PS4 has overtaken WiiU Worldwide

[Fusioncode]

Aielyn said:
OK, now that there are actual numbers, you can make the claim that, based on VGChartz numbers, PS4 has overtaken Wii U. I still have an issue with the guy who declares VGChartz numbers to be false when they're positive for the Wii U using the same source as solid evidence when it supports the idea that Wii U is doing badly. But that's a discussion for another day.

I'm pleased that the PS4 is doing moderately well. It saddens me, though, that the videogame industry is clearly in decline based on the current figures - hence why I can only actually say "moderately well" regarding the PS4. This is most evident in Japan, where the so-called land of the handheld is seeing maybe 50k per week in handheld sales when a year ago it was seeing 100k+, and even in early 2011 with no new handhelds on the market it was managing a healthy 80k. And the PS4, which was meant to be a blockbuster launch, and which reports suggest aren't really supply-restricted (outside of Tokyo, apparently), only managed to sell around the same as the Wii U did at launch, and less than either the Wii or the PS2 (the latter of which outsold it by around 100%).

Worldwide, things aren't much better. The industry is starting to fail too much, with the ramp-up in development costs and the reduction in purchases (hardware and software), I'm worried that we'll be seeing even more major studio closures in the next few years, unless something happens.

I think part of the problem is the lack of innovation in games themselves. And all developers, including Nintendo, are to blame on this point. All three hardware makers have had new features added to their systems... but none of them have really made proper use of them, instead relegating most of their use to gimmicky purposes. Third parties have done even worse. It speaks volumes that the most innovative company at the moment is Ubisoft... and their big innovations have mostly been "hey, we're making a game kind of like Person of Interest" and "hey, our new Assassin's Creed is set on the ocean".

Even Nintendo has dropped the ball quite a bit. There's so much they could have done with Wiimote controls. There's so much they could do with the Upad. There's so much they could do with the 3DS... but they appear to have become a little too safe in their approach, failing to really bring things comparable to that of Wii Sports, Wii Fit, or even Wii Music. The only real risk they've taken is Wonderful 101, and they failed to really push that title.

I'm sure some comparable things could be said about Sony and MS, but I don't know enough in those cases to say with certainty.


Let me put it another way - PS4 has overtaken Wii U. Not because of the strength of the PS4, but because of the weakness of the Wii U. It's really not something for anybody to truly celebrate about, just as the guy who earns $5000 a year shouldn't be celebrating their huge income by comparing themselves to someone who earns $2000 a year.

This industry isn't doomed because Nintendo screwed up. If my prediction is right then I expect around 100m for PS4 and 60m for XBO. That would put it at roughly the same userbase as PS3+360. This gen didn't decline, it was artificially inflated last time by most of the Wii's userbase. The core gaming audience will stay the same.

Buy yes console gaming is fucked in Japan. We've known about that for a while with the audience shiting mostly to handhelds and mobile. Sucks but true.