Poll Reveals that Japan May be Losing Interest in Home Consoles

It’s well known that in Japan home consoles are overwhelmed by portable ones in terms of popularity, but the Japanese may be losing further interest at the outset of a new generation.

[Abash]

This is why Sony needs to release the PS4 in Japan as soon as they can. I want the majority of Japanese developers to support it very early on and the faster it starts getting into Japanese gamers hands the faster that will happen.

[Kalowest]

This isn't really hard to believe, since they've been moving towards cellphones and handhelds for awhile now.
@Abash so Sony releasing the PS4 might not have such a big impact as you might think.

[ritsuka666]

I have a hard time seeing the PS4 reviving the market in Japan as its slowly dying off. I also have a hard time swing people buy new consoles that are really expensive like PS4.

[windblowsagain]

I have a decent phone that can play the latest games.

I recently bought my son a VITA/3DS.

I've played them as well, and there are alot of good games for it.

But i still don't think they compare to Home consoles. But i suppose if your on the move all the time that's all you would care about.

Also how relevant are Arcades anymore, In the uk not so much, Not sure about Japan.

As for Console type gameplay and story etc, i found Uncharted golden abyss comes close.

[Tapewurm]

As long as Sony stays true to the "PS4/Vita Remote Play for every game" promise and if you digitally download most of your main games....and as long as there is a viable high speed internet wifi connection near you, your Vita will basically be a portable PS4. All of your games on the go will be sweet. I love the Vita and am so looking forward to the PS4 release.

[Aery]

Wow, looks like an homemade pool ... 2144 people ?!? Ok ...

"May" losing interest in home console ?!
I can't believe how much generic are some articles.

*Go to play FTL*

[zeee]

I agree this is a tiny poll to even take seriously but still, I COULD see this happening and that's not because of smartphones/tablets. This happens when your current-gen consoles are 7 years old. This is not healthy for the industry. Not healthy at all.

[grimmweisse]

I hardly see people on the JR or Metro lines in Tokyo playing on PSP/Vitas or 3DSs, the majority is mobile phone gaming. Card battling games have become a massive trend in Japan among students and adults. Every week there seems to be a new card game out.

I don't if this will actually kills off the console market, or just a blip in the Japanese market.

[MrWonderful]

No this is why the vita needs a ton more support. I love being able to play on the go and the vita is a very capable machine. I'd give my spare kidney for a mmo on the vita

[Saigon]

I guess this is one reason why they will rely on the Vita and PS4 remote game play.

[Belking]

It doesn't matter when they release pS4 over there. this article is mostly right. Japan is losing interest in home consoles. Their interest in ps3 drop way down and it was never there for xbox. The numbers prove they they are more interested in portable gaming. Mainly from nintendo. I always thought that country was strange when it came to their gaming taste.

[LAZL0-Panaflex]

Two words: birth charts.
Japan officially has more geezers than youths (scientifically speaking) not to mention they have like .4 kids per family. Damn shame if u ask me....hottest chicks on the planet...and china just popping out boys and aborting girls= disaster.

The sony / Nintendo dibacle is only going to get worse although Sony is going west with the more americanesque control and shoot em ups. Uncharted, killzone.
Let's not forget that hunk of horseshit quantum theory. That was Japan's/tecmo's critique of the entire American people...enphatuation with muscles, guns, and chicks in spandexall true but the game was just not good. But that game is evidence that they are trying which is good because rpgs just ain't popular like they use to be. They'll always be there but we seen in 360 numbers the winning recipe. Sony is even charging for online now because they know the formula now....RAM, shoot em ups, freedom, achievement/trophies, connectivity/cross game chat, variety, exclusives, big comfortable controlled, oh yeah and CHICKS in spandex.

Good news for us. So next time u call Sony when your ps3 has a CPU fart, and you get a Lew Humplefink or mike Hernandez instead of a Johnny Toyota.....be grateful....they're doing this for us!......oh yeah,...and they're damn near extinct.

[amuadiv]

This gen was very long so I can see why.

[shivvy24]

i reckon we should have went next gen after uncharted 3 ( 2 yrs ago )

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

I don't think so... 2 years ago was 2011, by March Japan suffered that major earthquake/tsunami and by April Sony suffered the PSN outage (and PSN was down the whole next month). It was about as hard on economy as it could get for Sony that year.

Also, considering the whole PS4 development, there were no way they could have even been thinking of releasing a next gen console that year and thankfully so, cause those 2011 events would hurt 'em badly, maybe beyond recovering...

Not to mention how underpowered PS4 would look now in comparison to Xbox One.

[OrangePowerz]

2144 people is a very small number and it doesn't go into details of age group and so on. I wouldn't take it as indication for anything.

[Timesplitter14]

http://www.vgchartz.com/ana...

look at the japanese sales numbers of the PS2 and PS3. They're pretty low compared to other regions. Only 9 million PS3s sold in japan since its launch. Compare this to 20 million for PSP and 30 million for DS. I think this is highly indicative that japan is losing interest in consoles.

In Japan, the DS sold more than PS2 and PS3 combined....

[OrangePowerz]

So did the gameboy in Japan. DS sales are, like iPhone sales, not indicative because people buy 2 or 3 of them as they get a new one with every redesign. The original DS design was completely crap and you had no other choice then to get the redesigned.

PS1 and PS2 had little competition sales wise with the N64 and GCN. PS3 had more competition with the Wii this time. The PS3 lost 70 million in sales over the PS2 world wide because of the stronger competition this gen. With the Wii U failing at the moment and Xbone being obviously no contender in Japan anyway they could get back to the high numbers again next gen in Japan.

[fullmetal156]

Or it could be that japan has lost interest in polls.

[310dodo]

who cares?

I am not Jpapanese.
SONY is a Japanese country, but truly USA and Europe are Sonys bread and butter for gaming.

Japanese play weird games, and mostly play handheld systems.
Good for them.
Keep my PS4 coming to USA first (all I care about)

[fsfsxii]

I'd take a weird japanese game over any western FPS dude bro games, if there was no JRPGs on home consoles i would've jumped ship a long time ago

[RiPPn]

Maybe because of the console focus on western games has put them off. I hope in this next gen we get a little more Japanese flavor in our games.

[dark-kyon]

i not believe to much in this pool,the pool put anime five and i follow the sales of anime in japan and these are stable month to month.nothing to look a decline in the sales.but the reality is what ps4 is gona have trouble to sell in japan whithout yakuza,tales,gundam,jrpg of atlus and nis,etc.

[TongkatAli]

Final Fantasy XV

[Kratoscar2008]

Japanese forums tend to show that japanese are not interested in SE new "Fantasy based in Reality" premise, so im not sure about that.

[TongkatAli]

Lol, ok.

[Godmars290]

I blame this on the broken nature of the HD - Xbox 360/PS3 - console gen, as well as MS's overly aggressive but ultimately empty push into the market. That they paid notable JP devs to put games on their system, didn't really care about the quality. Which then resulted in low - did nothing to promote the platform - quality titles which were overly expensive to make because of their HD requirements. Then the even heavier programming requirements of the PS3 finished the the and ran off most game makers to handhelds.

Only the efforts of companies like Atlus and NIS kept things alive to the level they still are in Japan for the PS3, but Namco stabbed MS in the back several times with all the "beta testing" on the 360 for the PS3.

[Aclay]

Even though this survey may be a small sample size, Japan has been trending downward in Home Console sales this gen. in comparison to previous ones, so I can see this being fairly representative of Japan in relation to Home Consoles.

I mean, just thinking back at the games that were announced/shown off at E3, pretty much everything was focused on Western audiences with the exception of FF15 and Kingdom Hearts 3. At this years TGS maybe there'll be plenty of unannounced Next Gen stuff, just gotta wait and see. I imagine PS4 sales in Japan wont be anything to brag about until at least MGS5 comes out, but won't really take off until FF15/KH3 is out.

[wishingW3L]

Metal Gear is Japanese but is not exactly very popular there like saying Dragon Quest. Not even close. And the same with Kingdom Hearts. Both of these franchises are huge in the West but not much in Japan.

[WeaseL]

2144 out of 128 million does not make a good poll nor just asking mobile users.

[fsfsxii]

Monster Hunter needs a home console version.

[MrSwankSinatra]

well to be honest the amount of games that appeal to the japanese pale in comparison on consoles rather than handhelds. hence why console sales are low in japan. if there was a major influx of japanese styled games consoles sales would be much higher.

[givemeshelter]

This is not really surprising or news to be honest. This has been an on going trend for Japanese gamers for the past 5-10 years if you followed market demographic trends. Japanses gamers are moving more towards mobile and hand held gaming. This trend will continue. Japan is no longer the gaming mecca it once was. North America is now.

[MegaLagann]

This is news? Japan has been losing interest in consoles for years now. There's a reason why for years developers have been jumping ship to DS, PSP, 3DS and Vita. Cheaper to make means better for their bottom line. Again, nothing ground breaking here. I'm sure the PS4 will do fine, but it won't set the world on fire like the PSP did or the 3DS is doing. And that's not knocking the PS4, that's just realizing that Japan prefers handhelds. End of story.

[V0LT]

Given the advances in technology console gaming just doesn't quite have that special feeling it held 15+ years ago. I remember a time where you were considered a nerd and part of a special group if you were a gamer.

[Kratoscar2008]

And those were great times because developers thought more on designing games for their fans than for the maintream demographic.

High Budgets is what killed gaming spirit.

[tarbis]

Cellphone-based poll..... right.

[Guwapo77]

I think Japan is loosing interest in video games a whole. 2001-2004 the local arcades would be packed with people. 2013 as I go into the arcades in 2013 I see them pretty empty. You get your few in there here and there but nothing like it use to be.

- Also they are pretty damn expensive. Who wants to pay 300 yen ($3 dollars) to play one game? Could be part of the issue too... I just don't know.

[Guwapo77]

*deleted*

[NeoRatt]

The survey question is leading...

Meaning that it asks what they no longer spend their money on... It makes sense that highly optional things would always top these lists...

A better question would be "Did you buy a last gen console, and if so do you intend to buy a next gen console?".

[DivineAssault]

Damn.. Console gaming just isnt the same anymore so i believe it.. I think the software this gen was horrible compared to the past.. Hopefully that changes.. Not that it ALL sucked cuz there was some great games but not as many as there was in previous generations

[sweendog]

I blame COD for the lack of original quality titles not the consoles. every studio jumped on the fps bandwagon

[THC CELL]

Hmmm ps4 and vita work together so let em have best of both worlds

[level 360]

In the land of the Rising Sun and the tech-driven, gaming consoles is only a small piece of the pie.

Simply no biggie but also nothing really for Sony to worry about, since the global market more than compensates it.

[Tales RPG addict]

Besides as it is SONY's PS4 will sell more Worldwide in the 8th Generation.

[sweendog]

What a stupid survey. I notived it was a cell phone based survey of course most are going to say they prefere gaming on mobile devices. Its like having a survey come up on your sat nav in your car and it asking you if you prefere walking. If you sent this survey to the japanese through psn and wiiu the results would cancel out the first survey.

It only takes one game in japan to sell millions on consoles, if you look back at the ps1 when ffVII was released sales went through the roof.

[TheKayle1]

finally

[NeoTribe]

This is far from true. Youll see when ps4 is out.

[sly-Famous]

If they are losing interest in home consoles just imagine what MS must be feeling, xbox sales will be going from 100 units a month to +- 5. ;)

[kewlkat007]

While every business wants to do well everywhere if possible, especially at home. I don't loose sleep over Japan and it's gaming culture. Consoles used to start there and die if there was no support, but that is no longer the case. Just look at the sales history of past consoles and today's numbers. North America and Pal regions is what matters the most.

[tiffac008]

Its common knowledge that Japan has become handheld centric and this is not exactly surprising given how small their apartments have become and they usually commute on trains and buses and at long distances to some.

[DJMarty]

I bet the JAPS will queue round the block for PS4 come launch.

[Flames76]

Of course they are japan use to be the second highest for console gaming now its like number 6 or so.Japan just dont matter when it comes to consoles they are more interested in handhelds and tablets.Microsoft and sony shouldnt even waste their time next gen in japan. I say after next gen japan will be out of the console market all together so either way