said Eiji Maeda, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research. "They should do much better than with the first Xbox, and PlayStation stands a the chance of losing market share."

Since the first Xbox went on sale three years ago, Microsoft has sold 21.9 million machines globally

[SNaKe]

i think theyre both very good but Xbox is earlier......
if you look to trailers of Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3 it can compare to almost every 360 game that

[Shadyluva]

i don really care about them cuz i don really like playin video games unless is Crash Games

but my brother wants an XBOX 360