Looks like Xbox 360s are starting to sell in Japan. Is hell freezing over? I wonder if Sony is getting worried now?

That Blue Dragon edition 360 does look rather badass.

If this game is a system seller then I guess it could threaten the PS3 "Juggernaut". God, we can only hope so.

Damn, I want one of those faceplates.

Are they just releasing two different covers, or are they each something different?

I'm looking forward to the game coming out here next year.

It's cool and all, but isn't the bundle (360 premium, Blue Dragon, & faceplate) rediculously priced, like $250 or something? If MS had trouble unloading that deal, Japan would officially be dead to them.

That faceplate is sweet.

No threat to sony (and certainly not to Nintendo), but always nicer to have a little more competition. I'd pick one up, but I'm more interested in the premium 360, than a Japanese language rpg I wouldn't play.

what exactly is it?


some turn-based RPG?

Yup.

whats up with it being on LIVE then?

No.

Probably trade stuff, or purchase stuff. The Live logo doesn't mean a whole lot. And neither Nintendo nor Sony have anything to worry about, if the Xbox360 gets above 10,000 units sold in 1 week it's amazing. (Compared with the 40,000 the PS3 will get and 100,000 the Wii will get in the upcoming weeks.)

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zcav...elated&search=

BD Jap commercials, Graphics don't look mindblowing, but oddly are very good for the visual style they're trying to achieve. Characters were designed by the Dragon Ball creator (Akira ...don't remember his last name), which alone is probably a selling factor. Some really nice animation in the game.

They are basically giving away the bundle at a huge loss so no wonder its selling. Blue Dragon got 37/40 from Famitsu so I hope it gets a US release soon. I may buy a 360 for it, but of course the US won't be offered such a cool bundle.

I won't be shocked if this turns into a N64 situation where they buy the consoles to play that one game and then get rid of them or return them. The 360 has no chance in Japan unless they can come up with a lot more titles the Japanese want.

I doubt MS is taking a huge loss. Reports state that they are making $75 w/ every console sold. So, it wouldn't seem to be hitting them hard in the wallet as some would suggest.

I don't know, they might be getting a little worried.

From this article:

http://apnews.myway.com//article/200...D8LS03U80.html

"Sony is expecting to rack up 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) in red ink in its game unit for the fiscal year ending March 2007, much of it in startup costs for PlayStation 3.

Nintendo is forecasting profit of 100 billion yen ($845 million) for the fiscal year, as Wii buoys earnings in the second half."

Okay, but that doesn't have anything to do with Blue Dragon or the Xbox 360.

I wonder if they're figuring blu-ray expenses (faulty diodes, QC costs) as part of their video game division, or would that fall under the blu-ray players division?

Taken from that article:

They all look the same.

I read somewhere, can't remember where at the moment, that there were 100,000 360's sold in a month because of the game.

They are probably realizing that theres really only 1 or 2 games worth playing on the PS3 right now. And insult of all insults (to Japanese gamers) the top one is a FPS. The 360 is doing better despite the huge bias against it. Blue dragon is good and could possibly supplant PS3 as the #2 console there. Does the ps3 have any game in the same genre coming out within the next few months?

Well, at least it helps them penetrate the market. Once the system is in homes it makes selling 360 software not as huge of a task, assuming they continue to put out games the Japanese consumers are interested in (i.e. Japanese games). I'm sure the hope is even if Blue Dragon doesn't sell someone, maybe they'll see their buddy playing Dead Rising or some other game and THAT will drive up more interest. Not sure if it'd work, and still won't be enough to overtake either Sony or Nintendo, but at least maybe it would put them on the map.

MS has really been on the ball for this console. They're releasing good games, they're providing a great online service, They provided HD video as an option, they put tools in the hands of fans to create their own games (for sale or sharing online) and the console is easy to program for (and game duplication is cheap for publishers). Now finally they're giving Japanese gamers a game they want to play.

I believe its a reversible cover, you flip it over for what cover want light or dark.

Someone will have to dig up a link, but I know that is not true of this bundle, it is priced insanely cheap. Pretty sure cheaper than our Core, the exact number I'm guessing at.

If they are making $75 per unit in the US & Europe they can take a loss on the 100,000+ or so they are selling in Japan. I'm sure it balances out based on the difference in sales between the two countries. We are talking millions vs. thousands. So if they sell 1 mil here, that is $75 million profit. Assume they lose $100 on 250k in Japan = $25 million, so in the long run they are still turning a $50 million profit.

That is if all my archaic math skills are correct.

Everything I've read says it's the core system and not a premium system... any articles or sites indicating the contrary?