Xbox vs. PlayStation, Coming to a galaxy near you ...

Rainer MAGER, Microsoft

This summer, millions of young Japanese will enter theaters to see the latest Star Wars movie release, eager to watch the forces of good and evil battle each other in space. Meanwhile, here on planet earth, a real battle is taking place between Sony and Microsoft over the future of the video game market, which not surprisingly is filled with lovers of Star Wars.

First with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360, scheduled sometime around Christmas, and then next year with Sony's PlayStation 3, the fight for control of the gaming world has never been more intense. The stakes, too, are much higher than anything Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader ever could have imagined.

The reference to Star Wars is fitting. For some in the computer world, Microsoft is nothing less than the Evil Empire itself, responsible for worldwide computer slavery. But in the case of the Xbox, it's just the opposite. Sony dominates the game console galaxy, and Microsoft is the underdog, ready to brandish its light saber.

Recently, Hiragana Times had the opportunity to talk about the upcoming Xbox with Rainer MAGER at Microsoft Japan's Tokyo headquarters. Mager is part of the Xbox's software platform development Team. Like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, they are gadflies in Sony's master plan to rule the multibillion dollar video game universe.

"Sony survives on their console profits," says Mager. Until now, Sony hasn't had to worry about Microsoft. When the first generation Xbox was launched in Japan over three years ago, it landed with a thud within the Japanese gaming community. Basically a cheap version of Microsoft's PC, it had a controller that was too large for Japanese hands, and made an annoying noise when playing DVDs. Furthermore, the games available were limited and didn't appeal much to Japanese consumers.

Most of the original Xbox games were developed for American gamers, who like first-person shooting games with lots of action, says Mager. Japanese players, however, prefer role-playing games such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. As a result, the Xbox has been unable to take much market share from Sony or Nintendo.

This time, however, Microsoft has a new attitude. "We're not just hoping to be successful, we're planning on it," says Mager. He that explain, unlike its predecessor, the Xbox 360 is squarely aimed at the Japanese market. The new design, for one thing, is slimmer and sexier, and takes account of Japan's tight living quarters. It can be laid down or stood up, saving on space.

Recently, Microsoft sent its controller designers to Japan to evaluate Japanese players in focus groups. What they learned is that for some games, players use four fingers all the time. Because of that, Microsoft has designed a slimmer controller with four triggers. The current Xbox has only two. In terms of software, Microsoft has been able to recruit well - known Japanese game developers such as Hironobu SAKAGUCHI to create new game titles for the 360. "We've got a broad outline of contents planned," says Mager.

Mager says that the biggest change with the development of the 360 is that Microsoft realizes the first generation Xbox-which has sold less than 2 million units in Japan - was a failure in the Japanese market. The company is now re-focused on getting things right this time around, he insists. "Throughout the whole development process they've had Japan in mind."

In the future, however, Japan may no longer be the only battleground that matters. Already there are rumors that a Korean player will enter the game wars with a new product called The Phantom. To the likes of Sony and Microsoft, it is sure to be a menace.

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