Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told reporters in Tokyo yesterday that he expects successful launches of the Xbox 360 in the United States, Europe and Japan. According to Reuters, a confident Ballmer proclaimed:
"We have very strong momentum, particularly in the northern parts of Europe, United States, Australia ... I know for sure, 100 percent, we will do much much better in Japan than we did with Xbox 1"
Confident, but hardly the stuff of bullish hyperbole. After all, Xbox 360 will monopolise the next-gen market for several months, and Microsoft has spent the last two years feverishly courting Japanese developers, evangalising its new hardware and signing up exclusive deals. Let's face it, if 360 doesn't massively outsell the spectacularly underperforming Xbox in Japan it would be a disaster.
Futhermore, the company is apparently looking to sell 2.75 million to 3 million Xbox 360 units in the first 90 days - a reasonably conservative figure.
Come on Microsoft - you're not launching a new edition of Office here. Give it some welly!
