No, the Xbox 360 was not popular in Japan.
Xbox 360's Performance in Japan
Despite its considerable global success, the Xbox 360 struggled significantly to gain traction and achieve widespread popularity in the Japanese market. Its sales figures consistently lagged behind those of its primary competitors, Nintendo and Sony, which held dominant positions in the region's console landscape.
Sales Performance in Context
While the Xbox 360's overall sales in Japan were considered poor, it did represent an improvement over its predecessor, the original Xbox. The original Xbox recorded total sales of 474,992 units in Japan. The Xbox 360 managed to surpass this specific figure, indicating a slightly better, though still limited, performance for Microsoft in a market historically challenging for Western console manufacturers.
However, this marginal improvement was insufficient to establish the console as a popular choice or a serious contender against the deeply entrenched Japanese brands. The market's strong preference for locally developed hardware and software has historically made it difficult for foreign consoles to break through and achieve mass appeal among Japanese consumers.
For more information on the console's history and impact, you can visit the Xbox 360 Wikipedia page.
