Japan sales (Week 33) Media Create/Famitsu/Dengeki - August 13 - August 19, 2018

[Lawlight]

Mnementh said:

Lawlight said:

It does make sense. Japan wants handhelds. Why would Sony forsake their record profits and release a handheld? Japan is also a country where people spend a lot of their free time outside or commuting. Even the Wii didn’t sell very well there compared to other markets. They have just moved to gaming on the go.

That isn't the full explanation though. Sony shunned the japanese market at first with a later release and a western oriented lineup. This are the reasons the PS4 started so slow, that it even seemed possible the WiiU would stay ahead. These failures of Sony in the beginning of the life of the PS4 still hamper momentum.

That’s because Japan is a minor market. With the shortages at launchh, it would have not been possible to release in Japan at the same time. As for western oriented line-up, isn’t that what most Japanese devs are doing now - focusing on the west? How do you explain the Wii selling poorly in Japan compared to other regions? The console market has been dwindling since last generation.