Japan - Was it really that great of an idea to delay PS4s to 2014?

[Michael-5]

Viktor said:

Michael-5 said:

Japanese gamers are just shifting to handheld devices, that's why PS3 sold less then PS2. Compare Japanese handheld sales

GBA - 17 million
DS + PSP - 53 million

Yea Sony lost some market share to Nintendo, but that's only because Nintendo dominates handhelds.

Releasing the PS4 in Japan late doesn't help PS4 sales, but it doesn't harm it either. Releasing a PS4 in Japan, without any Japanese oriented games, could hurt the consoles image, and do as much harm as an early release could help. So why not release it in small European markets and secure the lead in NA/EU?

We all know the PS4 will dominate in Japan, and I think it's a more pressing concern to focus on Vita in Japan. Vita TV didn't boost sales that much, but it was something. Releasing PS4 in Japan would only take attention away from Vita.

The direct comparison between PS2+GC and Wii+PS3 shows that the userbase for stationary consoles has been been nearly the same actually, namely 26m vs 22m.

I already mentioned that the small difference of 4m units can be easily attributed to the rising popularity of handhelds last gen. But obviously the more significant and noticeable difference between those two generations, are the huge losses from PS2 to PS3 and the big gains on Nintendos part from GC to Wii.

26 - 22 million is nearly a 20% drop, that's not the same. Anyway what's your point?

releasing PS4 in Japan a bit late won't affect overall sales really, and that's what matters the most. Plus Sony does need to focus on Vita right now in Japan.