While PlayStation is obviously the dominant console choice in Japan, Xbox Series X and S are doing significantly better than their predecessor, Xbox One, ever did. Per the numbers coming from Famitsu Xbox Series X and S sold over 260,500 units combined in Japan. Meanwhile, Xbox One (the older gen console) in its lifetime only sold about 114k units.
Xbox Series X and S have been outselling Sony’s PlayStation 5 in Japan in two separate weeks, —somewhat surprisingly— but overall the PS5 sold about 1.7 million units in the country, and this is despite the PS5 shortages. Given how Microsoft’s best-selling console in the region is Xbox 360 with 1.6 million units, it’s safe to say Sony will continue to dominate its rival at home.
Microsoft made some massive mistakes with Xbox One, losing the “console wars” to Sony’s PS4 that time around. While both devices were heavily criticized for being weak compared to even low-end PCs, Sony PS4 has seen multiple exclusive hit games in its lifetime.
Microsoft launched Xbox One X (the superior console of its generation hardware-wise) to compete with Sony PlayStation, but that proved to be a bad call, as players’ main complaint was the lack of quality content rather than the device’s raw power to run games and apps.
Related: Acquisitions will dominate the 2022 gaming landscape
Phil Spencer said the team at Microsoft learned valuable lessons from the previous era and their shortcoming; this console generation has seen a revival from Xbox. Microsoft acquired major video game companies Activision Blizzard and earlier, Bethesda.
Microsoft also announced a partnership with long-time Sony legend Hideo Kojima at the Summer Game Fest 2022.