Wesley Yin-Poole for Eurogamer:

Gates’ star turn at the Tokyo Game Show was supposed to show the Japanese game industry that Microsoft was serious about getting into the console business. Gates, one of the most famous people in the world, one of the most respected businessmen ever, had taken the time to make sure Japan felt important.

But all didn’t go according to plan.

A fascinating inside look at Microsoft’s failure to gain much traction in the Japanese video game market, first with the original Xbox and then, later, with the Xbox 360.