What are the implications of the console race in Japan?

[BengaBenga]

Ok, a try:

1) Japanes are very "gadget happy". There's no denial that the DS is with the iPod the coolest gadget to have, even here in Europe. The Wii is became last years gadget to have. Everyone, even colleagues of 40 and girls, knows the Wii.

2) People that work have more money: they buy the big TV's AND the newest things. These guys grew up playing SNES and now have the change to buy a gaming machine without being childish. This contradicts the gamers view on the Wii, but for normal people the Wii is much cooler than the PS360, that are viewed as kids toys.

3) The trend is not HD, and Japan is always ahead of the trend. YouTube is enormous. We all look all day to crappy, low resolution films. DVD is good enough for most people, as is 480p. People DON'T buy the big TV's for HD, the buy it because then their TV is flatter and bigger than that of their neighbours. In Europe there aren't even channels in HD.

4) Controls: Japanes are always the first, and they have shown the future of gaming in DS and Wii. More and more games are coming from the west, but still the heavyweight of the industry is in Japan. The Japanese simply love the new control options and care less for graphics, which makes it hard for consoles which main strenght is graphics to reverse the trend.

5) Social gaming: In Europe PS2 was so enormous because of Singstar and Buzz, games that if they were on Wii would have been killed by the fanboy community. Gaming is getting mature and that means, just as in movies, there is something for everybody. The Wii re-invented social gaming with Wii-Sports, and as much as the hardcore tends to dislike it, it is a good thing. Japan, as can be seen in sales of WiiSports and WiiFit, again is ahaed of the west. Sony is to late, as Phil Harrison explained and why he left Sony angry, to see this coming.