Japan sales (Week 47): Media Create/Famitsu/Dengeki - November 20-26, 2017

[Teeqoz]

Wyrdness said:

Teeqoz said:

The groups we have data for imply a handheld bias. Should we just ignore the goups we have data for, because we are lacking data for other groups? Until Nintendo discloses any more data, we have to work with what Nintendo has given us.

Our arguments is based on albeit limited data, while your argument is based on presumptions regarding the groups we have no data for.

Do I think the Switch would have sold as well if it was just a handheld? No. However I think it would have done a lot worse if it lacked the handheld functionality compared to if it lacked the home console functionality. Hence I think the handheld form factor is of greater importance for the high sales than the home console functionality.

Maybe you're having trouble understanding what the debate is here, you're arguing about two particular groups yes but the original argument is someone claiming handheld is driving sales more than anything else, in order to make that claim the usage of the middle group is required because right now you're just taking one minority group and trying to peddle that as proof an argument doesn't work that way you have to prove the vast majority use handheld mode more to say that is what is driving sales.

If that is not your argument then it brings up the question of why you're replying because that is what the whole debate is about and so far you have done nothing to debunk the point that its the overall hybrid concept that drives sales and the data backs this up right now you're just repeating the rhetoric of one minority group being bigger than another except that's not even the argument to begin with it's what is driving sales and making the platform competitive.

The groups we have data for suggest that handheld use is the preferred use. We do not have data for the remaining 50% where the usage difference is of a factor smaller than 4, hence we can't make any definitive claim. But the data we do have suggests handheld mode is the most used. Until we get better data, I'll standby this conclusion. I'd rather draw a conclusion based on limited data than no data.

I'm not claiming this is a definitive proof at all. It does, like I say, suggest that this is the case, but to prove it, we would need more data, which we don't have as of yet.

Though of course, we do have some other data that would suggest the handheld form factor being preffered, ie. the entire history of Nintendo's handheld vs home console sales which show a bias towards handhelds. Also, given that this is Japan we are talking about, we also have decades of data showing how handhelds are preferred over home consoles in that specific country.

Does the hybrid concept make the Switch more appealing than handheld without any home console functionality? Absolutely. But especially in Japan, it shouldn't be too controversial to say that the fact that the handheld form factor is of much higher importance to the sales than the home console form factor.

This is obviously speculation, but it is rather well founded speculation.