naznatips said:
davygee said:
Bodhesatva said:
Or maybe the Japanese simply don't care very much about the console. Honestly, the PS3 is out of spare lives in Japan: it's lowered its price (Which was already lower than the US price), Japan has a solid HDTV adoption rate (Japan has the highest in the world), it's had major Japan-centric title released (Gundam Musou and now Folk Soul), and it faces much weaker competition from the 360 in Japan than it does in the US/Europe (where both the 360 AND the Wii are beating it), and yet the system just can't gain any traction. At some point you have to stop looking for excuses and simply say that the system isn't doing well in Japan. The launch gate has closed, all of the maneuvering has been tried, but the PS3 just keeps falling farther and farther behind. |
You can't just disregard the price of the system as being it's problem....of course it's a huge problem of the PS3. The PS3 although cheap in Japan at around $400 is still double the cost of the Wii which is around $200. The price isn't an excuse...it's primarily the reason IMHO. And this is why Nintendo are running away with all the gold. The PS3 isn't just expensive...it's ridiculously expensive in all 3 markets. Although if a PS3 was priced around $400 in the UK...they WOULD be sold out, seeing as that makes in come in at not much over £200...it is currently double this in the UK. |
I don't think it's price in Japan anymore. I think at this point the Japanese have been shown to be apathetic towards the system under any circumstances. They have: HD TVs + $400 Price + Holiday (Golden Week) + Gundam Musou and the sales didn't budge an inch. I think it's become basically dead weight at least until FFXIII, and that could be delayed till Xmas 08 in Japan and 09 for us. |
Oh right, it has seen a major holiday already. So let's review. In Japan, the PS3 has already seen:
1) Several major, high budget, Japan-oriented releases
2) A major holiday sale season
3) A price drop
4) Much weaker competition from the 360
And the system still hasn't budged. What we're now saying is that maybe another Holiday will be better, and another price cut will be different, and perhaps the next major titles will sell better than Mosou or FolkSoul have. We could use these excuses ad infinitum, actually. Three years from now, people could still be insisting that God of War 4 and Ratchet and Clank 7, combined with a price cut to 200 dollars and the Christmas season -- THAT will finally invigorate sales.
Realistically, however, all the bullets have been fired. Sony's out of ammunition in Japan, and not only have they not gained momentum, they've fallen farther and farther behind.
