When Microsoft Gets Desperate, They Get Moe

Japanese retailer Messe Sandoh has been producing pamphlets for its customers showing off the merits of the Xbox 360 in Japan on behalf of Microsoft, making bullet-point comparisons that any video game enthusiast would know as familiar territiory by now, such as better versions of multiplatform games, lower initial console cost, superior online gaming platform, and various other points that most consumers do not care for.

As you can clearly see, they are personifying the console in the same vein as the OS-tan internet phenomenon with an attractive female character, while the rest of the pamphlet describes the advantages of the Xbox 360’s game library.

Whether the obvious pandering actually results in increased sales is anyone’s guess as the Japanese market has historically been averse to the console, especially given its propensity for hardware failure with the Red Ring of Death and the recent E74 error phenomenon.

Another factor is the recent revalation that the formerly exclusive Tales of Vesperia RPG is now slated for release on the Playstation 3 in Japan, a fact which sent devoted Xbox 360 and series fans into fits of anger and rage when it was discovered that the new version would include a new character exclusive to the platform.