First of all I´m talking just about the Japanese market and how it will directly affect the Japanese console market, so anything regarding PS4 shipments in other regions this year in Saudi-Arabia, East-Asia, Brazil etc. is off-topic.

Looking at this and last weeks hardware sales in Japan this holiday season is completely dominated by two systems, namely 3DS and WiiU. PS3 basically was bascally a non-factor this past two weeks selling roghly 25k units. While WiiU sold 75k units last week and over 115k this week units according to Famitsu.

Was it really that great of an idea to give WiiU all this freedom this year in Japan? Because it seems quite obvious to me that Sony tried this year to give the PSV more time in the spotlight (PSV and the new launched PSTV) and expected a far better performance of Gran Tourismo 6 which by is Sonys biggest franchise in Japan and PS3. A strategy that backfired on both fronts so far.

Yes. Japan can wait, Sony needs as many units as possible in the West where the war is raging on. Japan continues to move towards mobile gaming, even 3DS is down from last year. It peaked already.

What would releasing a PS4 with no japan centric software have changed over there?

If PS4 launched now then they wouldn't have anything noteworthy for their launch lineup. Launching in February will give them a Yakuza game. Plus, they had to concentrate more of their stock in the US launch because of the ongoing battle with Microsoft. According to Mortimer(NeoGaf leaker) the PS4 launch in Asia(Not Japan) sold out of 500k units. This leads me to believe that the PS4 will do fine in Japan. We still have to see how Japan responds to the PS4, and how the WiiU will do after the holidays are over.

Not really, looking at all these sell outs and high demand, releasing it in japan as well would have resulted in very low PS4 Shipments in the West. And besides japan got Vita TV (all though its a bomb there) and have vita to support which had its biggest game this holiday (GE2)

Feb is fine, its only 3 months after West release. It'll easily outsell everything for weeks (aside from 3DS) when its released!

edit: Also yakuza game might not be ready!

Hard to say. We really need someone living in Japan to comment.

In an ideal work the delay doesn't matter as the other regions seem to have embraced the PS4 so I don't see anything impacting the PS4.


But if you want a conspiracy theory:

Wii U sales have definitely gotten a huge boost, much bigger than just a "holiday" bump. I wonder if it is just marketing and great new games or if the Japanese are pissed off with their Sony for not releasing in their own region and supporting the Gaijins first lol (remember the yakuza game where there is a scene telliing them to go support japanese consoel ps3 lol), so some of them have jumped ship to support the other Japanese company.

Yakuza, FFIV, Dynasty Warriors, a Nobunaga game and a lot more still have no official release but will release soon after launch in Japan.

Please, read the opening post. I´m not interested in excuses for the delay. Instead I´m asking for what affect the delay will have to the Japanese market. Because obviously the lack of competition this holiday season benefitted WiiU quite a lot and to a margin that even the more optimistic users didn´t expect. While PS4 missed the holiday season in Japan.

You asked if it was a great idea to launch the PS4 next year. We answered why it was. 

If it helps Nintendo and hinders Sony then, yes, it was a great idea.