Xbox Series S price reduced in Japan before launch

Microsoft appears to be working to improve its competiveness in Japan by dropping the sales price of the Xbox Series S there by 3,000 JPY, the equivalent of about $28.

The price drop was announced during a Thursday livestream event as part of the Tokyo Game Show. Xbox hasn't participated in the Tokyo Game Show since 2014 and sales of the American company's consoles have consistently lagged behind its Japanese competitors Sony and Nintendo.

The reduction comes a week after Sony announced the price of the PS5, and seems like an effort to cement the Xbox Series S's position as the value winner. The Japanese price for the Series S is now about $284, less than the U.S. price of $299 and much less than the PS5 Digital Edition, which costs 39,980 JPY or about $379. The cost of the Xbox Series X remains 49,980 yen or about $474, close to the $499 U.S. price for both the Series X and the standard PS5.

During the presentation, Xbox head Phil Spencer made it clear that he wanted to use the new console generation as an opportunity to grow the company's presence in Japan. Customers there will be able to buy the Xbox Series S and X on its Nov. 10 launch day, a huge improvement from the Xbox One, which wasn't available in Japan for almost a year after it released in the U.S. and 12 other countries in 2013.

Spencer also announced that Microsoft's new Project xCloud streaming service, which launched in 22 regions on Sept. 15, will hit in Japan in the first half of 2021.