Microsoft Corp. is putting efforts into attracting Japanese users for its new Xbox 360 game console, seeking to avoid the lack of appeal that dogged sales of the earlier version of the machine in the world"s second-largest game market.
The world"s largest software maker revealed on Monday 45 game titles to be available for Japanese users of the new console, scheduled to go on sale in time for the year-end holiday shopping season before market leader Sony"s planned launch of its new PlayStation 3 early in 2006. A shortage of games to draw Japan"s discerning and sophisticated users was the main reason behind the lack of success of the current generation Xbox.