Xbox 360 ready to take Japan

Microsoft Corp. will get the jump on Sony this Saturday when it introduces the next generation Xbox 360 in its rival's backyard, but winning over Japan's notoriously finicky video game fans will be an uphill battle for the American interloper.

Microsoft is still smarting from the failure of its original Xbox in Japan, the world's second-biggest video game market after the United States and a realm long dominated by Sony Corp.'s PlayStation. This time it's determined to break into the stronghold.

Part of its strategy is beating Sony to stores.

While the Japanese electronics giant is working on a new PlayStation 3, it won't go on sale until next year. Microsoft hopes the Xbox 360's earlier release will convert hard-core gamers who can't wait that long.