international
Latest
You Only Launch Twice
There's an old Japanese Proverb that says "You only live twice. Once when you're born, and once when you stare death in the face." It looks like the same goes for launches, at least when it comes to the Xbox 360 in Japan. According to Japanese wholesalers, MS will announce next week that they are relaunching the console in Nipon this June due to lackluster sales (currently trailing the unimpressive numbers of the first Xbox). It's not cleaur if "relaunch" means new pricing and bundles, or simply a re-vamped marketing campaign focusing on local products like Ninety-Nine Nights and Chromehounds. My guess is Microsoft will down-play any talk of a "do-over" and simply call this a new marketing campaign. James Bond managed to survive his own death and returned to save the world, not to mention blow up a fake volcano. Will Microsoft's mulligan result in a similar comeback for the Xbox 360, or is the Land of the Rising Sony simply too tough a market for anything beyond the lowest expectations? Does the console really need a "fresh start" this early on? For discussion purposes, here are the m-create numbers for hardware sales in Japan March 20-26: PS2: 34169 Gamecube: 1458 Xbox360: 1415 Xbox: 108
Aussies throw 30,000 360s on barby
Australian gamers may live about 16 hours ahead of their American counterparts, but they had to wait an extra four months for the next generation to begin. Now they're making up for lost time. Aussies croc-snapped up 30,000 consoles in four days making the Xbox 360 the Down Under's fastest selling console ever. Crikey!
European Nintendo fans: air your grievances
The European release of Animal Crossing: Wild World later this week heralds joy for many DS owners this side of the pond. Europeans have patiently waited for the game for months, since its release in other countries; however, a long delay on European Nintendo titles is the norm, rather than the exception.A disgruntled European Nintendo fan has set up a site called "NoE Watch" to highlight some of these problems, including a Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame for particularly good and bad release schedules. Looking at these lists, it's not all bad--titles like Another Code (Trace Memory) actually arrived in Europe before they made it to America. Perhaps European customers are too willing to focus on the bad side of these delays. The problem isn't Nintendo-specific; from delays of days to months, European customers have come to expect games later than their American friends, but the advent of online friends lists and the like mean that the difference is all too apparent.
Xbox 360 launches Down Under
That's not an Xbox 360 launch. This is a launch:The wait is officially over: Xbox 360 has launched in Australia amid crowds of shoppers and excited customers. Over 350 stores across Australia and New Zealand threw their doors open at midnight so that hordes of eager fans could get their hands on the world’s only next generation console. The crowds were biggest at the official launch location in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall where cheerleaders, street performers and radio station Nova entertained a massive crowd of fans as they gathered to count down the seconds to launch.Australians may hate Foster's beer, but they love their 360s. Aussie gaming site My360.com.au has some pics from a local EB Games in Melbourne.(For any Australians insulted by the pic of Crocodile Dundee, I'm still recovering from that brief period in the 80s when my country was obsessed with your native land to the point where kids were faking accents on sit-coms. Even the girls from Facts of Life went to Australia.)[Thanks Roy]
iTunes Music Store global charts available
Are you curious about the top album on iTunes in Japan? The most popular single in the UK? Switzerland? Then check out this page on Apple's site, which tracks the top tunes in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Japan and fifteen other countries. It could be a fun way to discover some new music.[Via The Digital Music Weblog]
