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[kingkaiser]

No doubt.

I wouldn't be so sure about this.

Japan is not like America where you can become successful by launching a console with tech-hype and shooter games only. If you try so over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

The faster people realize this, the faster people will realize the market is contracting and no current gen console will pass its last gen entry.

You're wrong but ok.

 

[User Tron]

I don't get the dramatics about these numbers. Sony doesn't have an impact title for PS4 in Japan yet, until they do it's probably not gonna sell too great.

/Captain Obvious

If things don't get better publisher and devs won't make any games for it. It's a death spiral which can't be escaped easily, see Wii U. There is not infinite time! At worst Nintendo releases a Wii U successor in 2016 and kill off the PS4 in Japan entirely.

 

[Earthpainting]

I'm always baffled by some of the short termism in this thread. PS4 is not dead in Japan. It's selling low numbers because there are no games. Once games start to come, sales will pick up. Wii U is slightly different because it's struggling worldwide.

The problem is how long it may take before these games appear. By the time a FF15, Phantom Pain or RE7 appears on the shelves, we might be well into 2015 or later. The amount of negative buzz or disinterest that has built up by then will be difficult to overcome.

We're most likely going to have another PS3 on our hands in Japan. The few big name franchises will sell OK, but the majority of the system's life will be a vicious cycle of 'lack of sales' and 'lack of available titles'.

 

[Bundy]

I wouldn't be so sure about this.

Japan is not like America where you can become successful by launching a console with tech-hype and shooter games only. If you try so over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

Doesn't matter. Most 3rd party-games will launch on the PS4 and won't come to the WiiU.
At the end of the day, the PS4 is gonna overtake it.

 

[Metallix87]

Well let's just agree to disagree. I just think that people really underestimate the mainstream appeal of the PS4/Xbone launch line ups in west. Just compare them to any launch before. You don't find another launch line up with same kind of mainstream appeal as games like COD Ghost or BF4 have (Both are sequels to games that sold over 20 million units). Cross gen or not those are fucking huge games.

Downplaying the cross gen nature of those titles is absurd. Sure, for someone who has never owned a console, the lineups are fantastic, but for everyone else, they can play those exact same titles on their Xbox 360, PS3, and/or PC. The Wii U can also play many of them.

 

[Foshy]

I think the problem from that standpoint is that companies targetting the PS3 have too few resources to instead produce for the PS4

There's no minimum in how much a game has to cost and how good its graphics or whatever have to be. Look at all the indies working on PS4.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

The faster people realize this, the faster people will realize the market is contracting and no current gen console will pass its last gen entry.

That's assuming of course that the ratio of sales between all three console manufacturers will remain exactly the same this generation.

 

[L~A]

Media Create

3DS LL 18,350
Vita 12,810
PS3 7,339
PS4 6,792
Wii U 6,716
3DS 5,250
PSP 1,642
Vita TV 1,055
Xbox 360 201

 

[GhostTrick]

I think the problem from that standpoint is that companies targetting the PS3 have too few resources to instead produce for the PS4, and too many resources to produce for 3DS and Vita. The right theoretical direction for those companies to jump would be to Wii U, but that's not producing numbers to justify that shift. So they stick at the level of fidelity they can for as long as they can.

There's never too many ressources. 3DS and Vita support is kinda lacking in Japan. When you compare to DS/PSP, there's a clear decrease in support.
Of course 3DS had the Nintendo's IPs and Monster Hunter, but look what happened to Square Enix, SEGA, Namco Bandai or Konami. Same applies for PSVita which, except for some hunting games, pretty much lost all the AAA support from 3rd parties in Japan.


Of course, hardware sales decreased; but you can't deny that the 3DS userbase in Japan is huge. You also can't deny that Vita is showing some sign of growth, if supported correctly.

 

[Bundy]

If things don't get better publisher and devs won't make any games for it. It's a death spiral which can't be escaped easily, see Wii U. There is not infinite time! At worst Nintendo releases a Wii U successor in 2016 and kill off the PS4 in Japan entirely.

WiiU is a totall different story. They stopped making games for it, because it is dead everywhere.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Wowsa horrible numbers all around.

Wii U about to outsell PS4 on a weekly basis

Vita doing poorer numbers again. And 3DS also not doing too well :\

 

[emb]

I wouldn't be so sure about this.

Japan is not like America where you can become successful by launching a console with tech-hype and shooter games only. If you try so over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

Yeah, honor and shame is a huge part of it.

 

[Fdkn]

Those systems are beginning to slow down in the West, as the hype dies down.

You say this "no games only hype" every week on every mc thread and every week is still false because you fáil to realize it has exactly the games the western audience (not gaf) wants to play. Next october there will be another CoD, Fifa, AC, etc. and they will sell gangbusters just like every year.

 

[Aostia]

Better question: Can Wii U YTD > PS4 LTD in 2014 ?

Don't think so neither. That would mean to see a significant boost in the Wii U weekly sales, way higher than the one seen for Vita, because PS4 LTD is more than double compared to Wii U YTD, and the two consoles are selling similar quantities up to now. So, considering a flat PS4 pace, the Wii U should see a significant change in its performances

 

[gigantor21]

I still thinking that this gen is going to sell a lot worse than the past gen globally. (Even with the great start of the PS4 and XBOne).

As far as I'm concerned, the WiiU already guaranteed that, like, a year ago. The two handhelds made that clear even sooner. I doubt that both the Xone AND the PS4 are going to sell 80 million+ a piece either--which means we'll likely have much more expensive AAA games fighting over the same sized market, if not a smaller one.

You have every reason to worry. *sigh*

 

[Sadist]

That's depressingly bad

 

[mclem]

Interesting

What about 2014 alone?

2014 WiiU vs 2014 Ps4?

On that metric, PS4 is ahead, significantly so. Nintendo need to make up a deficit of 346k units by the end of the year. That basically boils down to a few key spikes; whether Mario Kart can manage those sales (Theoretically, I'd say yes, but I'm not sure the Japanese public will buy into the premise), whether Smash can do similarly, and whether major PS4 releases (which don't really suit the Japanese audience, at least in terms of those we're aware of currently) can produce sales spikes to make the hill Nintendo has to climb tougher.

My guy says PS4 will win that one, but Mario Kart can do strange things...

 

[BadWolf]

Terrible numbers all around.

PS4's numbers are hardly surprisingly considering there is nothing of interest releasing for that region.

 

[MrCunningham]

Look at the bright side, the #champion is still above 10k.

Another bright side... Vita sales are up by 2,105 units over last year, and the Wii-U sales are up by 778 units... that's something, right?... ehh... Though 3DS sales are down by 10,762 units compared to last year.

 

[Days like these...]

Because some of us could look at the launch titles and post launch titles and saw that there were no games that appeal to Japanese mainstream audiences?

I'm going to need the receipts on that but hey I've been saying Japan is f**ked well before the ps4 launched. It's just that now ps4 fans are claiming they knew it would be selling like it is all along.

 

[mclem]

Part of me is going to laugh when most of the remaining Japanese devs go under after they try and fail to catch the mobile unicorn.

Spoiler

The rest of me will cry.

I'm not sure the triple-A unicorn is that much safer. The target needs to be somewhere in between... which appears to be PS3, for now.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

If things don't get better publisher and devs won't make any games for it. It's a death spiral which can't be escaped easily, see Wii U. There is not infinite time! At worst Nintendo releases a Wii U successor in 2016 and kill off the PS4 in Japan entirely.

You think things won't get better when FFXV, MGS5, GT7, RE7 or KH3 come out?

 

[mclem]

There's no minimum in how much a game has to cost and how good its graphics or whatever have to be. Look at all the indies working on PS4.

...then if you're working to low fidelity anyway, why not just develop for PS3, rather than limiting your audience?

 

[metalmonstar]

#doomsayers #validated

Just think, the guy with the salamence avatar who said the Wii U was destined to win Japan could very well end up being right.

These numbers are really depressing. A lot of us saw the writing on the wall, but I never would have imagined it would be this bad.

Youkai Watch has 1 to 2 weeks to go before it hits a million units.

 

[jabuseika]

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Almost all of which were on previous formats as well, not necessarily pushing the new format.

And yet third party software is performing surprisingly well on PS4 and the best selling PS4 games are third party titles.

It shows people want to play their favourite franchises on PS4. Its shows people are buying PS4's to play the games they like.

 

[Bo130]

Media-Create week-on-week.

 

[gigantor21]

YOOOOOOOOO XD

 

[RiggyRob]

I'm legit shocked that Yokai Watch didn't hit 1 million. Next week for sure though.

Looks like Mario Golf will just about scrape 100k next week, but Nintendo can't be happy with that considering Mario Party is heading towards 400k.

The anticipation as to when PS4 and Wii U cross streams is killing me.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I love this.

 

[Sadist]

Haha, oh dear

 

[Dr. Buni]

Hahaha XD

 

[Foshy]

...then if you're working to low fidelity anyway, why not just develop for PS3, rather than limiting your audience?

More visibility due to less competition. This is especially the case when talking about smaller niche games.

The best thing would of course be to go cross-plat, but how feasible this is depends on the developer tools.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

PS4 joins the club.

 

[User Tron]

You think things won't get better when FFXV, MGS5, GT7, RE7 or KH3 come out?

Better sure. How much? Can't say. The PS3 had lot of such titles but that didn't help as much as expected, so I'm skeptical.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Now that's funny.

 

[michaelius]

I still thinking that this gen is going to sell a lot worse than the past gen globally. (Even with the great start of the PS4 and XBOne).

With handhelds becoming enthusiast only gadgets and Wii console fitness market gone it's certain but the part of market that bought 160 milions of PS3+X360 combined will probably remain. Whatever is lost in western countries can be negated by growth in emerging markets with ps4 not using any expensive exotic parts.

 

[Bruno MB]

This is the worst week of May since 2004.

Week 20, 2014 (May 12 - May 18)

1. Nintendo 3DS LL – 20.619
2. PS Vita – 12.844
3. PS3 – 7.060
4. PS4 – 6.887
5. Wii U – 6.836
6. Nintendo 3DS – 4.821
7. PSP – 1.320
8. PS Vita TV – 855
9. Xbox 360 – 132
10. Wii – 123

Total - 61.497

Week 20, 2004 (May 10 - May 16)

1. PS2 - 30.348
2. Game Boy Advance SP - 20.958
3. GameCube - 4.135
4. Game Boy Advance - 2.554
5. Xbox - 222

Total - 58.217

 

[mclem]

More visibility due to less competition. This is especially the case when talking about smaller niche games.

The best thing would of course be to go cross-plat, but how feasible this is depends on the developer tools.

You know, a backwards-compatible PS4 could have helped that issue somewhat...

...not that it did much for the Wii U.


I'm not sure the 'more visibility due to less competition' actually works, anyhow - that's assuming people have already committed to the ecosystem. The problem here is there's reluctance to commit to it.

 

[big_z]

looks like well see next gen consoles from Nintendo and sony next E3.

 

[Foshy]

#doomsayers #validated

Just think, the guy with the salamence avatar who said the Wii U was destined to win Japan could very well end up being right.

Sounds like a rather pyrrhic victory though

 

[Mpl90]

Post-GW numbers, it's obvious there's a drop in sales.

3DS is not doing badly, given it's in its fourth year and it's already over 15 million sales. Still, I thought the Software Recommendation would have had a bigger impact; maybe it'll be bigger in June, with Pokémon X/Y and Puzzle&Dragons Z being possible choices.

Oh my God at Wii U and PS4 doing "Now kiss!", basically.

 

[-Horizon-]

Welp.

 

[The_Lump]

Well done.

Both WiiU and PS4 each need 50cc's of intravenous games, stat.

 

[Opiate]

I wish we could begin getting iOS and mobile revenue for the Japanese market. I suspect gaming is doing just fine there, it's just migrating away from Sony and Nintendo's platforms and towards Apple and Google's.

 

[Parakeetman]

I wouldn't be so sure about this.

Japan is not like America where you can become successful by launching a console with tech-hype and shooter games only. If you try so over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

Its more like hardly anyone remembers why the gaming community is pissed off at MS in the first place which dates back to the original Xbox and also includes why Level5 told MS to fuck off all this time.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Downplaying the cross gen nature of those titles is absurd. Sure, for someone who has never owned a console, the lineups are fantastic, but for everyone else, they can play those exact same titles on their Xbox 360, PS3, and/or PC. The Wii U can also play many of them.

Overplaying the cross-gen nature of those titles is folly. The point of these systems is as upgrades to the latter systems. They're not competing for the same market of late adopters, they're competing for the business of people who bought systems at the beginning of last cycle and are ready to adopt a new cycle.

Roughly a third of people who bough Battlefield 4 in the US in 2013 bought it on the PS4 or XBO. Likewise for Assassin's Creed IV. Over a million people were willing to buy new systems to play upgraded versions of the same old franchises.

This being somewhat off-topic I suppose, so reverting it to the topic of Japanese sales:
Consoles have presumably reached a "good enough" point in terms of graphics. Considering the rise of handhelds this isn't really that surprising. So better versions of games aren't going to drive sales to the same degree.

 

[User Tron]

Can't decide if I should laugh or cry.

 

[bigbaldwolf86]

With those PS4 numbers I dread to think just how small the Xbone number will be