Japanese stores stop selling X-Box due to hardware problems
#1
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 3,797
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Japanese stores stop selling X-Box due to hardware problems
http://www.xengamers.com/sections/news/6717/
Xbox Pulled Off Shelves
8:00pm 03/08/02
[Xbox Pulled Off Shelves]
Japanese retail chains Laox and Sakuraya have decided to suspend all sales of Microsoft's Xbox console due to complaints regarding defective products. Specifically, the initial shipment of Japanese Xbox consoles are being blamed for scratching game discs. Despite the moratorium on console sales, Laox and Sakuraya are both still selling Xbox software. Together, both retailers have approximately 150 locations across Japan. While Microsoft has acknowledged the scratching problem, an official hardware recall hasn't been issued. Rather, Microsoft has chosen to handle replacements on an individual case basis. According to company representatives, Microsoft has received 588 complaints from Japanese consumers to date. When asked about the decision to stop Xbox hardware sales by the aforementioned two retail chains, Microsoft executives in Asia refused comment. Below is a picture taken inside a Laox location with a sign informing customers of the decision to cease Xbox sales.
Xbox Pulled Off Shelves
8:00pm 03/08/02
[Xbox Pulled Off Shelves]
Japanese retail chains Laox and Sakuraya have decided to suspend all sales of Microsoft's Xbox console due to complaints regarding defective products. Specifically, the initial shipment of Japanese Xbox consoles are being blamed for scratching game discs. Despite the moratorium on console sales, Laox and Sakuraya are both still selling Xbox software. Together, both retailers have approximately 150 locations across Japan. While Microsoft has acknowledged the scratching problem, an official hardware recall hasn't been issued. Rather, Microsoft has chosen to handle replacements on an individual case basis. According to company representatives, Microsoft has received 588 complaints from Japanese consumers to date. When asked about the decision to stop Xbox hardware sales by the aforementioned two retail chains, Microsoft executives in Asia refused comment. Below is a picture taken inside a Laox location with a sign informing customers of the decision to cease Xbox sales.
#3
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 4,538
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's probably a hard decision for MS...is it every console that has the scratching problem or just a specific batch or whatever... doing a recall would have hurt them more than the 2 chains pulling the console. I think this will hurt them more on the basis of a loss of confidence from Japanese consumers than from the loss of sale or the recall if it ensues(sic?).
#5
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Earth
Posts: 2,693
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
how much of these problems are real? and how much of it is US bashing by the japanese? i don't have an x-box but i remember ps2 having similar complaints. my ps2 never seemed to scractch anything vertical or not.
pure speculation but the move of Square putting games on the gc seems to be somewhat calculated also...
and no, i'm not paranoid, nor am i an xbox fanboy b/c i don't want one. just thinking a little outloud... keywords: little
pure speculation but the move of Square putting games on the gc seems to be somewhat calculated also...
and no, i'm not paranoid, nor am i an xbox fanboy b/c i don't want one. just thinking a little outloud... keywords: little
Last edited by young; 03-09-02 at 10:10 AM.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: WA
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nothing new here.......
I seem to remember that the PS1 had problems like this as well when I first bought mine it had skipping problems and the machine could not read the disc I sent the machine to Sony and they fixed the problem. Now from what I have seen with the X-box MS has admitted it's mistake and is taking corrective action to fix the problem hopefully this situation has not damaged the reputation of X-box in Japan since the market is pretty fickle.
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by young
how much of these problems are real? and how much of it is US bashing by the japanese?
how much of these problems are real? and how much of it is US bashing by the japanese?
#11
Aren't these being made in the same places as the US versions (Hungary or Mexico)? I don't get how these problems are happening just for Japan when they didn't show up here in the US.
It's a learning experience for them anyway.
It's a learning experience for them anyway.
#12
Retired
This is definitely bad news for MS. They already had a hell of an uphill battle to even hold onto a solid third place in Japan, and this will kill consumer confidence over there and make if very tough for them to see any success. That would be bad news for them in general as if the X-box isn't viable in Japan, many Japanese developers won't bother developing for it. This will make it difficult for MS to expand their library to cover all the genre's and consequently make it tough to expand from their current audience of mainly PC gamers. If they don't get this fixed quick, they're dead in Japan and doomed to do no better than third in the U.S. A ton of Americans love american developed games, and PC type games like Halo, but those alone (as exclusives) aren't enough to get a head of Nintendo when their big games start coming out this summer and fall, much less to catch up to Sony.
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: under the stars with a great view of the mountains and a the lovely aroma of cow shit.
Posts: 14,599
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Microsoft = American company
Sony = Japanese company
Microsoft makes the xbox and it gets pulled from shelves for 588 complaints.
Sony makes the PS2 when the same scratching problem happened last year it was not pulled from shelves.
Hmmmmmmmmm.....
Sony = Japanese company
Microsoft makes the xbox and it gets pulled from shelves for 588 complaints.
Sony makes the PS2 when the same scratching problem happened last year it was not pulled from shelves.
Hmmmmmmmmm.....
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is this thread still going? Sales had resumed (at one of the two, at least) before this thread even started here.
Anybody who doesn't think there's a fishy here is in denial. Five hundred scratches out of roughly 150,000 consoles sold is the latest report. And that triggers a halting of sales? Either the fishiness is underreported problems by MS or it's some type of newfound concern by some Japanese retailers about their customers.
All this while the market leader gladly rakes in the profit of sales of vertical stands worldwide, despite the fact that everybody that knows the slightest about the industry is aware that PS2 in a vertical position is a recipe for scratched discs.
Anybody who doesn't think there's a fishy here is in denial. Five hundred scratches out of roughly 150,000 consoles sold is the latest report. And that triggers a halting of sales? Either the fishiness is underreported problems by MS or it's some type of newfound concern by some Japanese retailers about their customers.
All this while the market leader gladly rakes in the profit of sales of vertical stands worldwide, despite the fact that everybody that knows the slightest about the industry is aware that PS2 in a vertical position is a recipe for scratched discs.
#18
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 3,797
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The problem isn't with the fact that this is happening - like some of you have noted, similar problems appeared on the PS2. The problem is with the way in which Microsoft has handled it.
MS' first press release in regards to the matter (on 3/4/02) was somewhat arrogant, saying that "this is a natural phenomenon", and that they would not replaces defective discs affected by the console.
Three days later (3/7/02), MS rescinded the original press release, apologized, and then offered to replace the defective discs.
If they hadn't issued the first press release, MS wouldn't have been in the mess that they are now in Japan.
Full story is here:
http://www.mmcafe.com/
MS' first press release in regards to the matter (on 3/4/02) was somewhat arrogant, saying that "this is a natural phenomenon", and that they would not replaces defective discs affected by the console.
Three days later (3/7/02), MS rescinded the original press release, apologized, and then offered to replace the defective discs.
If they hadn't issued the first press release, MS wouldn't have been in the mess that they are now in Japan.
Full story is here:
http://www.mmcafe.com/
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Breakfast with Girls
User error. I'm sure the bias against an American company is real, though.
User error. I'm sure the bias against an American company is real, though.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NYC
Posts: 17,015
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by darkside
If they have such a bias against an American company, why buy the Xbox in the first place? I could understand bias if people refuse to buy the system, but I seriously doubt they are buying the Xbox just to make up a disc scratching problem.
If they have such a bias against an American company, why buy the Xbox in the first place? I could understand bias if people refuse to buy the system, but I seriously doubt they are buying the Xbox just to make up a disc scratching problem.
#24
Retired
Originally posted by RMMETHOS34
PLAYSTATION 2 rules,maybe the xbox has better hardware but its about the games and yes,I do own all 3 systems.
PLAYSTATION 2 rules,maybe the xbox has better hardware but its about the games and yes,I do own all 3 systems.
Those comments have nothing to do with the discussion at hand. Quit trolling.
#25
Guest
Posts: n/a
I wasn`t trolling,I like all 3 systems ,just I enjoy the Playstation 2 games more,this is the 6 month aniversary of 911,there are a lot more important things in life than my consoles better than yours,kinda reminds me when as a kid,the old my marvel comics better than your dc comics or my WWF wrestling better than your WCW wrestling.