THE THING IS! 31.2% thought about picking up a 3D set. Thats 1/3. And out of Japans 127.000.000, thats 42.300.000 sales.

As Kotaku wrote themselves "However, 31.2 percent stated they were interested in buying one.

Nearly 9 thousand individuals is certainly a healthy sample. And if 31.2 percent of the entire Japanese population bought new 3D television, that would seem to translate into healthy sales."

The combined Wii sales numbers from the US and Japan isnt even 1/3 of Japans projected pick up in 3D sets. And the Wii is a sales beast.

One out of every third is great concidering what Kowenicki just said. Its expensive, needs extra add ons, no content, no channels. And yet, 1/3 still wants a 3D set. Thats amazing! Imagine when the content is there, when the price drops and the glases are family bundled.

whats up with the glasses thing? i go out and 90% of people use sun glasses and feel very good with it... people are just making up excuses...

interested in buying =/= plan to or will buy

Also, your math is way off... 1/3 of Japanese households is only about 16 million.  That's less than half the combined JP US Wii userbase.

90% of people don't spend $150 or more on sunglasses. 

3D glasses looks cool http://tweetphoto.com/30379694

My word this topic has become a merry-go-round of spinning...

Although they're highly irrelevant anyway, I thought I might point out that the grasp of statistics shown here by certain posters is remarkably poor.  70% rejecting something does not mean 30% are on board with it; it means that 30% do not reject it, ie. they represent both those who are indifferent and those who are okay with it to some degree.  As I said, though, such statistics are irrelevant.  At best they give you a brief snapshot of a fragment of a population, and often the wrong questions entirely are asked (resulting in useless data).

What the overall market wants isn't going to be clear from polls, surveys, or the analysis (and inevitable spin-doctoring) of the results of either.  You can get a much better gauge of the market attitude by actually looking at what consumers are doing, instead of asking them what they plan to do.  For immediate snapshots, look at how well the products sell now.  For long-term effects, take a look at consumer reactions to advertisements for 3DTV, Real3D movies, and so forth (from a distance; the results will inevitably be tainted if you make the subjects aware that you are watching them).

That's about all I have to say on the subject, other than to provide the usual cautionary note that you should never assume that what you want is what everyone else wants.  But really, that bit of advice is elementary when it comes to ethical and effective analysis practices.

And now we see Nintendo's fuss over no glasses 3D. They want to rule Japan, then the world!!!!!

as the technology gets cheaper and more people get exposed to it it will come into its own. Not sure if 3D will be as big a hit as HD but we'll see

These people were asked questions like: "Do you think glasses will hinder 3D for you?" Their answers must have boiled down to one of two things... yes or no. If this is the case (which I guarantee it is) the data can be flipped.

It's just that the info was presented in a negative fashion to support the viewpoint of the author. because of this, the data comes off as glass half empty. I'm one of the people who looked at it from the half glass full prospective and was surprised at the, IMO, high current interest.

Plus,

Assuming this survey mirrors reality, 1/3 of the entire Japanese population will adopt 3D. I find that quite significant...

Except there still is. The market penetration is still very low. And note that survey was after HD-DVD was dropped, which was supposedly when the mainstream was clamoring for the format war to end. That survey proved it was just fanboys and the entertainment industry that cared about the format war.

Like 3D TVs, Blu-ray and HD-DVD didn't make films and TV better, they just tried to pretty them up. Again, that does not make them better. Star Wars kicks ass even on VHS, and Meet the Spartans still sucks even in HD.

So Nintendo offering this with no extra cost other than the system, while Sony requiring glasses and a new TV, when HDTV still hasn't reached enough market penetration, is a huge freakin' deal.