The first Xbox's tendency to scratch disks also ruffled feathers in Japan. While the problem didn't affect the game's performance, it was viewed as a symptom of poor attention to detail.
It is unclear how Japanese might react to reported problems in the Xbox 360 that cause it to crash in the middle of games.
Huston said yesterday those incidents are "quite isolated" and added that there is a Japanese hotline for customers to call if they experience problems and that the company will replace faulty equipment free of charge.
Tokyo-based Sony has not yet announced a price or a date for the release for the PlayStation 3, but its machine will be powered by a new computer chip called "cell" that Sony says will also drive digital electronics products in the works.
The PlayStation 3 will also use the next generation video format called Blu-ray Disk.
Nintendo Co, which makes Super Mario video games and GameBoy Advance handheld machines, will also face off against its bigger competitors with its new Revolution machine sometime next year.
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