Japan already discounting XBox 360s four days after launch

Kotaku notes that Japanese shops are now  discounting XBox 360 consoles to as low as 18.800 yen (about $157) to move out unsold units. Bloomberg is confirming the lack of interest, noting that only 28% of units shipped to Japanese stores have been sold. Blackfriars noted on Saturday that response to the XBox launch in Japan was muted. This response shows just how important it is to tailor products and marketing to markets outside the US and not to assume that what works here will work everywhere. We should also note that by the time of the Japanese launch, consumers had a chance to note the XBox 360 defect rate, and that may have kept Japanese consumers -- who are raised on very high rates of customer service and low defect rates -- away.

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