The main problem over there is not the economy...

I have friends from Japan and basically from what they described is there is no traditional mainstream there. people who play games were described as kids or nerds. gaming is not cool anymore.

The main problem over there is not the economy... although it is part of it.

I have friends from Japan and basically from what they described is there is no traditional mainstream there. people who play games were described as kids or nerds. gaming is not cool anymore. Back in the 90s it was the thing to do, it was cool... Gaming has been in decline since about 2002-03 from what they say.

Then how do you explain the DS?

Many stores are clearing out the PS3, with the new model coming in. When I went to get a PSP 3000, the store I went to had no PS3s in stock, but all the other consoles were in stock. Other people from Japan have been noticing the same thing. DS and PSP (released on Thursday) also have a new models coming in.

Uh it is a typical lull period for japanese vg market.
Last year Wii sale fell to around 20k too.

HD console sales are pitiful as ever ...

Does anything about the DS scream core gaming machine? The DS is very popular with kids over there, the DS owns the casual market, the Wii is tapping into that a bit. The PSP imo is where alot of the core gaming audience has migrated. The problem is, that that core audience is itty bitty now.

Now if you are asking why DS sales have flattened, I will say market saturation.

Your original messsage didn't mention core gaming, just gaming.

this thread was debunked as soon as the figures from last year were posted. Things may be a bit down right now but it's totally an exaggeration. As someone showed in a different thread, the WW marketshare this week for japan is 5%, but for the year it is 15%.

Last gen Japan had roughly 18% marketshare of the console market. However if you take into consideration the growing marketshare of handhelds and expansion of other markets things aren't really different at all.

If they have any sense it will be to stock up on essentials while they have a job.

To those saying that Japan is in a depression, no it isn't, not even close, it is in a long recession/stagnation but it is not in a depression yet. It might be, along with the rest of the world, if the US lawmakers don't stop dicking and throwing money at a problem that stems from compromised trust.

How about forcing banks to disclose all their REAL liabilities so that we can invest in the good ones and let the bankrupt ones die? Sure people who invested in those bank will suffer because they bet on the wrong horse but it is better and more fair than everybody suffering because nobody trusts any banks with their money so no money is available for lending. Oh, and shifting all those bad debts to the government is stupid as with how much of it there is it is more likely to make the government itself as shaky as the banks are, and the government is much more important than any bank(s).

It's just a slow time of year people...

PSP3000 and DSi are also releasing soon, hence why handheld sales are low. Of course the financial crisis does have some affect, but it's not like the Japanese can't afford dinner...