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PlayStation brand ‘is in decisive decline in Japan, research firm claims

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PlayStation isn't in decline so much as home console gaming is. PS2 was the last huge success for a home console in Japan. Even the popular Wii could only push 12M units, while the much more expensive PS3 hit 10M. PS4 looks like it will end just shy of 9.5M. My guess is PS5 will hit 8M-9M. It's just the way the country is moving. Doesn't really matter, as other countries more than make up for it.
 

Ten_Fold

Member
Phone games, and the switch is what Japan loves. The days of sitting at a TV an gaming isn’t huge anymore in Japan. Nintendo will still be king in Japan.
 

Kagey K

Banned
Isn't PS5 supply limited in Japan?
Aren’t all next gen consoles limited pretty much everywhere?

(Except Series S in Portugal and Finland?)

People taking these early launch sales as anything other than pure stock issues are delusional.
 

Fredrik

Member
Well, there was a time when the big players were all Japanese. Sony, Nintendo, Sega; heck, for a generation of gamers, Japan was video games. The obsession with Japan comes from seeing the almost unbelievable decline in traditional gaming in stark contrast to what it once was. If you'd said that PlayStation in Japan would be all but dead by 2020 during the launch of the PS2, you'd have been committed.
They aren’t dead yet. But yeah the potential consequence from this is what people should talk about instead of just go into defence mode.

What Playstation fans say here was said pretty much word for word by Xbox fans during previous generations; Who cares Japan is not the whole world, they don’t need Japan, better focus on a market where they have a chance yaddayadayada.

For Xbox this resulted in weak support from Japanese devs.

So is this what will happen to Playstation going forward if things keeps declining? Or are the big software houses like Square Enix and Capcom still too invested in having access to a powerful box?

And another bone to chew on, what would happen if Nintendo would release a powerful consoles? Would Japanese gamers start going back to Playstation or would Japanese devs go back to Nintendo?

And how does cloud gaming fit into this picture? Could xCloud, Geforce Now, Stadia, Luna become big in Japan?
 

Bodomism

Banned
Isn't PS5 supply limited in Japan?
Decline of Playstation brand didn't start with PS5.

Nintendo Switch was projected to sell over 30 million units in Japan which is higher than PS3+PS4+PSV+ and possibly even with PS5 combined sales.
 

Yoboman

Member
The problem is the desires of the western market and Japanese market have diverged significantly. This has been true for a long time now - even as far back as PS3

Its all about handholds in Japan, or failing that- small form factor.

Sony could have gone with a small form factor, low powered console or hybrid. But the risk there is that they surrender the high end market to Microsoft and potentially are left in no man's land. Neither competing for high end technology nor having the best hybrid

I think a dual system like MS had may have worked better for Sony though. If their low end model was a hybrid handheld capable of playing PS5 games at ~720p. Not sure if that is technically even possible though. Maybe in a few years
 
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Enjay

Banned
I'll bet they sold every single unit they sent to Japan though. It's not that they sold poorly there it's just they weren't given enough because playstation is no longer japanese.
 

Caio

Member
Not even Sony cares if they’re in decline there

better to create a compelling system for the rest of the world than design a gimmick console that could be popular in Japan

You coudn't say it better. It's not the Playstation brand in decline in Japan, it's the entire Home Console market. Japanese gamers only do care about "minigames" and portable for the majority, maybe their life style is affecting this habit a lot. Nintendo cannot be competitive VS Sony in the powerful Home consoles market, so they must go the "gimmick way" and/or portable(Wii, Switch), they do not have any choise.
 

ranmafan

Member
Theres no doubt Playstation has a decline in Japan over the past 15 years. Its been happening since the ps3 era and will continue unless Sony makes major changes in how they handle the Japanese market. But to use the launch sales numbers as an indicator of that when you simply cant find one anywhere as they are only sold in lotteries, and that word has gone down that Sony sent the vast majority of the ps5 systems at launch period to the west at the expense of Japan is just ridiculous. The sales numbers are so low simply cause the supply is simply not there and getting one in that supply is virtually impossible. Reports have been of stores getting one system for 100-200 applications in just the rural areas off Japan in the lotteries. And in the cities its even worse. Its all online, all lotteries, and you need serious luck to find one. Heck I actually got an order in at amazon japan 50 days ago and I still don't know when mine is coming cause Amazon oversold that day and they have been trying to get systems to fill in their backlog of orders. People are very frustrated here about it all. In fact only this past week did Japan finally see an in store sale of the system at one major retailer and it sold out quickly. Demand for it is still high, as can be seen by the prices on yahoo auctions, maricari and elsewhere. Its way too premature to declare Playstation 5 failing in such a monumental way this generation when there is such a large number of people still trying to find a system. If the situation is still bad after supply issues get sorted out, then we can make some assumptions about ps5 and japan and declines.
 

Turnstyle

Member
Given that Japanese homes tend to have relatively small square footage, maybe they just can't physically fit the thing in their living rooms :messenger_crying:
 

cireza

Banned
Decline has been pretty obvious ever since the PS4 released. It took a very long time for weekly PS4 numbers to actually go above the Vita ones, despite the console having close to no support.

These consoles simply don't cater much to the audience there, that's all there is to it.
 
This is BS.

I still CANNOT buy a PS5 in Japan! And I check stores DAILY! The last time there was a lottery with any supply was November 24 2020!

There is simply no new supply here and people are selling on auction for over $1000USD.

People who arw trying to make news about slow PS5 sales in Japan are either totally clueless or outright lying just to get clicks.
 

Woman7

Banned
You coudn't say it better. It's not the Playstation brand in decline in Japan, it's the entire Home Console market. Japanese gamers only do care about "minigames" and portable for the majority, maybe their life style is affecting this habit a lot. Nintendo cannot be competitive VS Sony in the powerful Home consoles market, so they must go the "gimmick way" and/or portable(Wii, Switch), they do not have any choise.

Or it's a matter of games with better mass appeal despite their similarity.

Dreams - Mario Maker 2
Crash Racing Remake - Mario Kart 8
Resident Evil Remakes - Luigis Mansion 3

And Japanes gamers and minigames? What minigames?
Here are some recent best sellers:
  • Pokemon Sword & Shield – Switch – 2,988,134
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Switch – 1,092,397
  • Super Mario Maker 2 – Switch – 800,504
  • Kingdom Hearts 3 – PS4 – 861,226
  • New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – Switch – 747,589
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Switch – 628,712
  • Minecraft – Switch – 620,894
  • Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Switch – 505,998
  • Dragon Quest XI S – Switch – 463,699
  • Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! – Switch – 431,629
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition – PS4 – 417,462
  • Resident Evil 2 – PS4 – 403,833
  • Splatoon 2 – Switch – 378,340
  • Fishing Spirits – Switch – 336,995
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch – 301,657
  • Yo-Kai Watch 4 – Switch – 291,878
  • Fire Emblem Three Houses – Switch – 273,905
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – PS4 – 267,666
  • Death Stranding – PS4 – 262,827
  • Pro Baseball Spirits 2019 – PS4 – 259,227
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Switch – 250,974
  • Persona 5 Royal – PS4 – 244,050
  • Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – PS4 – 220,195
 

Nezzeroth

Member
Not even Nintendo could make a successful home console after the Wii. Why would Sony be able to with a more expensive machine? It makes sense for them to not care too much about Japan if that makes them more successful worldwide.
 

Alx

Member
I didn't know that PS4 sold as much as the Dreamcast in Japan, that's a surprisingly low number. Also shows that it's more than a supply issue for PS5, the brand doesn't seem as strong as it was in the past indeed.
 
I see the Hate force got in early and hard.
You, B Bodomism and Heimdall_Xtreme Heimdall_Xtreme Yup the gang is here alright.
Their biggest market are westerners. So they became westerners.
90400423.jpg
 

ZehDon

Member
Fixed that for you.
Er... no you didn't? Switch is still considered a home console. Sony is doing terrible in Japan, Microsoft is doing worse than terrible. Nintendo's doing just fine.
Well the people in this thread need a reality check and realize that Japan is not the center of the gaming universe. Gaming budgets have skyrocketed and for Sony to even claw back their dominance in Japan would require them changing their core beliefs and policies. For a company as big as Sony to do that would take probably half a decade. If you want Sony to succeed in Japan, they would need to become even more like Nintendo and that is terrifying.
No need to get defensive, friend. Sony are giving platitudes to Japan; it's their home turf, after all. What Sony makes, and what has made Sony kings of the video game industry, the Japanese just isn't interested in buying; third person cinematic action adventure games. They do good business in the west, but Japan doesn't really go in for them like people do in western markets. Sony won't give that up - nearly every first party studio they have is making some variant of it. I'd expect Microsoft's xCloud game streaming to have a better chance than the PS5 because it's at least portable - not that Japanese gamers give a rats ass about Halo and Gears.
 
This is BS.

I still CANNOT buy a PS5 in Japan! And I check stores DAILY! The last time there was a lottery with any supply was November 24 2020!

There is simply no new supply here and people are selling on auction for over $1000USD.

People who arw trying to make news about slow PS5 sales in Japan are either totally clueless or outright lying just to get clicks.
It's the power fantasy of Nintendo fanboys.
 
Japan is a country that is in relative decline anyway. Not producing babies, men having relationships with iPads and people working themselves to death.
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
Did anyone ever explain why there are two threads titled :

PlayStation brand ‘is in decisive decline in Japan, research firm claims​

 
Er... no you didn't? Switch is still considered a home console. Sony is doing terrible in Japan, Microsoft is doing worse than terrible. Nintendo's doing just fine.

No need to get defensive, friend. Sony are giving platitudes to Japan; it's their home turf, after all. What Sony makes, and what has made Sony kings of the video game industry, the Japanese just isn't interested in buying; third person cinematic action adventure games. They do good business in the west, but Japan doesn't really go in for them like people do in western markets. Sony won't give that up - nearly every first party studio they have is making some variant of it. I'd expect Microsoft's xCloud game streaming to have a better chance than the PS5 because it's at least portable - not that Japanese gamers give a rats ass about Halo and Gears.

The Japanese market doesn't care that it's considered a home console. It's still a portable first and formost and that's where the main interest lies
 
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Woman7

Banned
It wasn't 10 years ago but now it is. Or doesn't mobile gaming count because it doesn't fit Nintendo fanboys agenda?

Oh and let's all ignore PS4 is still king worldwide.

To be fair, with an emphasis on 'still'...I won't be surprised if that won't hold up in the end.
 

Hudo

Member
PS4 is at aprox 115 mil, Switch is at aprox 75 mil globally.

Still a long way to go and Sony can cut price of PS4 too. We'll see but for now PS4 has a very comfortable lead.
Sony have just announced that they have stopped production of all PS4 models but one. And that specific model is for Japan only, Sony's weakest market.
 
Sony have just announced that they have stopped production of all PS4 models but one. And that specific model is for Japan only, Sony's weakest market.
You referring to this? That's about PS4 in Japan, could be they will still produce models for western market.



I'll wait for an official announcement from Sony.
 

carlosrox

Banned
Oh and let's all ignore PS4 is still king worldwide.

When you're a third party box that gets ports of everything just for showing up you better be. Even with their colossal failure PS3 they still got ports of everything. Can't be that hard to sell well when you just have to make a competent system and call it a day.

Vita is what happens to Sony when they have no backing.

Nintendo has sold gangbusters mostly off the backs of their own talent several times so I'd say the self made man is the real king here. That's without even getting into the amount of software, publishing, and reach Nintendo has. Theme park? Olympic recognition? Critical acclaim? Influence on the industry from a software and hardware standpoint?


Oh and Japan doesn't count cuz Sony is getting demolished over there?

Bet we'd have 10 threads with hundreds of replies each if Sony was doing what Nintendo's doing in Japan.
 
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When you're a third party box that gets ports of everything just for showing up you better be. Even with their colossal failure PS3 they still got ports of everything. Can't be that hard to sell well when you just have to make a competent system and call it a day.

Vita is what happens to Sony when they have no backing.

Nintendo has sold gangbusters mostly off the backs of their own talent several times so I'd say the self made man is the real king here.


Oh and Japan doesn't count cuz Sony is getting demolished over there?

Bet we'd have 10 threads with hundreds of replies each if Sony was doing what Nintendo's doing in Japan.
Lol, first of all; PS3 isn't a "colossal failure" you do know PS3 sold 87 million and beat Xbox 360 right? Nintendo's biggest home console success, Wii only sold 14 million units more.

Nintendo having almost no or poor third party support is because of the failure to cater to other devs, that's on Nintendo.

"self made man", Playstation is not? They don't have any first party studies now? Lol this keeps getting better.

Japan counts, the fact is every classic console maker is getting demolished in Japan. Smarthpones are king in Japan, not nintendo, that's a fact.

Btw, do you remember Wii U? Lol.

I'll end with this nice fact, how does it feel to know Playstation is king of home console gaming since they entered the market?

18903.jpeg
 

Thirty7ven

Banned
Japan has become a terrible market anyway. People spend their entire time working and gaming only exists between work breaks, which is why mobile took over pretty hard and all they play is garbage gatchas and whatever.
 
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carlosrox

Banned
Lol, first of all; PS3 isn't a "colossal failure" you do know PS3 sold 87 million and beat Xbox 360 right? Nintendo's biggest home console success, Wii only sold 14 million units more.

Nintendo having almost no or poor third party support is because of the failure to cater to other devs, that's on Nintendo.

"self made man", Playstation is not? They don't have any first party studies now? Lol this keeps getting better.

Japan counts, the fact is every classic console maker is getting demolished in Japan. Smarthpones are king in Japan, not nintendo, that's a fact.

Btw, do you remember Wii U? Lol.

I'll end with this nice fact, how does it feel to know Playstation is king of home console gaming since they entered the market?

18903.jpeg
*Nintendo's handhelds don't exist I guess 🤣


lol adorable you think Sony has more influence on gaming than Nintendo (aside from being a good third party box).

Wanna bring game sales and critical reception/influence to the picture?

Playstation exists because of Nintendo.

Playstation copied Nintendo to an embarrassing degree more times than I can count.

Nintendo has copied, maybe, 3 of Sony's moves ever while Sony has literally made a career off copying Nintendo.

And how do you think Sony would fare without third parties cradling their balls lol?



Nintendo could do what Sony does if they really wanted to. Get some good specs, bend over backwards for third parties, and maintain a bullshit image that their systems are "cool" for adults. Boom, done.

Good luck getting Sony to do what Nintendo does LOL.




Nintendo's systems are also never FIFA boxes or movie players 😏 Spartans = Nintendo in gaming.




Sony could disappear tomorrow and MS/Steam just easily take their place.

There is no replacing Nintendo and we all know it. Who owns Mario again? Who owns Pokemon? Who has all the highest rated and best selling games of all time?

Who's the real king here? Hint: it's not Sony.
 
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DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Its interesting for sure, and no doubt traditional gaming is declining in Japan, but its hard to take stock in these figures when, at least where I live, a PS5 is impossible to obtain by mortal means.
 

ZehDon

Member
The Japanese market doesn't care that it's considered a home console. It's still a portable first and formost and that's where the main interest lies
Yeah, agreed. The fact that's a home console has zero impact upon its standing in Japan - it's the portability of the Switch that has enabled its success in that market. No question about it. But, to be fair to Nintendo, it's also the fact that it can be used as a home console that has allowed it to succeed outside of Japan, too, even if its viewed as "second console". Sony, on the other hand, is fully committed to putting boxes under TVs, and it's showing in their dwindling impact in Japan. Microsoft are happy to have a box there, but they're off in services-land now, and Japan couldn't give two shits about them.
 
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