The company’s Japanese offices “received a small number of inquires (significantly less than one percent of systems sold) from customers reporting small scratches to the outside edge of some game disks after use in the Xbox game consoles,” according to its statement.
It continued:
“While this is not a common occurrence, and minor scratching is primarily a cosmetic issue that does not affect performance, a positive customer experience is of the utmost importance to Microsoft. Xbox Japan responded accordingly in its statement offering to evaluate any Xbox system that a customer is concerned about. If a system needs to be repaired or replaced for any reason, Microsoft will do this immediately.”
Japan has a 30% share of the international games market and success in the country is vital for Microsoft's gaming strategy. However, according to figures quoted by FT.com, in its first three days from launch, sales of the Xbox reached only 125,000 units. By comparison, Sony’s PlayStation 2 sold 720,000 units in its first three days two years ago.
Microsoft will launch the Xbox in Europe and Australia on 14th March 2002. Worldwide, it hopes to sell between 4.5 million and 6 million units by the end of June. To this end, it is spending half a billion dollars on advertising.
Sony yesterday announced that it will this month begin selling a network adapter for PlayStation 2 owners in the US allowing them to take gaming on-line. The adapter will cost $39.99.