In this edition of "Hell Freezes Over," we have news that the Xbox Series X and Series S have both outsold the PS5 in a place where Microsoft has always struggled: Japan.
Game enthusiasts and industry personnel walk between the Microsoft XBox and the Sony PlayStation exhibits at the Annual Gaming Industry Conference E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Convention Center will be hosting the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) which focuses on gaming systems and interactive entertainment, featuring introductions to new products and technologies.
As per IGN, the information comes from Japanese website Famitsu where exact sales figures were revealed. From June 13-19, the Xbox Series consoles sold 6,695 units - more than DOUBLE than that of the PlayStation 5's 3,035 units. This is an insane number if you think about it, even if Sony likely still has the upper hand in terms of mainland Japan sales.
The massive sales disparity is caused by one major reason: supply issues. It looks like Japanese gamers are finding it as tough to get a PS5, so they're resorting to Microsoft's console considering it is still next-gen. But a breakdown of the numbers also tells another story.
Gamers bought more Xbox Series S consoles than Xbox Series X consoles, with the sales numbers set at 3,423 and 3,272, respectively. As for the PS5, a massive chunk of the sales went to the disc-based edition at 2,371 units, while the all-digital PS5 only sold a paltry 664 units within the same time frame.
Here's a bit of perspective. Gamers going more for the Series S than the Series X shows just how much easier it is to pick the smaller, yet still pretty much next-gen console. If you look at major retailers right now, the chances you'll see an Xbox Series S in stock is high. When we're talking about the Series X, however, there's no comparison.
Plus, the Series S is a next-gen console in every way. It might not be able to play a lot of games at 60+ FPS in 4K, but it's still a capable 1440p/1080p gaming machine that has ray tracing. And all of the games coming out on the Series X will come out on it too. Plus, it's way, way cheaper - you can even get one for less than its already low $299 MSRP.
Living room with a Microsoft Xbox Series S home video game console alongside a television and soundbar, taken on October 27, 2020.
On the PS5's side, you should know by now that Sony's console is more or less a unicorn at this point. The all-digital edition even more so. Even if you do find a PlayStation 5 being sold, chances are it's being sold by a scalper. And that's somebody you SHOULD NOT buy from. Not now, not ever - unless you're pretty darn desperate to get your hands on a console.
It is not clear whether Xbox's recent week-long dominance in Japan will continue, but it is clear that Microsoft is finally making headway into a market that has almost always ignored them for over 20 years.
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Xbox And Its Struggles In The Japanese Market
A video by CNBC discussed three main reasons why Xbox basically failed time and time again in Japan:
First, most of the best game developers in the entire world in the early 2000s (during the launch of the first Xbox) were Japanese. Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, Konami's Hideo Kojima, and Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi were the absolute best, to name a few. Game developers now come from all sorts of backgrounds, but back in the day, Japan was THE talent pool for game development. Bar none.
These Japanese developers weren't too convinced by Xbox because they knew it wasn't popular. Furthermore, Japanese gamers preferred RPGs more than the shooter-heavy catalog of the West. To cap things off, the developers were pretty loyal to their already-established relationships to Nintendo, Sega, or Sony.
The second reason was the hardware's size. The original Xbox, while small relative to the PC of the time, was still pretty huge. Japanese homes, in comparison, were small. Even if Microsoft tried to make the hardware appeal better with a smaller version of the infamous Duke controller, it still wasn't a good fit for the market.
Third and last, timing. Microsoft launched the Xbox in Japan in February 2002, several months after its initial November 15, 2001 launch in the West. This meant that the company missed out on the holiday season in Japan, which is the time when kids got money from family members that they could spend on gifts.
Settling In, Looking Ahead
Combine these three reasons over a time period of over 10 years, and you can say that "rot has set in." Japanese consumers simply wouldn't budge en-masse from their Sega, Sony, or Nintendo consoles just to give a Western console-maker a chance; even if the Xbox 360 actually proved to be successful enough in the market.
PlayStation has long been a dominant force in the Japanese market, and there was almost no way to dislodge the brand from its pedestal. But until Sony manages to fix their supply issues, then they would potentially lose their last truly fortified stronghold. This is good for Xbox and Microsoft of course, who seems to have learned from the mistakes of the Xbox One and have come out swinging this generation.
The new Microsoft Xbox One S console is announced during the Microsoft Xbox news conference at the E3 Gaming Conference on June 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. The One S is slated to launch in August.
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This article is posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce