Though some might say that trying to win the hearts of Japanese gamers might be a lost cause, Microsoft is now determined to focus its efforts towards the European market. "The No. 1 objective is to win on a global basis and that may mean winning some markets and losing others," said Microsoft's group product manager Aaron Greenberg.

According to analysts, cutting prices and releasing a few Japanese-flavored games (like Eternal Sonata) didn't do much to aid the Xbox 360's performance in Japan. "After two years on the market, Xbox's position in the country is such that it makes you wonder whether further efforts are even worth it," said analyst Hiroshi Kamide of KBC Securities Japan.

However, Microsoft 360's Japan's division is planning on launching more RPGs in Japan, so we should see if the strategy will work in the near future. For the record, the Xbox 360 is currently outsold by both the Sony PlayStation 3 (by three-to-one) and Nintendo Wii (eight-to-one) despite its one-year head start ahead of the other two consoles in Japan.

Will the Xbox fare better in Europe? Only time (and Master Chief, perhaps) will tell...