No Xbox 360 for Japan in 2005?

New rumours suggest Microsoft might let Xbox 360 go head-to-head with PlayStation 3 next year.

The run-up to the European launch of the PSP has been plagued by legal wrangling over grey imports - hardware shipped in from outside of Europe. To make sure that this problem doesn't befall the Xbox 360, Microsoft has proudly touted its planned near-simultaneous launch in North America, Japan and Europe later this year. But online reports suggest that at least Japan might not be able to join the party in 2005.

Microsoft is holding a big Xbox 360 event in Japan later this month where the company will show off some of the upcoming games and possibly announce new ones as well. But pre-event rumours, reported by Game Informer, suggest that Microsoft could also announce the delay of the console's launch to the beginning of next year.

The rumours also predict that Xbox 360 could launch in Japan as late as March, which could possibly pit it against PlayStation 3.

Microsoft has had little luck attracting the Japanese. Around half a million people have bought the original Xbox since its launch in early 2002, as opposed to the 18 million who brought home a PlayStation 2.

The company has learned from its hard-won lessons, and it has focussed on making Xbox 360 more appealing to the Japanese by getting exclusive games from popular Japanese developers and working with Japanese companies to design the console.

Microsoft has not commented on the veracity of the rumours. The official line is still that Xbox 360 will be in shops before the end of the year in all three major regions.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games