Why am I NOT the least bit surprised by this *RUMOR*

http://games.kikizo.com/news/200507/096.asp

Although I REALLY have to question Microsoft' s sanity if any part of this is true:

The rumours also predict that Xbox 360 could launch in Japan as late as March, which could possibly pit it against PlayStation 3.

They' d have to be out of their damn minds to even entertain such a thought. They can pull such a stunt in ANY other territory except for Japan because-

Microsoft has had little luck attracting the Japanese. Around half a million people have bought the original Xbox since its launch in early 2002, as opposed to the 18 million who brought home a PlayStation 2.

Ideally they' d want a bit of a head start on the PlayStation 3 in Japan to help build a little momentum before Sony' s beast is unleashed. The online & HD enabled Final Fantasy was quite a major acquisition on Microsoft' s part and would be excellent launch material if the Xbox360 launched in Japan this year, not when its pitted against the PlayStation 3 which has backwards compatibility and access to the PS2 version of the same game.