TOKYO -- At Microsoft's Xbox 360 media event Monday, the company also showed off new retail displays that will be introduced in Japan's stores, along with the console's price drop. The new retail stations will be manned by Microsoft employees, it said. The strategy is similar to Nintendo displays you'll usually spot in some of the big discount electronics chains in Akihabara and elsewhere, with a common branding and shelving unit style used to showcase the company's range of gaming products. Below, a look at some of the current 360 displays found in Tokyo stores, for comparison purposes. At this Sakuraya store in Ikebukuro, you have the type of display currently seen in most stores. Shelving is standard for the store, accentuated with lots of green Xbox 360 signage. Sofmap in Akihabara tries to cram as much as it can -- most of the shelf space on that floor is devoted to PlayStation software, with the 360 relegated to a tiny corner. This being Akihabara, a lot of emphasis is of course put on the otaku-friendly Idolmaster series. Photos: Jean Snow/Wired.com See also: Microsoft Prices 360 Below $200 in Japan Xbox 360 Sells Out, Somehow, In Japan Tales of Vesperia Helps 360 Outsell PS3 in Japan ...
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TOKYO -- At Microsoft's Xbox 360 media event Monday, the company also showed off new retail displays that will be introduced in Japan's stores, along with the console's price drop. The new retail stations will be manned by Microsoft employees, it said. The strategy is similar to Nintendo displays you'll usually spot in some of the big discount electronics chains in Akihabara and elsewhere, with a common branding and shelving unit style used to showcase the company's range of gaming products. Below, a look at some of the current 360 displays found in Tokyo stores, for comparison purposes. At this Sakuraya store in Ikebukuro, you have the type of display currently seen in most stores. Shelving is standard for the store, accentuated with lots of green Xbox 360 signage. Sofmap in Akihabara tries to cram as much as it can -- most of the shelf space on that floor is devoted to PlayStation software, with the 360 relegated to a tiny corner. This being Akihabara, a lot of emphasis is of course put on the otaku-friendly Idolmaster series. Photos: Jean Snow/Wired.com See also: Microsoft Prices 360 Below $200 in Japan Xbox 360 Sells Out, Somehow, In Japan Tales of Vesperia Helps 360 Outsell PS3 in Japan ...