Microsoft Taking Xbox 360 Arcade to Japan

Microsoft has announced plans to introduce the cheaper, hard drive-free Xbox 360 Arcade in Japan - the question is, will the Japanese care?

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 may have won the hearts of many hardcore gamers, but the console has been anything but a hit in Japan, where says have fallen below even Microsoft’s and industry-watchers’ modest expectations, moving a scant 260,000 machines in the entire country during 2007. Some have cited the console’s high price, some have cited the difficulties of competing on Sony’s and Nintendo’s home turf, and some have cited the typical levels of violence and frenetic action in many Xbox 360 titles as being out-of-sync with Japanese culture.

Nonetheless, Microsoft plans to press forward, and has announced plans to launch the inexpensive, hard drive-free Xbox 360 Arcade in Japan with a price tag of ¥27,800 (about $260 U.S.). The new price point puts the Xbox 360 Arcade under the current ¥34,800 for the low-end Xbox console, and just above the ¥25,000 price tag for the Nintendo Wii. The Xbox 260 Arcade will ship with a set of games designed to appeal to casual gamers, with more titles downloadable via the Internet.