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Forums - Sony Discussion - PlayStation 4 Launched in Japan!

lucidium on 19 February 2014
Albicant said:

'It's just like one of my Japanese anime!'

(Also - screw the february snow. I was stuck on a train for twelve hours in the blizzard ten days ago!)

Ah that sucks, i spent it on the main road helping my neighbours clear it so we could get our mail and groceries, only for it to happen again a week later.



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BaldrSkies on 19 February 2014

We've already got some brave souls lining up in front of the Ginza Sony building...

http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2014/02/19/74514.html



NewGuy on 19 February 2014
Albicant said:
Mystro-Sama said:
Albicant said:
It should be a decent launch over here, hopefully it can bring console gaming back into the spotlight a little.

All you see these days are people playing and talking about smartphone games. (Apart from the elementary kids, they're still firmly in Nintendo country).

 

You 3ds games? Because I doubt anyone there cares about smartphone games.

Nope - smartphone games. Puzzle and Dragons currently leading the charge. Even only a few years ago the trains would be full of DS's and PSP's, but recently as soon as anyone is old enough to have a smartphone then that is basically their primary gaming platform. I'm pretty sure Japan is the biggest market worldwide for smartphone games actually.


I have never been to JP, but I know JP is the #1 smartphone market in the world. This fact kinda baffles me why Sony hasn't released a dual boot PSV/Android Xperia phone/tablet. I have actually heard rumors that they were looking into this solution (i.e. the psv OS would be an app within android and when clicking it, would open the vita OS on your phone where you could play vita games and use the vita OS as you would normally). Not sure if that's still the case, but the guy that told me had connections with Sony Mobile in EU. Would be a smart, albeit, risky bet for Sony IMHO.

 

lucidium said:
ninetailschris said:
"While this is indeed a small cross section of both the country and the community, the demand for the console is clearly high and the comments regarding the inability to secure a preorder in most stores rang true as of all the stores i frequent i have rarely ever seen preorder slots available unless they had been put out or advertised within an hour or my arrival."

I honestly don't understand, how people can creditable make this argument anymore.
We seen it now 5 times. Lines/pre-orders in Japan means absolutely nothing.

Preorders hard to get for Wiiu? It didn't mean high demand.
Preorders for vita? It didn't mean high demand.
Preorders for 3ds? It didn't mean high demand.
Preorders for vita tv. It didn't mean high demand.
Preorders for ps3 fat. You get the point.
When will this argument based on pre-orders die?

For all we know they shipped as little as vita tv. Obviously it's not that low but you get the idea.
If we don't know numbers. We can't say high or low.

The last time Yodobashi, Bic and Yamada Denki were accepting preorders in volumes as high as they have done for the PlayStation 4, it was for the original Wii, which hit 400k in the first day in Japan but was limited in stock quantity, prior to that was the PlayStation 2 which hit 600k in the first day and ran in to supply issues early on, but still pulled a million in the first 10 days.

Your examples are all flawed, because:

WiiU was poorly placed in Japan, with many customers getting their Nintendo fix on the 3DS after its sales had improved.
Vita launched with a high price and against the relative success of the thriving (in japan) PSP that not only had an expansive library but cheaper games
3DS launch in Japan was terrible, just as it was everywhere else in the world because early support was borderline nonexistant, and the media had run with stories of kids getting headaches and/or seizures from the 3D screen for weeks prior to its launch.
Vita TV is considered by many to be an optional Vita accessory that not many really wanted, much of its usefulness in Japan is in streaming the PS4 to other displays, something not possible without the PS4 having launched.
PS3 suffered because of the extrodinarily high price, being slated in the media as too expensive with no Japanese games, despite this is still sold over 81k the first day.

For all of the Nintendo systems, advertising in stores, on TV and on the streets was also virtually non existant, so the demographic most likely to buy it did not understand what the product even was.

The huge difference here is that the entire country has seen the success of the PS4 elsewhere, and the media has nothing but praise for the console, with extensive advertising in every store, on the streets, in subway car displays, on TV and radio.

But hey, don't take my word for it, see for yourself in a week when the sales are in.

I pin for the PS4 to be PS2². Think about the variety of genres that we had in that generation. The only things missing on the PS2 were PC games (WRPGs and FPS which the XBOX proved could work on consoles). PS4 could have all the JP and Western games in abundance if the PS4 can beat all expectations in Japan like it has done so far in the west.

I am bearish on the PS4 prospects there due to history and the current state of consoles there. Not a lot of Japanese content announced for the system and none of the big, huge, system selling IPs have been announced. Maybe FFXV will get back to form and sell 2+ million in JP (remember when FF main entries sold as well as DQ main entries?), but it remains to be seen. It would be very smart for Sony to get a deal with Square Enix and get DQX ported to the system this Fall. It won't do much in terms of sale, but it would tell and let consumers know, "hey, DQ is back on Playstation after a decade away. This is not the PS3 again, you'll see content you want here." DQXI would be hard to get at this point, but it would be a major win, maybe a DQVIII Remake for next year? I think it would be easier to get that remade as opposed to FFVII/VIII/IX. And it would sell incredibly well. Another franchise they need to get would be MH. MH4 Ultimate is announced for this year for the 3DS and rumor had it that Nintendo signed a 3 year exclusivity for MH mainline games which would expire this Fall. They could announce a MH5/MHP5 with connectivity for online play which would tell the fans that MH is back on PS as well. If they get those franchises (DQ, MH), plus the ones they already got (Yakuza, KH, FF, MGS, most like RE), the other smaller franchises will follow as the PS4 will be the clear market leader and we could indeed get new, innovative, story driven RPGs every few months like we did back in the PS2 days.

Also curious to see if Remote play will take off there more than here, considering how much better internet speed is in Japan as opposed to here, though not sure if you get clear connection when you're on a train.

Of course doing all of the above is easier said than done, hence why I'm so bearish on PS4 there. Hope they prove me wrong like they did in the west. 

Also, since you live in JP, I'm curious as to your personal expectations of the system (I'm curious from anyone who lives there, really). 

Apparently here they expect 300-500k for launch, maybe 1 million by summer and 3 million by the end of the year? I might be misreading it, it's google translated. It would be a decent start for the PS4 if they can achieve or surpass those numbers.



golfgt170 on 19 February 2014

How many hours now, till live stream?



Augen on 19 February 2014
Albicant said:
It should be a decent launch over here, hopefully it can bring console gaming back into the spotlight a little.

All you see these days are people playing and talking about smartphone games. (Apart from the elementary kids, they're still firmly in Nintendo country).

Men of PlayStation! Sons of gaming! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come, when the courage of consoles fails. When we forsake them for phones, and break all bonds of fellowship. An hour of angry birds, candy crush, and puzzle and dragons, when the age of consoles comes crahsing down. But it is not this day! This day...we fight!!



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Gilgamesh on 19 February 2014

I'm excited for this more then any other region, I'm hoping to see some record breaking numbers, Japan needs a high selling console up next to the 3DS.



benji232 on 19 February 2014

Hopefully PS4 revitalizes the Japanese gaming hardware market. I doubt it though, I can't see it doing much better then 400k FW and then averaging around 20-25k a week. I hope that I'm wrong though.



Predictions for LT console sales:

PS4: 120M

XB1: 70M

WiiU: 14M

3DS: 60M

Vita: 13M

Fusioncode on 19 February 2014
JoeTheBro said:
Oh so close I can almost taste it!

Why am I hyped again? I'm in America lol.

Because you get to watch another one of Zero's predictions fail! 



Sigs are dumb. And so are you!

green_sky on 19 February 2014

WOW! Been waiting for 21st of Feb for some time now. 

It is the day, "Go! Go! Nippon! My First trip to Japan" comes out on Steam. Also Donkey Kong :)

Am sure PS4 will have a pretty great launch too. 




Max King of the Wild on 19 February 2014
benji232 said:
Hopefully PS4 revitalizes the Japanese gaming hardware market. I doubt it though, I can't see it doing much better then 400k FW and then averaging around 20-25k a week. I hope that I'm wrong though.


400k fw and 30k average a week after that means it easily surpasses the ps3. Thats fine with me.