What are the implications of the console race in Japan?

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Final-Fan said:


^ Overanalyzing.

(More specifically, I question your "picture culture" thesis. If you can point me to a more detailed argument, I am convinceable, but as of now I think that what you describe are American technophiles and American one-upmanship, which are obviously going to focus on the quantifiable technological advancements (for obvious reasons, and to have something specific to brag about, respectively.) I don't think that's representative of the culture as a whole.)

Actually the "picture culture" exists. There's even studies about it how it's different between Asian and traditional western countries. Of course, the assumptions he made, was his own, but it's not an impossible scenario, although not as black and white as you could assume by the post he made.



@Ookaze: Great post. I was going to say something about the HDTV adoption, but you said nearly all i was going to. Btw. haven't seen yet any HDTV, that would show SD better than my 6,5 year old Daewoo.

The thing people doesn't seem to understand, is that the people who are the most enthusiastic buying HDTV:s, are the same group that Wii is targeted at or the people buying Wiis. 2 biggest groups that are getting HDTV:s are women who see HDTV:s as good decorational items, they fit the livingroom much better than CRT, and the other group is the people who buy HDTV:s because they are hot items.



The thing with HDTV:s is pretty similar to what it was 10 years ago with widescreen TV:s; people had to have one because it was new and hot, while there were practically no content available. Actually the wide content started to be avaible when channels started to broadcast digital.



I was going to post about tech-freaks, but i think i make a topic for that.



@bengabenga: We do have HD-channels, just in cable and satellite, and none is free as far as i know.



@topic: I think it will cause trouble, as in lesser dev support for the HD consoles, but in the other hand, gamers benefit for the two having more similar games library than they otherwise would.

This will affect the western market too, since even outside Japan, Wii is beating the competition and can have the "western orientated" games too.

About PS3 you might ask, that what happens when the more-than-average tech orientated people stop buying it? Apparently it's happened to 360 already and it's the games that drive its sales. Basically you may ask similar question about Wii, that what happens when the people that buy it just for the new controls run out? But in the other hand, what happens when the Singstar/DDR/Buzz/Guitar Hero -group starts buying the console and price hits 150¬ or less?