Japan to Get Xbox 360 Elite in October

In a likely attempt at turning its fortunes around there, Microsoft will begin selling the Xbox 360 Elite in Japan starting October 11. The company hopes its feature set will attract discerning Japanese gamers.

Traditionally, consumers in the country have opted for homegrown systems over those of competitors outside the country, evidenced by the dominance of Nintendo in this generation and Sony's PlayStation consoles in previous generations.

Xbox 360 has only managed to sell 122,565 units during the first six months of this year, versus 503,554 consoles for the PS3 and 1.78 million Wii units. The basic Xbox 360 sells for 29,800 yen ($243 USD), versus 49,980 yen ($408 USD) for the PS3 and about half that for the Nintedo Wii.

In June, the Wii held a six-to-one lead over the PS3 and a 15-to-1 lead over the Xbox 360 in the region, according to Japanese gaming magazine Enterbrain.

The Xbox 360 Elite will have a retail price of 47,800 yen ($390 USD). At that price, it will be about $90 cheaper than what it sells for currently in the United States. It will carry the same feature set as its domestic counterpart, including HDMI and a 120GB hard drive.