Microsoft To Sony: This War ain't Over Yet

Back to Contents of Issue: August 2002
by J@pan Inc












Microsoft Japan has a message for Sony: The video game wars ain't over yet. Sony's PlayStation 2 has acquired a stable position in the global game market, and Microsoft has been struggling to catch up with its Xbox.

At the Xbox Conference 2002 Summer held in June in Tokyo, Hirohisa Ohura, head of Japan's Xbox project team, told Gamespot Japan, "Microsoft has a corporate culture of being stubborn. This is our philosophy, too. We will not quit until we win. We will continue to be a challenger." Previously, Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, had commented that "the game war is over," referring to the fact that its PS2 has already sold 30 million units globally since its launch in 2000. Microsoft has sold 3.5-4 million Xbox consoles since its launch last year, while Nintendo has sold 4 million Gamecubes.

Microsoft Japan argues that its broadband gaming service Xbox Live, scheduled to be launched in early fall simultaneously in the US, Europe and Japan, will be cheaper than the PS2 equivalent. In Japan, the company will sell its connectivity software for JPY6,800, a year's connection fee included, while the PS2 broadband service costs about JPY1,000 a month.

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