PS Plus offerings in Asian territories have long been far better than the offerings in the west; given that Asian countries are traditionally resistant to ongoing subscriptions, this makes total sense. And depending on whom you ask, this month’s offerings for PS Plus in Asia only continue that trend.

Now, to be clear, I don’t think the actual lineup of games on offer in Asia this month is better than what we are getting in the west- at best, it’s about as good (or bad). The games that PS Plus subscribers in Asian territories can expect this month are Evolve, Mighty No. 9, and Grand Kingdom. The real clincher here is that they can also expect ‘The Memories of Puppets NieR Music Concert’ for free. This concert, featuring music from NieR and NieR Automata, was held in Tokyo last year- and given just how widely acclaimed the soundtracks to these games are, is a hell of an offering.

Meanwhile, in the west? We get Knack. Sorry Asia, we win this time.

The PS4 continues to have a record setting run. SCEJA today announced that the console continues to outpace the sales of its direct predecessor, the PS3, and even the legendary PS2 (which is the highest selling console of all time), when it comes to both, the hardware and the software sales.

This is a bit surprising, because reports have always pegged the Asian market as a weaker market than the rest of the world- the announcement of yesterday’s price cut for Asian territories also left the impression that it was made to prop up a failing PS4. It doesn’t seem like that is the case- rather, it seems like Sony is eager to maintain a comfortable lead over their own best performances that they have established.

The software sales are what I really find the most interesting here, given that there has been no game that is truly appealing to Asian markets. Are tastes in gaming becoming more homogenized worldwide?

Microsoft launched the Xbox One in China after almost a year’s worth of industry wide skepticism and doubts as to whether the move would yield any benefits, but it appears that the launch, which was the first official console launch in the country for nearly a decade and a half, has been a tremendous success. Chinese video games news site 17173 reports that more than 100,000 units of the console have been sold in the country. This number also includes the pre-orders that were ultimately honored.

17173 also reports that Microsoft apparently aims to have sold 1 million consoles in the territory by this time this year- an achievable goal, but they would have to do their very best to maintain momentum, especially if their success causes others (namely PlayStation and Nintendo) to take notice.

China is one of the few countries in Asia where the Xbox One has had a good launch- the South Korean launch went well before the console’s sales fell off a cliff, while the Japanese launch was an unmitigated disaster. Often a notion that many scoffed at, China may yet help turn around the Xbox One’s fortunes in this cycle of the console wars.

Previously today Microsoft has announced a complete reversal of the DRM changes including region locking which is now gone. With region locking out of the way Gamespot was courageous enough to ask Microsoft is the “late 2014” launch still remains the same after the recent changes.

Microsoft has told Gamespot that the “late 2014” Xbox One launch in Asia will remain unchanged despite all the new DRM policy changes. Meanwhile, Xbox One will be coming out later this year in November in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and other countries.

The DRM policy removes 24 hour online authentication, allows for game trade-ins, lending, renting and the ability to share discs in physical form without comprising the owner’s rights.

This news is a huge deal for Microsoft. It’s exciting to see where Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be heading next in the next-generation console war.

Let us know what you think of this in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more updates.

Microsoft may start producing its own Smartphones, according to a new report.

They currently employ services of Nokia and other electronic companies who are already proficient in this field, but just like the Xbox 360–which they have developed themselves, Microsoft looks to be expanding and creating their own mobiles too.

They already create their own operating system for mobiles, with the latest one being Windows Phone 8. Nokia has also created fantastic new phones for them namely the Lumia 920, which should be released soon.

This latest report comes from Wall Street Journal who have said that the company is working with suppliers in Asia who produce components they require. However, they are not sure whether it will go into mass production or not.

The smartphone being tested is between four to five inches, the report adds.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer earlier mentioned that they’re “quite happy this holiday [season] going to market hard with Nokia, Samsung and HTC.”

“Whether we had a plan to do something different or we didn’t have a plan I wouldn’t comment in any dimension,” he added.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.