Yes, the Xbox One is a Lost Cause in Japan

Last year (and the year before that) I made a point to remind everyone just how badly Microsoft’s Xbox One is doing over in Japan, one of the biggest gaming markets in the world and arguably the country that turned gaming into the cultural juggernaut that it is today. Well, now that another year has passed, I feel obligated to remind you--yes, it’s still doing badly. In fact, it’s doing worse now than it has in a long, long time.

So, last week, according to MediaCrate, Sony’s PlayStation 4 sold 25,592 copies, while Nintendo’s Wii U sold a smaller but still impressive batch of 15,398, while the new-and-improved 3DS LL sold an impressive 30,172. Some pretty standard numbers, all things considered. But how many Xbox One’s do you suppose Microsoft sold in that same period of time?

However much you’re guessing, it’s probably less than that. After one full week of sales, Microsoft sold a grand total of 99 Xbox One’s. That’s the kind of numbers you’d expect from an Ouya, not one of the biggest consoles in the world.

Geez. That’s rough. Microsoft’s Xbox One has been struggling compared to the PS4 for a while now, but for that kind of disparity? I have no idea what could warrant it.

Might be high time Microsoft marks Japan as a lost cause.