Microsoft Taking Xbox 360 Elite to Japan

Microsoft says it plans to launch its Xbox 360 Elite gaming console in Japan October 11.

Japan might be the home turf of video game console giants Sony and Nintendo, but Microsoft refuses to give up the idea it can carve out a significant share of the market, and plans to launch it’s revved-up Xbox 360 Elite console in Japan on October 11.

The Xbox 360 was the first of the so-called “next generation” game consoles to hit the market, beating the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii out the door by a year. The Xbox 360 Elite improves on the original Xbox 360 console by adding a 120 GB hard drive—all the better to store music, video, television programs, and music downloaded from Microsoft’s Xbox Live service—and an HDMI port for displaying high-definition content. The Xbox 360 Elite also comes with a wireless controller and black Xbox Live headset for Internet-based multiplayer gaming and chat.

Microsoft says the Xbox 360 Elite will sell for ¥47,800 (about $390). The basic version of the Xbox 360 console currently sells for ¥29,800 (about $244) in Japan. In North America, the Xbox 360 Elite sells for about $480.

Although the Xbox 360 has sold well in the United States and Europe, the console has struggled to make headway in Japan, despite aggressive marketing and price promotions. According to figures from game magazine Enterbrain Microsoft sold just under 123,000 Xbox 360 systems in Japan during the first half of 2007; in the same time period, Sony sold over 500,000 PS3 consoles in Japan, and Nintendo moved 1.78 million Wii consoles.