The first 52 weeks are in.  It has been a year.  Lets review.

A chart which shows the PSV v 3DS and for a comparison of gen over gen it also includdes PSP v DS

Interesting fact:  50% of PSV sales came in its first 5 weeks on sale.

 

In the first 12 months DS sold 3.73m, the PSP 2.23m and so DS outold PSP by 67%

Lifetime DS has so far sold 32.9m, the PSP 19.4m and so DS has outsold PSP by 70%

Very similar first 52 weeks and lifetime results.

 

In the first 12 months 3DS sold 5.06m , the PSV 1.09m and so 3DS has outsold PSV by 364%

This would lead to some alarming lifetime sales if extrapolated in the same way as DS v PSP

 

Will we see the same story and percentages remain or will 3DS pull away even more or perhaps PSV closes the gap?

 

 

I think PSV will close the gap if Sony doesn't kill it prematurely. I mean, it can't sell worse, can it? Somewhere down the line the PSV is bound to get a game that japanese folks are interested in to push some sustained sales. Also when the market is more and more saturated with 3DS devices people will look into the PSV.

But I still think that lifetime we are looking at a 3:1 ratio between 3DS and PSV.

What is interesting about that graph is it looks like the Japanese handheld market stayed pretty much the same size, just a bunch of consumers chose a different system option. It looks like a textbook case of stealing competitors customers.

@Chandler: Not necessarily. With a device like this I think the opposite is more likely. Just like developers and customers jumped the sinking ship that was the Gamecube and everyone went for the PS2, you could see the situation here. If everyone has a 3DS to share games with, and it's getting the important games, why would you buy the competitor? I think, at least in Japan, 3DS will achieve PS2-like dominance.

TheLastStarFighter said: What is interesting about that graph is it looks like the Japanese handheld market stayed pretty much the same size, just a bunch of consumers chose a different system option. It looks like a textbook case of stealing competitors customers.

I agree.

So if the market stays the same and the % remained then what.....?

3DS would sell about 44m and PSV would sell about 9m.  Surely not. lol

 

 

Chandler said: I think PSV will close the gap if Sony doesn't kill it prematurely. I mean, it can't sell worse, can it? Somewhere down the line the PSV is bound to get a game that japanese folks are interested in to push some sustained sales. Also when the market is more and more saturated with 3DS devices people will look into the PSV. But I still think that lifetime we are looking at a 3:1 ratio between 3DS and PSV.

Sales can stay just as bad or get worse ...

The Vita may get a couple of games that interest the Japanese market but if the 3DS is getting several times as many games that are bigger franchises the benefit to the PS-Vita is going to be very small.

Also

50% of the annual sales came in the first 5 weeks on sale.

That is insane!!

The interesting thing I looked at early last month was the software/hardware ratio between the 3ds and the vita, the vita is actually only .2 game less per system(note that might of changed with the holiday season).Now it's not quite this black and white but for me at least suggest its more to do with the vita pricing than anything else. We will see quite the jump when the vita's price is dropped.

 

Edit~ worldwide ratio, 2.48(3ds)  2.44(vita)

betacon said: The interesting thing I looked at early last month was the software/hardware ratio between the 3ds and the vita, the vita is actually only .2 game less per system(note that might of changed with the holiday season).Now it's not quite this black and white but for me at least suggest its more to do with the vita pricing than anything else. We will see quite the jump when the vita's price is dropped.   Edit~ worldwide ratio, 2.48(3ds)  2.44(vita)

I've said that from before launch.  It IS mostly about proicing.  If it was £149 I'd have one already and Im not cheap, far from it.  But at £149 I can afford to buy it and if I dont like it, so what.

betacon said: The interesting thing I looked at early last month was the software/hardware ratio between the 3ds and the vita, the vita is actually only .2 game less per system(note that might of changed with the holiday season).Now it's not quite this black and white but for me at least suggest its more to do with the vita pricing than anything else. We will see quite the jump when the vita's price is dropped.   Edit~ worldwide ratio, 2.48(3ds)  2.44(vita)

Remember that Vita has a much more developed online store and Vita gamers are much more willing to buy games online. For example I've decided to go 100% digital with Vita and I haven't even seen what a Vita cart looks like. The cart slots in my Vita have never been opened. So in your chart I harm the ratio with 1 Vita and 0 games, while from Sony's point of view that's not exactly the same story. I'm sure there are more people like me out there and Vita has a better ratio. Better ratio and better sales of 3rd party games are the only things this console has going for it right now.