Want An Xbox One? I Hope You Don't Live In Japan

It just never ends for the Xbox One. More bad news out of Redmond today as a major disclaimer for the new console was released to the public: because Xbox One games have to activate with the cloud and the console has to check in every 24 hours, the system can only have its full functionality in regions where these are supported. At launch only 21 regions are supported, and while these cover the major markets, one notable omission is Japan. You can read the full list and details here, but this confirms reports that have been circling which claim that the Xbox One won't be available in Asia at all until late 2014.

Now, it deserves to be said that the Xbox brand has never been successful in Japan and it was never a major market for them, but I'm more concerned about that this means for the long-term. Regardless of whether or not their previous efforts in Japan were successful, all but giving up on the market from the get-go is a mind-boggling choice to make. Think of the message that this sends to Japanese developers, at least two of which have pledged incredibly major releases to the system. Also, for games which are set to release on both consoles, think of what that means now!

Take Final Fantasy XV, for example. At E3 2013 it has shown two very complete and very polished demonstrations of different sections of the game, and are far enough in development that they are now comfortable releasing the announced Japanese voice cast. Say this is a perfect world and the game is ready for release in, say, summer 2014. If Microsoft has a deal secured with Square Enix to have FFXV brought to the Xbox One the same day as the Playstation 4, does that mean Playstation 4 gamers will have to wait until the Xbox One releases in Japan in order to play the game?

Readers thinking back to the previous console generation's launches should find details here very similar to the 2006-era Sony which was tripping over itself with an obnoxious price tag, hubris, and a year-late release. The circumstances are different here: the Xbox One's higher price tag is warding gamers off just as much as its Byzantine policies, and where the Playstation 3's delay was a terrible business decision all around, here the Xbox One's rather targeted absence in a notable market comes off more like an insult.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced that the Playstation 4 will, like the Playstation 3, be region-free.

So that's something.