Via Marcus Troiano, news of a business decision that AsiaPundit would welcome, but has not been expecting,:
It’s well known that China is one of the largest breeding grounds for piracy of software, DVDs and CDs, and it’s for that reason that video game makers have been wary of entering that market.
Despite these concerns, Microsoft said that it’s currently evaluating China for a possible launch of the Xbox 360 in that market, according to the Associated Press.
Speaking prior to the launch of the next-gen console in South Korea this Friday, Alan Bowman, general manager of entertainment and devices for Asia Pacific and Greater China said, “We’re working with the government pretty actively in trying to understand what it is we need to do. We’re taking a very careful approach in China.”
Upon being pressed further Bowman would not elaborate on any possible timeframe for the launch of the 360 in China. He added, “It’s a very controlled environment. We’re going to make sure that we make the right moves, develop the right content, have the right partnerships in place. It’s not something you want to rush in and do.”
AsiaPundit has spoken with Sony representatives in China who have bluntly admitted that the Playstation 2 has been a "miserable failure." Hardware for game consoles is sold at a discount, and the companies make money in software or services. In China, that means making money for subscriptions to online game services. If Microsoft can pull off a money-making method for the 360 in China, AsiaPundit will be impressed.
Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, northeast asia, xbox 360
March 1st, 2006 at 1:04 pm
The PS2 game (hardware) is sold everywhere in the electronics market. The price is pretty much what it costs in the USA for the machine. For an extra few RMB, you can buy the chip that allows you to play any game from anywhere…including copies. This is where the real hurt is. The games are copies…in fact, I have only seen 1 store that actually sells original PS2 games.
Unlike DVD movies, there is no noticable difference in quality in PS2 games. You can buy the real thing for RMB300…or you can buy the copy for RMB5. What do you do?