Xbox Series X/S consoles continue to see strong sales in Japan

Already doubling Xbox One lifetime sales

While there’s no denying that Xbox is a hugely popular, globally recognized brand, it is well documented that Microsoft’s hardware line struggles to find footing on Japanese soil, often trounced by local hero Sony PlayStation. It seems that Gen 9, however, is looking set to shake that precedent up, as the Xbox Series X/S console line appears to be going from strength to strength in regards to sales in Japan.

In recent data summarized by Famitsu and analyst @Benjisales Xbox Series X/S has sold somewhere in the region of 260,500 consoles since its launch in the fall of 2020, that’s already over double the lifetime sales of Gen 8 hardware Xbox One, which sold just under 115,000 units in Japan over the course of its production run. This new data comes hot on the heels of the recent news that the Xbox Series line was, at one point outselling Sony’s own PlayStation 5, an almost unheard of milestone in the battle between the two industry giants.

So, what has caused this success? Well, Xbox made it clear that it was hoping to break Japan like never before with the Xbox Series X/S line. The consoles launched day-and-date on a global basis, whereas previous Xbox hardware often sees a delay on its journey from west to east.

Additionally, the popular Xbox Game Pass service — which also includes PC players — has been one of the best endeavors in modern gaming, and is too good a deal to pass up for anyone wanting to play on both console and PC. The ongoing global component shortage may also have a part to play, with many territories finding Xbox hardware easier to come by than PS5 units, leaving less-patient users going for the black-and-green brand instead — rather than waiting on the local retailer to receive a PlayStation restock.

Despite these impressive statistics, Xbox Series X/S is still not quite the most popular Xbox console in Japan to date. That honor still goes to the mighty Xbox 360, which sold around 1.6 million lifetime units Still, it’s early days. It should also be noted, for the sake of clarity, that both the PS5 and Xbox Series lines have a long way to go before they catch up with Nintendo’s Switch hardware, which currently sits at well over 25 million units in Japan alone.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse