The Reason Why The Xbox One X Is Selling Out In Japan

Early this morning, a sign went up in front of the Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo’s Akihabara. It read 完売 (kanbai), which means “sold out.” This is just one of several stores across Japan that have sold through their stock. There is a reason for that, and that reason is that they’re only selling preorders.

[PhoenixUp]

The words “Xbox”, “sales”, & “Japan” will in the same sentence will always be worth a chuckle.

[butchertroll]

Will we see next week when Media Create reveal sales numbers. I'm pretty sure it would be hilarious.

[jackdaniels]

does anyone in the western world care about sales in Japan?

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Damn that's funny makes me want to chuckle

[Relientk77]

Not a lot of supply because not a lot of demand

[ChipdiddyChip]

Yeh, you tell yourself that

[Razzer]

Are you serious? There has NEVER been a high demand for Xbox in Japan.

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Razzer

Have you got the sales figures for the 1X in Japan?

[Razzer]

Do you? You were damn quick to dismiss the idea that One X demand was low, like it always has been for Xbox there. You are deluding yourself if you think there is high demand when the thing is largely only available via advanced order and not even being stocked by some retailers.

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Razzer

I never stated there was high or low demand for the 1X in Japan, I wait for facts and figures and don't speak rhetoric. Ill repeat myself again, how can you state how much the 1X has sold when it was only released today and no actual sales figures have been shown of the console. I'm talking about the 1X because of this article, not the standard xbox one or the xbox one s.

[Goldby]

@Chipdiddychip

its not stocked because they dont have the same demand for Xbox there as it is in the US.
80,000 Xbox's have been sold in Japan. over the course of 4 years thats 20,000 xboxs a year, thats 54 xbox's a day, and when the country has close to 130 million people thats less that 7% of the population that owns xboxs

[Razzer]

No one said a damn thing about sales numbers. The statement made was that demand was low. You sure used some rhetoric when responding to that so drop the bullshit about waiting for facts and figures.

[Goldby]

@Razzer, just bookmark this page and we'll chat with him in march when the console will barely sell 1000 units

[Eonjay]

There is nothing to sell because they don't have any. How high can the sales be if there aren't any to sell to begin with?

[butchertroll]

Next week Media Create will give us numbers. You'll be surprised how it sold in such low numbers, man.

[trooper_]

Okay, you provide good sale figures for Xbox in Japan.

We'll wait.

[rainslacker]

@Chip,

Around mid year, they were about 76,000 units sold lifetime in Japan. This was based on media create numbers which is similar to NPD, but more accurate and open.

There have been many weeks when they sell around 100 or so a week....some weeks even less.

Facts and figures are readily available with a simple google search. Even VGChartz uses media create for console sales in Japan, because it's a weekly report, and generally pretty accurate for that region.

@Goldby

Think your precentage calculation forgot to move the decimal. It's actually about .06% of the population. That's less than 1/10th of a percent of the population.

[rocketpanda]

Argue all you want and try to deflect that this isn't about the XBox One or S, but you cannot look at those sales in Japan since it launch in September 2014 then expect the Xbone One X to be completely different. The initial sales of the Xbox One in the region was 25,000, the second week around 3000, third and fourth week dropped to about 1200. As of last week it was 97.It struggles selling more than 3 digits on a weekly basis.

When the MediaCreate data gets released next week you'll be nowhere to be seen because the sales WILL be dismal. I don't need to know the future but many can confidently speculate the outcome judging from past sales and demand for the system. The country is still queuing for the Switch, and when you can buy one from a scalper on amazon japan cheaper than the Xbox One X then the system has already lost.

Just admit it's a niche system in that region. 4K gaming hasn't even taken off in Japan. 4K TV and monitors here are still much more expensive that overseas regions. It is relegated to being an enthusiasts system here and you should be perfectly fine with that.

[staggerlee3769]

Why is it so important to you that XBOX sells well in Japan?
Did you ever wonder why Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft etc send different amounts of units to different countries or why they use terminology such as the US market, the Japanese market etc? It’s because every market is different. The differences are all taken into consideration when determining the most cost effective way to advertise to a market and how many units to send to them. Historically there is no demand for XBOX in Japan. It’s a fact, not a guess or an exaggeration, Microsoft already took that into consideration loooooong before the system went into development. Does that mean death for Microsoft or somehow make it an inferior system? No it doesn’t. The determination of whether or not this release will be successful will be to determine total sales across all markets. The bigger worry, than whether or not it sells in a market that it’s not expected to sell well in at all, is did they shoot themselves in the foot by releasing this at a $500 price point this close to the release of the XBOX One S? If it does fail it’s still not the death of the XBOX. Watch the progression of the standard XBONE. Once it’s sales started paling in comparison to the PS4 MS started listening to games and giving us what we wanted. So if it fails you still have nothing to worry about. So I’m really not sure why you care what it’s sales look like in a Japan.

[MagicBeanz]

LOL this guy, he's trying so hard you really have to hand it to him.

[DarXyde]

I'm willing to bet a testicle that demand is honestly low in Japan. Xbox has never, I repeat: never, one more time: NEVER, had a strong presence in Japan.

The Japanese market is not going to buy expensive, imported hardware that offers software that doesn't appeal to it beyond a few people. Power doesn't concern Japan. Portability and RPGs do.

One X can do well in the North America and parts of Europe, but it has no chance in Japan, period.

[hulk_bash1987]

You do realize that the Xbox One X is still an Xbox One right? Japan has never been a strong market for the Xbox Brand. Just because it's a stronger console, doesn't mean it's gonna magically make the console more appealing to Japanese gamers. I'm debating whether I wanna get a One S for $149 or buy the One X and accept the possibility of a 3 year lifespan for the console until the next gen of platforms comes out in 2020. This, of course, is purely speculation as there is no official release date for the PS5 and "Next"box.

[drunkenspy007]

Hmm, 100 down votes and growing, I think people are trying to tell you something. We get it, you like xbox, but the Japanese have always chosen their country's own systems over any others.

[AmUnRa]

He, he is telling the true, but you cant handle the true😉

[ChipdiddyChip]

@ImTrumPeach

This article is talking about the 1X, not the standard xbox one or the xbox one s. My argument is how can you state how much the console has sold when it was only released today and no actual sales figures have been shown of the 1X..

[Goldby]

for a few reasons.

Japan tends to support its own, aka Nintendo and Sony more than an american Company.

On top of that, the Japanese developers, tend to go with Sony or Nintendo who are then supported by the japanese consumers because the products they deliver are what Japanese players want. while yes there are those that enjoy the likes of Halo and Gears, they tend to enjoy to niche products liek Neir, Persona, Last guardian and others like that.

Japan totals -

PS2 - 23.18 Million
Xbox - 1.18 Million
PS3 - 10.47 Million
Xbox 360 - 1.66 Million
PS4 - 5.3 Million
Xbox One - 0.08 Million

Theres the proof to your pudding.
Start speaking logically and you wont need the aloe vera

Not to mention that sony and Nintendo have marketing on point for the Japanese market where MS just swaps out the english words for Japanese, which clearly isn't enough

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Goldby

Apply that logic to Apple which is an american company, as far as I'm aware they are doing very well in Japan.

[Goldby]

@Chip

you also think Ms is doing well in japan so i cant take a word you say seriously.

MS isn't gonna gain any attraction in japan bringing out a 3rd console when the first two haven't been selling (and im just talking about this gen)

Well i guess when the truth hurts you try to side track with useless comments that dont hold merit to gaming consoles.

phone market and console market are two very different things. When was the last time you could fit 2 or 3 consoles in your pocket, when was the last time a 500$ console had a monthly payment plan built in so that normal people can afford to purchase new consoles every year.

How about instead at looking at other markets (which Ms is failign at as well BTW) we focus on gaming.

remove the glasses bud and you may be able to see, Ms will be lucky if they hit 100k units sold in Japan this gen.

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Goldby

I clearly never said Microsoft are doing well in Japan. My argument is in relation to the 1X as it was only released today, therefore how the hell are you supposed to know its done well or bad in Japan. It is you that is bringing up Microsoft's console history.
Last time I checked 'mobile gaming' is part of gaming. The Nintendo switch is also a hybrid portable device which you can travel with. Its clear it you that needs to take the glasses off if you don't understand the logic something being out for less than a day, therefore for its not possible to know if that product has sold well or not.

[Goldby]

@Chip

does this ring a bell

"Yeh, you tell yourself that"

that is implying that the console will be selling alot better than history has shown xbox's selling in Japan.

on top of that, Console gaming is very different from Mobile gaming. but for someone who clearly believes the words of MS i can see how you confused the two due to Mt and GaaS model form Free to play games being implemented into console full priced games.

The major difference between console gaming and mobile gaming is 1) you cant fit a traditional console in your pocket. 2) you cant fit 3 consoles in your pocket. (japan has some of the best prices in terms of cell phone plans to the point some people have multiple phones depending on the situation or who they are calling (be it work and personal)

market history proves more than anything how to judge a newly released product.

again look at the history of xbox in japan, between 3 different generations they have sold a total of 3 million units (and thats rounding up) stores were advertising the one S as a UHD blu ray disc instead of gaming console because it wasn't selling when advertised as a gaming console. stores were havign the same console on the same shelf for months. there isn't a hope in hell that the One X is gonna sell in japan the way you believe it will be selling. as ive stated they'll be lucky if they sell 1000 by march.

my honest beliefs is that they will maybe have 1 or 2 in stores, one for display the other to sell and maybe take special orders and ship them to customers. there just isn't a high demand for MS xbox in japan. learn to take the truth of it with a spine.

[Razzer]

That is some serious fanboydom when an Xbox fan refuses to grasp the simple fact of low demand for his fave console in a country where it has never done well. This is just getting funnier all the time.

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Goldyby

So you are saying me commenting "Yeh, you tell yourself that " implies "that the console will be selling alot better than history has shown xbox's selling in Japan. " when my argument has been "The 1X has been out for less than a day, therefore for its not possible to know if that product has sold well or not." Jumping to conclusions much, I honestly dont think you understand the point because you are too focused on negative sales regarding previous xbox models when point is in regards to the new 1X which has been out for less than a day.

It even states on this article https://www.dualshockers.co...

"either the Xbox One X is fairly popular in Japan, despite the fact that the standard Xbox One was basically ignored by local gamers, or the number of shipments for the country is very limited."

And

"We’ll have a better understanding of the situation on Wednesday, November 15th, when Media Create will disclose the hardware sales figures for this week."

There is no point even going into the mobile gaming discussion because its not relevant to this.

**my honest beliefs is that they will maybe have 1 or 2 in stores, one for display the other to sell and maybe take special orders and ship them to customers. there just isn't a high demand for MS xbox in japan. learn to take the truth of it with a spine.**

How can you be taken seriously if you are making assumptions like this.

[Goldby]

@Chip

"Last time I checked 'mobile gaming' is part of gaming."

Yet now you are taking that statement back because i proved it wrong, yes mobile gaming is a part of gaming as a whole, but mobile gaming isnt the same as console gaming. just like 747 airplane are also a form of transportation but not in the same area as a mazda 3.

"So you are saying me commenting "Yeh, you tell yourself that " implies "that the console will be selling alot better than history has shown xbox's selling in Japan."

when it comes to context of a statement yes you are implying that, because Reliant's comment about low supply due to low demand was countered by your statement of "Yeh, you tell yourself that " it is equivelent to saying you are wrong. which is equal to saying no its high demand and low supply because of that. That is simply not true. afterall we know how well the One sold in the country /s.

please explain to me, how a company that doesn't understand Japanese culture expect to sell more of their brand new console when there is a competitors console already available that not only understands the culture, but is an integral part of that culture.

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Goldby

"Well i guess when the truth hurts you try to side track with useless comments that dont hold merit to gaming consoles. "

You are doing exactly this by talking about mobile gaming, the reason I mentioned Apple and mobile gaming in the first place is because you stated

"Japan tends to support its own, aka Nintendo and Sony more than an american Company."

Apple is an American company which invalidates your statement and now you are sidetracking even more by talking about mobile gaming which is not relevant to the initial point about how "The 1X has been out for less than a day, therefore for its not possible to know if that product has sold well or not." , therefore that is why I said there is no need to talk about the 'mobile gaming' anymore.

"when it comes to context of a statement yes you are implying that, because Reliant's comment about low supply due to low demand was countered by your statement of "Yeh, you tell yourself that " it is equivelent to saying you are wrong. which is equal to saying no its high demand and low supply because of that. That is simply not true. afterall we know how well the One sold in the country /s."

Not sure how you even came to this conclusion because none of what you are saying even makes sense in relation to the context of my initial comment. Yes Reliant's comment is wrong because he has made an assumption without proof, therefore "he can tell himself that". The 1X has been out for less than a day.

"please explain to me, how a company that doesn't understand Japanese culture expect to sell more of their brand new console when there is a competitors console already available that not only understands the culture, but is an integral part of that culture."

No idea pal, I'm sure you can figure it out by using your crystal ball analysis.

[Goldby]

@chip

i wasn't the one who brought up mobile gaming, you did. and as for the whole apple thing that invalidates my comment, when did apple bring out a gaming console? must be news to me, because i was talking about gaming consoles, not phones, that was something you brought up.

it doesn't matter if the 1x has been out for a day, 2 weeks or not released yet. history is how analysts predict market trends. and market trends are showing that MS doesn't ahve any ground in Japan, and the 1X will not be changing that at all.

You are all held up on the fact the 1x just released, well guess what the one s and one have been out in that country for over 3 years and how is that doing for MS? not very well, so why would a mid gen upgrade change that. i really hope with your view on this that you never go into anythign to do with finances as you will burn alot of bridges with your mind set that over 15 years of history doesnt mean jack shit for a brand new mid gen upgrade.

Tell me something, if a car company had 15 years of bad reviews but relesed a new model that was a slight variant of their existing model (lets call it the touring edition) would that make everyone forget about the last 15 years? absolutely not, so why is that the case with you and the 1X?

i dont need a crystal ball, i can look at the history, and pattern of sales in japan and come to an informed and logical conclusion, you on the other hand are living in a dream world thinking that the 1x is gonna change anything in japan.

[ps360s]

Well its still xbox...thats how we know...

[ChipdiddyChip]

@Goldby

We are going round in circles here and therefore I will end my part of the discussion now. We'll just agree to disagree.

[Goldby]

@chip

You're going around in circles with the idea that because the 1x was just released that it doesn't follow the history of MS in Japan.

Ok my simply proving you aren't correct in thinking that the 1x will be different from every other console they have released in Japan.

It can probably be said with confidence this also is the case because of how Bill Gates went off script at their initial TGS in 2001. Instead of sticking to script about how influential Japan has been in the gaming industry and their philosophy about how they could help Japan, he turned it into a giant sales pitch that disrespected the Japanese developers who were on stage with him

[Cryptcuzz]

If you were talking about U.S or U.K for example, where Xbox has larger appeal compared to Japan historically, then sure let us wait for facts. Like everyone has said though, the article literally states it is selling pre-orders only. No stocks of the hardware like a traditional new hardware launch. What does that tell you? That demand for the X is very very low in Japan!

[Monster_Tard]

@Chip
That's a lot of straw manning.

[rainslacker]

historical demand for Xbox in general can easily be extrapolated to give an idea of how a the X1X will sell. Same as can be done in other parts of the world, where we can extrapolate it based on current X1 numbers, and maybe correlating it to Sony selling about 20% of new PS4's being pro, and assuming MS will have similar percentages.

[Captain_Tom]

@Golby

What if Japanese people just refuse to buy garbage consoles?

The first XBOX was overpriced and 2 years late, the 360 flat out didn't work, and the X1 was a more expensive and weaker PS4 with no games to play.

Seems to me American's might be more blindly loyal to their own country's brands....

[MagicBeanz]

Dude come on just stop now.

[guyman]

ChipdiddyChip

Why are you fighting this? just stop, because you're digging yourself a hole

[edeprez]

Goldby
80,000 ÷ 130 million is .0006% percent off the population owning Xbox one.

[Goldby]

Hate my calculator some times. Why can't all calculators have the commas in them. Thanks for the correction

[hellothere1977]

jeez, wtf are they spending tax dollars in school for these days? kid correcting another kid about percentages, when the corrector is, himself, incorrect.

80,000 of 130mil is 0.0615%. it's not 7%. it's not 0.0006%.

[rainslacker]

Math is right,but gotta move the decimal place over 2 places to the right to get the actual percentage.

Reason is is because division is basically a fractional computation, based on a 100th scale.

[blackblades]

Of course no games no buy. I mean no japanese games on it no buy.

[Pancit_Canton]

In coming commercial. "THE MOST SOLD OUT CONSOLE IN THE WORLD.....ESPECIALLY IN JAPAN" - Aaron Greenburg.

[GNCFLYER]

That is funny as hell. And will probably end up true.

[sk8ofmnd]

Lol the whole greatest lineup in xbox history statement again that couldnt be farther from the truth... Those xbox guys know how to make gamers laugh out loud

[DreadGara]

ROFL

[ONESHOTV2]

Good news for ms

[gangsta_red]

Interesting, will have to wait and see how those pre-orders urn out.

Goodluck MS

[RGB]

They sold out... of all 10 units allocated to Japan. /s lol

[RommyReigns]

Xbox One X sold X units haha!

[RadicalCannibal]

Who actually cares about sales figures in foriegn countries? Do you care about sales of consoles in Poland, China or Swaziland? Other things you buy, do you care how they sell abroad? Are you a child? If the answer is yes only then do sales matter because mine is better than yours nah nah nahhh nah na

[Goldby]

Worldwide sales.matter as it will help produce more games as there are more people who are interested in a product. Tell me, if ms was outselling Sony and Nintendo worldwide do you think they would be in the position they are in now, where it is only American companies psrtnering with them for exclusives in one form or another?

While bickering over sales isn't exactly what we should be doing, sales do matter for the support of an system. Case and point the switch. Developers are working overtime to get games working in it as sales have been better than they initially expected

[trooper_]

There's a world outside the U.S.

[WelkinCole]

Who cares?

1. Game publishers that will look at console sales to determine which console to makes games on
2. Following from 1. Gamers care because they want more games to chose and play on their console
3. Investors, they look at whether its good business to make a new console. Think about what happened to the Dreamcast.

[RadicalCannibal]

Still some smart people on N4G, I ruled you out, where you been?

[SilverDemon]

Ok.....i don't want to see another comment from you saying Japanese is racist Because they don't release their games on xbox
If you don't care about them why would they care about you??

You stick to the same old recycled IPs with microtransaction
while I'll enjoy FromSoft games, EDF iron rain,tales of, left alive, death stranding, monkey king and more

[RadicalCannibal]

WTF are you talking about? Didn’t mention any rascism.

[SilverDemon]

alot of xbots do
they call Japanese developers racist for not bringing their games to xbox (nier,persona,nioh, etc) and your comment is the reason why so I dont want to see you or another xbot complaining why games like Left Alive isnt on xbox

[AuraAbjure]

Bought a used 360 in Japan back in '09 for $100 (equivalent.) It red ringed on me 11 days after I bought it and the salesman wouldn't give me my money back because it was past the 10 day return policy.

[Pantz]

This is great. It's selling out in Japan and soon the Japanese developed games will be coming to Xbox again.

[johndoe11211]

,Oh brother........

[Pantz]

What? I've been playing mine since yesterday and it's amazing.

[AmUnRa]

You xboxfans are really very very delusional🙄

[medman]

It's simple.....they only made five units available for sale.

[corroios]

What would people expect? something that sell 50 or 60 consoles a week....

[GNCFLYER]

Probably enough units for American soldiers in bases over there.

[Enjoigamin]

Who cares ita japan...and it's sales lol all about sales! We get it ps4 won the sales and exclusives contest. Please stop with the dumb articles. I'm a gamer. Not a sales rep.

[eagle21]

Hopefully it sells as good as the 360 in Japan...wink.... Good luck. ;p

[rocketpanda]

Xbox One X will be a very very niche product in Japan. I suppose it is nice that Microsoft is still selling it in that region, but the sales will be extremely minimal. When you have a lottery system at major electronic retailers just for a chance to buy a Switch then you know you're in a losing battle.

Japanese gamers don't really care for the whole 4K ultra spec thing as much as the west! Even the regular PS4 sells more than the Pro at about a 3:1 ratio.

In the UK and US you can get pretty good 4K TVs at really reasonable prices, in Japan the prices are much higher, even for poorly rated 4K TVs in comparison which why the Pro and X One will do considerably well in western regions.

[King_Lothric]

"The Reason Why The Xbox One X Is Selling Out In Japan"

Because they sold the 10 items available on their inventory. "sold out".

[memots]

because they had 2 to sell ?

[inxine]

if u only sell a handful of stuff of course its gonna sell out. bless the 5 people who've purchased the X haha xD

[bluefox755]

The supply was extremely low? lol It certainly wasn't in demand.

[Tross]

This is Japan so they probably had five in stock...if that.

[Segata]

They sold all 12 units they have avail over there. Selling all 12 has to be some sort of record for MS in that region.

[sk8ofmnd]

Because only an X amount was available 😂

[Tzuno]

To resell to desperate people when the stock is out :)

[BIGBOSS08]

I'm sure xbox one x has sold out of its initial shipment of 10 consoles in Japan. Very impressive/s

[MagicBeanz]

Everyone knows its just fanboy spin to try and make it seem better then what it really is, xbox and propaganda is nothing new. Fact, whatever the number is we will never know because Microsoft wont tell us.

[Profchaos]

It's easy to sell out when you send no stock

[Tobse]

Owning a Xbox in Japan is like owning a neo geo back in the day. They say it exists, but noone ever saw one that you know of

[Elda]

5 or 10 consoles in stock sold out.

[mastershredder]

Squabbling over spoils that will never be their own... it's video games and game sales guys. Kinda Cringy you know?

[fxa5209]

I cant see end of the line picture... that was funny...

[tehpees3]

If this is Phil's plan to try and get Japanese publishers on board he is doing it wrong. What they want to see is the actual numbers of their own target audience using and buying games for the system. Not sold out signs at the front of the shops.

Sales figures do not mean install base (something a lot of people on the internet don't seem to realise). They can sell 1 million Xbox systems and still have only 100 000 people buying for it.

Microsoft has lost Japan.

[dunnyone]

Fuck your clickbait title - it's because Japan retailers only had XB1X for pre-order customers and no surplus. FUCK YOUR CLICKBAIT SHIT!

[Many-hat5]

Someone putting them in PlayStation boxes! Crafty MS :)

[roadkillers]

Go out of business Microsoft so I can play your games on PS, Nintendo, or PC.

[jojo319]

It always amazes me how people seem to forget that Japan is a VERY Nationalist country. They don't buy cars, etc. from other countries. People always paint this as they are anti-Xbox. They aren't. They are just strongly FOR Japan. I believe probably the only exception to this would be Apple.

[Max-Zorin]

Microsoft is so stupid. They need to akip Japan.

[rlow1]

Okay good article, First nobody knows the actual numbers so all this tit for tat in the comments really isn't relevant until we get a better idea. Remember he did say that online retailers in japan are sold out. Do I expect Xbox1x to do phenomenal in Japan...........No. But will it help expand the brand or at least move the needle. Then I'd say yes.