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The Xbox 360 has got off to a good start in North America, and is doing reasonably well across Europe, but in Japan sales have been very poor. After a disappointing launch, things haven’t improved in 2006, with only 75,837 units sold so far. To put the figure into perspective, that’s around 1,500 less than the GameCube has managed for the same period.
The biggest selling home console of the year is the PlayStation 2, having shifted a little over a million units. Even this pales in comparison to the Nintendo DS which has been flying of shelves, achieving sales in excess of five million. The PSP has sold 1,332,773 units, but still finds itself languishing helplessly behind the DS.
In an effort to build some momentum for the Xbox 360, Microsoft has announced the November 2 release of the Xbox 360 Core pack. For 29,800 yen (£140) you get the console minus the hard drive, a wired controller, AV cables, plus Ninety-Nine Nights and Project Gotham Racing 3.
In addition to the new low price bundle, five games will be re-released in the Platinum budget collection on November 2. Need for Speed Most Wanted, Rumble Roses XX, Every Party, PGR3 and Ninety-Nine Nights will carry a retail price of only 2800 yen (£13).
Even at such a low price it’s hard to see the Xbox 360 breaking through in Japan. Not only does it have to compete with the DS and PlayStation 2, but also the imminent release of the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.
