14 DAY TRIAL // We're living in a world where Nintendo's domination is getting as frail as possible in the console sales department, especially now that Microsoft has reduced the price of the Core 360 in Japan. As if this wasn't enough, the Value Pack is also available in Sony's homeland and it comes with a Forza Motorsport 2 title and Viva Pinata.
To boost the sales of the 360 even more, Ace Combat 6 has just been launched plus other titles which have a major appeal towards the Japanese public (Blue Dragon, The Idolmaster). We're not just guessing or listening to a couple of analysts here, since the retail chain Asobit has witnessed a huge increase in the demand for 360 consoles and Xbox-related media. As bizarre as it may seem to us Halo 3 and Final Fantasy fans, Ace Combat 6 is selling extremely well and the Elite 360 is... sold out already.
The Wii's sales are starting to stabilize right now, as the PS3 gains more ground and the Xbox 360 is still left behind, but trying to catch up. This surely won't happen in 2007, but 2008 will be an entirely different story, as Microsoft's console gets ready to welcome huge blockbusters, although the PS3 and Wii have some masterpieces of their own to hold on to. The word goes around that "if you can make it in Japan you can make it anywhere in the world"... Well, the 360 has already made it in Japan for now and in the US for certain, while it's still trying to dominate the European market and to reach out to other potential markets.
I still wonder why Microsoft hasn't yet joined the portable console market, relying instead on its Zune and variations of the gadget, but still not competing with the likes of Sony or Nintendo. Who knows, maybe they've set something up for 2008...