Xbox One is now available in China and things seem to be going well for Microsoft. Reports claim the software giant has managed to sell around 100,000 units on the first day, which is very impressive but not surprising.
The Xbox One is the first video game console to be sold legally on Chinese soil since the 14-year ban has been lifted. The console is quite expensive though, going for the price of $600 for the version with Kinect, which compared to the $499 for the Kinect version in the United States.
With this successful launch [in Chinese], we have to wonder if Microsoft will be able to keep the momentum going in the market. China is not the United States or Europe, as the majority of gamers in the country are PC centric. This has a lot to do with the 14-year ban though, so things could change in the coming years if consoles prove to be worthy of play.
Microsoft at the moment is having issues with the Japanese market, as the Xbox One is doing terribly. The console had a feeble launch in Japan, and no one expects it to bounce back anytime soon. A few Japanese exclusive games could cause for an increase in sales, but it would be short-lived, as proved by the Xbox 360.
We doubt anything can improve the Xbox One prospects in the Japanese market for it competes more effectively with the PlayStation 4, but Microsoft has the bottom-line to continue its attempt despite the obvious.
The Chinese market is different from the Japanese market, however. The Japanese prefer mobile gaming, as evident of the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita's performance in the market. The PlayStation 4 might be selling more units than the Xbox One, but it is well behind the sale projection of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.
It would be interesting to see how the PlayStation 4 performs in China whenever Sony chooses to launch. Some believe that due to the rivalry between the Chinese and the Japanese, Sony might have a difficult task ahead, but that is left to be seen.
Things have improved in China over the last decade, which allowed several Japanese companies to enter the market with varying successes. Japanese car dealers are doing fine, so all is not lost for the PlayStation 4 just yet.
