Panasonic makes a 103-inch TV—it's apparently the biggest plasma in the world. It's on display at electronics shops throughout Japan. Seeing one isn't a big deal. Playing Kinect on it just might be.
Xbox Japan has been stepping up in-store demos throughout the country in hopes of at the very least introducing folks to Kinect.
Granted, Japanese living rooms are generally smaller than their American counterparts. In the suburbs, Japanese houses do run larger, so many people could probably enjoy the device. (In tiny one room, six-mat city apartments, that enjoyment would probably be muted.)
Recently, my youngest son was able to check out Kinect (we don't have it at home). He seemed to really like it. He was even slightly nervous when the demo started—nervous excitement, I think.
I asked him what he thought of Kinect, and he thought it was pretty cool. He really, really liked Disneyland Adventures. I also asked him about the 103-inch television, and he said it was huge. But when you're 3 years-old, pretty much every TV is huge.
So, I guess, in that regard whatever Xbox Japan is doing with Kinect worked. Now, it's a matter of getting 120 million more Japanese people to test it out...
Postcard is a daily peek behind the Kotaku East curtain, whether that be game-related or, most likely, not.