The Japanese launch of the Microsoft Xbox games console may be
delayed until next year according to reports by Bloomberg News. It
had originally been scheduled for launch in advance of Christmas
this year, although there has never been an official date.
The company has been criticised for failing to secure enough
Japanese games developers and is now said to be facing a potential
shortage of titles in a market said to have significantly different
tastes from the US and Europe.
The company had said it hoped to launch the Xbox in the US and
Japan in the second half of 2001 and in Europe in early 2002. An
analyst told Bloomberg that he expects the company to launch the
product only in the US this year.
The news of the delay will please Nintendo which hopes to launch
its Gamecube in July this year. Japan is said to account for 25% –
30% of the games market.
