Microsoft Offers A Free Game With The Xbox One While Japan Gives Lukewarm Response To Launch

With Microsoft expanding the Xbox One's reach to 29 markets this November, it's clear there are still a number of customers who can transition from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One or who can be part of the Xbox community. But this time, Microsoft is trying a new approach to entice more fans to make the leap.

Over at the Xbox Wire, Microsoft has announced that from Sept. 7 to 13, those who are buying the Xbox one in any of the participating retailers in the U.S. can get a free Xbox One game when they purchase the console. The good thing here is buyers can choose any Xbox One game they want, from the likes of "Destiny" or "Madden NFL 15" to big titles like "Titanfall" and "Watch Dogs." Granted there is a list of games available, but the list does feature a number of good titles.

The Results Of Expanding To Japan May Not Be As Great

In terms of expansion, the Xbox One has already been documented for its launch in Japan. But the launch day did not look as great as it did for the PS4.

Kotaku has collated some media photos of the launch, and the expected queues and excited customers did not appear in the images. Instead of a long queue the night before launch as expected in Akihabara, some photos show a deserted area in front of electronics stores.

How these can affect the sales numbers of the Xbox One remains to be seen. But according to the source, given the difference in release date of the PS4 and the Xbox One, a possible reason for the lack of interest at launch could be that potential customers have already imported their Xbox One consoles.

Weekend Free Play For Xbox Live Gold Members

"Forza Horizon 2" is nearing its release date for Sept. 30. And in order to bring up the hype a notch, Microsoft is holding a weekend event for the "Forza Motorsport 5." Major Nelson announced over his blog that members of the Xbox Live Gold can take "Forza Motorsport 5" for a spin this weekend.

The free play weekend starts at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Sept. 4, Thursday, and will last until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sept. 7, Sunday. Members of the Xbox One Live Gold can access the "Forza Motorsport 5" for free and as a full game.

Those who don't have a copy of the "Forza Motorsport 5" can also purchase a copy after the weekend. All progress gamers have already made carries over to their purchased copy, as they can continue playing where they stopped during the weekend.

(Credit: YouTube/xbox)

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