Make no mistake, PS3 will never sell at PSP level. The highest it could ever reach are Wii numbers, but even those are near impossible to achieve.

most people who said the psp was dead said it because software simply wasn't selling. Now the software is selling good compared to before, but make no mistake PSP software is still only selling half as well as the DS (it has half the userbase so it makes sense). the hardware sales were always fine, they've really only increased 50%, if PS3 sales increase 50% that puts them at 15k, not exactly groundbreaking. If we had a similar situation you'd see wii fall to 12k and PS3 at 15k, but then the story would be console gaming being dead.

 The PSP made its come-back completely independant of Monster Hunter. It was the PSP Slim that doubled the average weekly sales of the system. No one game can ever save a system.

I don't buy it.

Five reasons:

1) 360 has graphically similar games, at a cheaper price point and is now starting to get some exclusives in Japan. It also seems to cost PS3 ~200k/year in sales which although only ~4k a week in Japan, adds up, when competing for money in a bad economy against portables with better line ups and consoles that are cheaper.

2) As has been stated, PSP never really sold poorly in Japan. I never agree with the usual PSP software assessment either - the software is and was doing fine, especially given the piracy. Portables always have lower sw:hw rates. DS is the exception in that the attach rate might get to ~6 or so in Japan. Game Boy, GBA, Game Gear, PSP, and even Lynx had 4:1 sw to hw rates.

3) Square-Enix is now platform agnostic. Thats a big deal because they are the one independent publisher that can break a platform's back in Japan or give it a sizable push. DS & PSP both have significant Square-Enix support. None of the consoles are likely to have a comparable number of exclusives. The one regional exclusive that remains, Final Fantasy XIII I think is roughly offset by Monster Hunter on Wii and the string of 360/PS3 multiplats and the developing 360 exclusives. Dragon Quest X is probably going to be on a Nintendo system given its almost impossible for DQIX to sell under 2m units on DS.

4) The Long Quiet Period. PS3 has a pretty quiet period coming up in Japan. Resident Evil 5 and Gran Turismo 5 are the most preordered games in Japan right now for PS3. Gt5 doesn't even have a release date in Japan. Wii has even fewer reserved games, but Wii Sports/Play/Fit, Mario Kart, Brawl and the occasional third party game, and the upcoming Wii Music & Wii Sports Resort will be enough in coming months for Japan. PS3 has only a few known quantities...Little Big Planet is going to be a cult classic in the same way some of Rare's games are/were but I don't think its a big hit in Japan. Afrika is similar. That leaves Trusty Bell as the main game with an eventual shot at 100k in Japan for the next few months though a few others have a shot at 50k.

5) Sony investors want Sony to be profitable, and if that comes at the expense of a cheaper PS3, so be it. But with the game situation as it is, the lack of price cut wiggle room is fairly dangerous.

I mean the price is very, very low in Japan compare to US and especially EU. I can't see Japan especially getting a price-cut very soon. They probably will be forgotten, but not as much as 360.

 the new naruto game thts gonna come out in 2 months.

 guarenteed tht will cause a PS3 frenzy cuz in Japan theres more ps3 owners and since Naruto is a popular anime series in japan tht will cause a frenzy. and plus thts jsut a begiining cuz right now theres Naruto Shippuuden, which means there is gonna be a sequel to the Ps3 exclusive naruto game.

i played the demo, its very fun game.

Actually yes, you are correct, and I was implying that the 360 could make a comeback and beat the PS3 in Japan. That is what it would take for a console turnaround in Japan. A miracle. I used it to contrast the likelyhood of a PSP comeback, really, though I probably wasn't too clear.

We can't start calling every minor achievement a "turnaround," or a "comeback."

In football if I'm beating you 100 to nothing, and then we start matching scores, it's not a turnaround. You've improved, but you still have no chance of winning.

The 360 has a better chance of beating the PS3 in Japan, than the PS3 does the DS. The difference in userbase is to vast to ever concievably overcome.

When you start calling any little victory you can percieve for your company a "comeback," then you might be biased for that company.

The PS3 outsold the Wii during MGS4 week. During that week, did the PS3 make a "comeback?" In a sense yes, but not the one that you and I have in mind.

*scratches head* Well, we've had Folklore and Enchanted Arms. Those are the only two JRPGs the PS3 has recieved.

Yes, Folklore and EA both did do very well, but Folklore fell victim to same problem of Zack and Wiki and NMH.

Disgaea 3 and Valkyria Chronicles are both SRPG and have actually done very well. There are many (that don't have FF in the title) SRPG that sell on consoles. Valkyria  is the second selling console SRPG in Japan. It still has a chance to pass number one this holiday season (need 30k more sales). Disgaea 3 sold on par with Disgaea 1 but a bit below 2.

Where are you getting sales numbers for Disgaea 1?

Also, Folklore had TV advertising in Japan.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/20258.html

It just didn't get bought because people didn't want to buy it.

people are forgetting that sony is like the biggest thing in japan. im not saying ps3 will sell better than wii (thanks to its high price), it wont, but it will start selling 25 to 35k a week average and have a comfortable lead over xbox 360 which will start selling 2 to 4k a week again. so this just means that japan can be a huge advantage for ps3 over xbox 360. so outselling it worldwide will be a whole lot easier.