September 15th 2005 was a day prior to the opening of the Tokyo games show and an opportunity for Microsoft to reveal its presence on the show floor and outline its plans for the Japanese marketplace. Presenting the event was Executive Officer, General Manager of Xbox Division Microsoft Co., Ltd. Yoshihiro Maruyama; who was an excellent host but also very brave after putting his neck on the line for a Q&A session.

After arriving at the luxurious premises for the Microsoft Press conference in Tokyo Japan it became clear that Microsoft are really using this lead they have with their launch of the hardware before Sony, Nintendo to capture the hearts and minds of the Japanese public. With many journalists from across the globe present we were all seated in a large conference room opposite a huge screen and platform where the day's speakers would be making their announcements. We were shown a movie of some Xbox360 games which would be released in Japan with comments from some Japanese developers regarding the 360.

From hearing the comments of the developers it appears that with the online capabilities (Xbox Live) and the fact that the 360 offers much more scope when developing games means there is a real excitement in Japan. Hopefully this excitement will transcend a snowball effect which will then get even more key developers on side.

Following the opening video Cliff Bleszinski from Epic Games was up next to make a presentation of the forthcoming Gears of War title. Now the first thing one has to say about the inclusion of this demo at this juncture of the conference is the fact that Gears Of War is looking like a true next generation title (showcasing the power of the 360) and one that encompasses a lot of what Japanese gamers look for in a game. Its inclusion here was an obvious nod to show the Japanese what to expect from the console.

Following the demonstration of Gears of War was a montage of the 360 titles due for release in Japanese territory between now and 2006. The key announcements that were made by Yoshihiro Maruyama were the exact launch dates of the consoles in all territories USA November 22nd. Europe December 2nd and Japan December 10th 2005.

He also outlined that for the Japanese Launch there would be 7 games available with a further 6 games by January 2006. He also stated that there would be at least 20 titles available by the end of January 2006. The main point though was that 200 games are currently in development for the 360 and this fact shows Microsoft's continuing strategy to work alongside as many publishers; more than 40 in Japan including the likes of Bandai, Capcom, koei, Konami, Namco, Sega, Square Enix and Tecmo.

In an interesting twist to the speech made by Yoshihiro Maruyama; he mentioned that the Xbox 360 would retail in Japan with only one package available which included the Hard Drive and would hit retail at 37,900 Yen which is around £188 or 279 Euros (this price is excluding tax). The reasoning behind this decision being the fact that Japanese gamers generally have a wider access to broadband compared to the rest of the World and the fact that MMORPG ‘s (massively multiplayer online role playing games) which will be the few games that require the HD are very popular in this region.

To start the High Def era which seems synonymous with Microsoft's plans; Japan is a great place to focus, especially as the marketplace is well suited for such technology. Visiting a number of shopping districts in Tokyo reveals many electrical stores where Hi Def TV's are readily available to consumers. Xbox 360 encompasses this High Definition output and also the excellent 5.1 surround sound to bring a truly cinematic experience to households the World over. In addition the Xbox 360 is the ultimate catalyst and amplifyier for music, movies and photos stored on external media devices such as MP3's, digital cameras and windows XP based PC's. Meaning users will be able to watch and listen to their favourite movies and music on the best TV in the house and most likely in the most comfortable chairs!

As part of Microsoft's continued aggressive strategy for winning over the Japanese consumers with the Xbox 360 a new media concept zone lounge will open in Tokyo on November 11th 2005. Here gamers and members of the public will be able to experience first hand the power of the Xbox 360 in a wide range of connectivity and gaming, set up in a virtual home environment. Whilst in Tokyo last week we had a look at the building in the busy shopping district and found the venue covered in white with the rings of light and the Xbox 360 logo on the side.

The next part of the demonstration showed some footage of the games that would be viewable / playable at the TGS which included the following titles.

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Bomberman- Act Zero
Call of Duty 2
Chromehounds
Dead Rising
Dynasty Warriors 5 Special
Everyparty
Far East of Eden
FFXI
Frame City Killer
Gears Of War
Kameo
Mobile Suit Gundam
NFS: Most Wanted
Ninety Nine Nights
The Outfit
PGR 3
Resident Evil 5
Ridge Racer 6
Rumble Roses XX
Shutoku Battle
Sonic The Hedgehog
Saints Row
Test Drive Unlimited
GR: Advanced Warfighter
World Air Force
Wrestle Kingdom

Not all of these games were going to be playable and some would be showcased on big screens or monitors. Here is a detailed map of the 360 Booth at the Tokyo Games Show.

The video definitely wet the appetites of those present and was followed by a more detailed demonstration of Ninety Nine Nights from Phantagram with Korean Sangyoun Lee (president & CEO of Phantagram) giving the details. Ninety Nine Nights is the result of a Korean/Japanese partnership between Tetsya Mizuguchi (of Japan) and Sangyoun Lee and will no doubt appeal to fans of Kingdom Under Fire/ Dynasty Warriors type games. This game is clearly aimed at the Japanese market and is a stark contrast to the earlier demo from Epic games (Gears Of War). Vibrant Japanese influenced characters adorn the landscapes as they do battle against many on screen characters using weapons and special moves. This game will certainly please gamers in the west as well as the Japanese but shows Microsoft's continued drive to get more Japanese style games on the system. The fact that we westerners benefit as well is a great bonus, especially as Ninety Nine Nights looks and plays extremely well even at this stage.

The final part of the press conference was a Question & Answer session with Yoshihiro Maruyama. With the 100 plus press at the event this was perhaps a nervous moment however Yoshihiro handled the situation like a pure pro including when some idiot wanted to ask questions about the weight of the console (to the amusement of everyone else present). Here are some highlights:

Q. Why have just the premium packages available in Japan?
A. Japan has a very mature broadband and we wanted to offer online content for the Japanese market. The Japanese market needs the Hard Drive due to the availability of the Broad Band.

Q. Will the core be available in the future?
A. No decision has been made as of now but the core could be available in the future.

Q. Why are Microsoft not providing for wireless LAN?
A. There will be provisions for wireless LAN which maybe in the form of some bundle packages.

Q. What will be the price of the games?
A. The price ultimately depends on the company. Generally the price will be the same as current games- so not much difference.

Q. According to a recent survey only 10% of those asked wanted Xbox360- what is necessary to win here?
A. Our Strategy is based on current Xbox Live and to show info. We need to show consumers how to enjoy the product. We will provide new experiences and make sure we have a continued effort in the region.

Q. To compare prices the 360 is less in Japan is this because of Playstation?
A. The pricing in Japan is appropriate for a new hardware product in this marketplace.

Q. Can you give any more details surrounding the lounge?
A. The lounge will feature trial units, demos for people to play and view. There will also be a number of events planned, announcements and new information made available here.

Q. When will we see HD DVD? What is the marketing for that?
A. We have the current drives first, we may adopt the HD DVD; however HD DVD is not essential. Existing DVD is adequate so there are no current plans to change to HD DVD.

Q. Will there be conflicting development issues with the core and premium packages?/i>
A. Not possible as all games can be played without the HD. MMORPGS being the only exception.

Q. Will Microsoft enter the handheld market?
A. There are no plans as yet.

Q. Why no handhelds?
A. Hi Def is different compared to mobility with handhelds. Hi Def is in the home and this is the concept behind the 360.

Q. What is different this time- what have you learnt from the current Xbox?
A. Performance is different and also with the Xbox our preparation time was simply not enough. We've had 3 years preparation time with the 360 and with Xbox there were not enough titles available.

Q. What is the target audience?
A. Our audience are those looking for High Definition, customisation, a high quality of games featuring a wide choice of game types.

Q. What was the decision on the ordering of release dates for the console – US- EU Japan?
A. The order was due to the differing holiday seasons.

Q. Why Only 7 titles at launch?
A. There will be a phase by phase launching of titles. There will be a further 6 games available before the end of the year.

This concluded the press conference and surely had a lot of press hyped not only for the exclusive announcement of the hardware dates but the games that would be playable the next day at the show!

Tokyo Game Show 2005 Coverage provided by Rob Cram of www.msxbox-world.com (20th September 2005), as part of an Xbox Community Network (XCN) collaboration.