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[Renozokii]

Yes, the most bizzare part is it happens in Japanese market, where Physical sales made up most of the total sales number.

Sony needs to address these issues immediately since the consoles weren't sold to the customers in Japan but shipped out to outside by scalpers.

How do they address this rather than just continue trying to supply more? There’s a shortage in certain parts they need for the console. I don’t understand how people expect Sony to “address scalpers” in the context of physical gaming consoles that are in higher demand than production can keep up with.

 

[Astral Dog]

What started as a Japanese company and one of the biggest players in their home nation has moved to the west and is being absolutely decimated now in Japan. Its genuinely sad to see.

Not really because they moved to being a global company, PS4 was a big success with the likes of FFVII to SpiderMan to God of War to Last of Us, PS5 will have software that appeals big in Japan, just like PS4, it will just take time

I mean at this point other than releasing an underpowered hybrid what else can they do good to see Nintendo doing well but not every company should release the same thing, we will have our AAA PS5 games as well as our Switch games i think thsts pretty cool

 

[Woopah]

Japan is all mobile nowadays and i wouldn’t be surprised if use of the switch as a handheld over there dominates home console use. To my knowledge Sony actually has some of the highest grossing mobile games in Japan too. So it seems like people are just increasingly less looking for home console experiences in Japan and Sony already compensated for that.

Like the rest of the world, it is likely that probably most people use Switch handheld at least some of the time. However, the more expensive Switch hybrid is way more popular in Japan than the handheld only Switch Lite, so we know the market cares a lot about playing games on the TV.

Do you really think scalpers would still be snatching them up almost half a year after launch if there was nobody willing to take them off their hands?

One possibility is that scalpers are sending the consoles oversees. So people are buying games to play on their PS5, but the market where the hardware sales are recorded is different from the market where the software sales are recorded, and this is leading to the weird numbers we are seeing.

Might not be true but that is one explanation.

 

[Renozokii]

Like the rest of the world, it is likely that probably most people use Switch handheld at least some of the time. However, the more expensive Switch hybrid is way more popular in Japan than the handheld only Switch Lite, so we know the market cares a lot about playing games on the TV.

That’s a lot of assumptions to make. The switch lite is in my opinion, and I know this is anecdotal, but it’s the opinion of a lot of people I know is a massive rip off. Losing half the devices use to save just a hundred dollars isn’t worth it even if you don’t plan on playing on on the tv too much. Look at the digital ps5 or that Xbox one that wasn’t any weaker but lost the disc drive. They cost less and in theory the console is perfectly playable without the disc drive, but people still choose to spend the extra money. I’d wager a lot of people buying the ps5 with the disc drive have no intention of buying discs but want the option. Anyway, certainly no reason to think the market cares “a lot” about playing on tv when Sony made 4 billion dollars with a mobile game, more than all the software on the switch combined has made for Nintendo in Japan. The Japanese leans mobile heavily, is this in contention?

 

[Withnail]

Wonder how much backwards compatibility is depressing attach rates, I.e. people playing their backlogs on a more powerful console while waiting for new games to come along. I don't think you can assume it's all down to scalpers.

 

[LazyParrot]

One possibility is that scalpers are sending the consoles oversees. So people are buying games to play on their PS5, but the market where the hardware sales are recorded is different from the market where the software sales are recorded, and this is leading to the weird numbers we are seeing.

Might not be true but that is one explanation.

I think we'd have noticed by now if several hundred thousand Japanese PS5 consoles had made their way to other markets.

If you look at the PS5 launch lineup, there's really nothing there that has more than niche appeal in Japan, and almost all of it is out on PS4 as well. If anything is to blame for the low attach rate there it's probably that.

 

[Woopah]

That’s a lot of assumptions to make. The switch lite is in my opinion, and I know this is anecdotal, but it’s the opinion of a lot of people I know is a massive rip off. Losing half the devices use to save just a hundred dollars isn’t worth it even if you don’t plan on playing on on the tv too much. Look at the digital ps5 or that Xbox one that wasn’t any weaker but lost the disc drive. They cost less and in theory the console is perfectly playable without the disc drive, but people still choose to spend the extra money. I’d wager a lot of people buying the ps5 with the disc drive have no intention of buying discs but want the option. Anyway, certainly no reason to think the market cares “a lot” about playing on tv when Sony made 4 billion dollars with a mobile game, more than all the software on the switch combined has made for Nintendo in Japan. The Japanese leans mobile heavily, is this in contention?

Its not in contention that Japan has a large mobile industry, but this is something that almost every country has. The US has a huge mobile market too but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a healthy console market as well. The two co-exist like they do in Japan.

My point is what you just said. In the vast majority of cases people don't think $100 is worth losing the ability to play Switch games on their TV and therefore the Japanese market values the ability to play games on the TV. At the very least those 2.4 million people who own Ring Fit probably play TV mode a lot.

People see too much overlap between the mobile market and the portable market. In reality, in terms of games and software pricing the portable market is much closer to the console or hyrbrid markets. The mobile market isn't the reason for Switch's success and it isn't the reason for PS5's current sales.

I think we'd have noticed by now if several hundred thousand Japanese PS5 consoles had made their way to other markets.

If you look at the PS5 launch lineup, there's really nothing there that has more than niche appeal in Japan. If anything is to blame for the low attach rate there it's probably that.

I do think that the software line-up plays a big part, and maybe it is just the lack of titles that appeal to Japan. We'll have a clearer idea when Village comes out and we see the PS5/PS4 split.

 

[Iced Arcade]

Switch is just monsterous. Stomping even the competition if it was all combined.

 

[iHaunter]

Let Japan fund Switches shitty games for the 1 good one that comes every 5 years. I'll take it!

Thanks, Japan!

 

[MonarchJT]

Japan it is literally a dead market for home consoles for both Sony and Ms

 

[YeulEmeralda]

How do they address this rather than just continue trying to supply more? There’s a shortage in certain parts they need for the console. I don’t understand how people expect Sony to “address scalpers” in the context of physical gaming consoles that are in higher demand than production can keep up with.

Nobody has ever found a way to deal with scalpers. Its amusing seeing all these armchair analysts.

 

[The Chairman]

Let Japan fund Switches shitty games for the 1 good one that comes every 5 years. I'll take it!

Thanks, Japan!

Japan it is literally a dead market for home consoles for both Sony and Ms

I think it's a matter of taste, Japanese gamers love to play colorful fun games like this

And hate to play raw anal sex interactive movies like this

That's why PS games are bombing hard in Japan.

 

[MonarchJT]

I think it's a matter of taste, Japanese gamers love to play colorful fun games like this

And hate to play raw anal sex interactive movies like this

That's why PS games are bombing hard in Japan.

oh cmon not put it on sexuality because it would end badly, speaking of Japan. I think it's related more to how Japanese society has evolved, constantly on the move for work or study and living in very small houses. Difficult to find other explanations

 

[nordique]

Those Ps5 hardware sales are really good imo...however the ps5 software sales are very disappointing. Sony tends to play the long game, so I don't think there's any cause for concern until we see multiple larger titles coming out and not performing

Nintendo is just dominating. Good for them, it is nice to see the Switch having such success. Hopefully more support comes to the next model

 

[Zoro7]

The series consoles are being outsold by the 3ds which isn’t even being produced anymore. Lol you can’t make it up.

 

[iHaunter]

I think it's a matter of taste, Japanese gamers love to play colorful fun games like this

And hate to play raw anal sex interactive movies like this

That's why PS games are bombing hard in Japan.

I'd happily let them bomb in Japan. Those colorful games have no depth. You play one, you've played them all.

 

[Bodomism]

I'd happily let them bomb in Japan. Those colorful games have no depth. You play one, you've played them all.

Penetration depth?

 

[EDMIX]

What? They dropped an underperforming handheld and followed the direction the market was going.

Agreed. I wish Vita did well too, but I understand why Sony had to move on. Nintendo is able to do well in that area and it makes sense for them no different then Sony focusing on Home console cause it makes sense for them.

So it would be like asking Nintendo to make home console, as if they don't see PS5's sales right now in Japan or something. It would never make sense for them. So I think you'll see Nintendo keep that focus on handhelds and Sony keep that focus on home consoles until further notice.

The only thing makes me doubt those numbers is that 0.0 for Series X or Series S lol

So no one, not a single person bought ANY game for that system ALL OVER JAPAN? Not even 1? No military bases in Japan where Americans might buy XB to play Call Of Duty or? I don't know about that. I can understand low numbers, I can't understand zero out of hundreds of millions.

 

[Azelover]

Goddamn. Nintendo bought Japan.

They conquered it, now for the third time. FC, DS and now Switch.

But never to this extent before.

Even during the Famicom days, the marketshare was never this good consistently. It warrants some celebration, if you're in the camp.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

It's not pointless for Japan since digital sales only made up around 15-25% of total sales.

Are you ever going to source this claim?

 

[MagnesG]

I'd happily let them bomb in Japan. Those colorful games have no depth. You play one, you've played them all.

Says a lot about you.

 

[xShaun]

Woah the switch is totally killing it!