How the PS4 and Xbox One console war will be won: China lifts 13-year ban on consoles

PlayStation 3 has sold a little less than 80 million units worldwide. If just 5% of China’s population purchases a PS4, that’s 80 million units — the number it took the entire world to hit over the course of seven years — sold in one country alone.

[whoyouwit04]

I think this would be better news for Microsoft instead of Sony seeing how the Chinese wont really buy Japanese products. So that's a extra 80 million xbox one sells for Microsoft.

[IcicleTrepan]

The people that disagree don't realize that China is still quite angry at Japan for war atrocities against the Chinese people during WW2. Look up Unit 731 just for a brief overview...

[cleft5]

That's like saying that Microsoft products don't sell in Japan because America dropped an atomic bomb on Japan in WW2. Guess what, Apple products sell just fine in Japan. If Microsoft or Japan is able to price their products right and get the right permissions from China's government their products will sale. It won't be easy but it can and will happen.

[gaelic_laoch]

@ cleft5

China and Japan never truly reconciled and divisions run deep over territorial claims! It is a whole different kettle of fish!

[Pogmathoin]

It goes back much further than WW2. Theres a long history between these 2 nations.

[Eonjay]

And I think we all all missing the point. Vita TV at $99 is the cheapest console in the world. It will dominate China. Sony has already won... I don't think they even realize what China+VTV means.

[GrizzliS1987]

i love all these self proclaimed experts who think they know business from the comfort of their parents basement.

your average gamer has an IQ of an NPC judging by the last midnight launch i attended and something tells me those are the same types who love to contribute with their area of expertise on websites such as this one

[Thehyph]

@GrizzliS1987

Why don't you use some of your superior mind power to post something useful, instead of just making bad generalizations about others? I don't understand why you expect commenters on a gaming news aggregate to be studied, magnate, genius'

It's a hobby, man. Take it easy.

There I go doing the same thing.

[Sharius]

i disagree both of you, because political war have nothing to do with gaming

accord to your logic, both japan and USA invaded my country one point in history, so i ihave to hate both of PS4 and xbone? (xbone maybe)

beside, most of eastern asia country have more interest in RPG, either china, korea or japan, than an action game, so it up to the platform holder to please fan base, not some stupid war result

and i, myself thing xbone will have the hard time in china than PS4 because all of its feature, even if chinese goverment lift the console ban but they are still these same old bastard who kick google out of the chinese not long ago

[P0werVR]

@cleft5

Either way, US built Japan back up compared to Japan if it had taken over China...not so pretty.

Besides the history goes back.

@Sharius

What you have to understand is China is not a true free market. It has a market, yes. But China still holds sole decision over who they deal with. And so far, certain obvious decisions in China define that resentment of what contributes more to Japan than anyone else.

US is a true free market, if a European car company can come up and buy a US car company out, hey as long as the company agrees on it and does not interfere US economy as severely.

[blackbeld]

Remember the first playstation, Nintendo Super Nes and Sega back in those days. They not even know what is an xbox.

I guess they will go with Sony cause of brand familiarity.

[FullmetalAlchemist]

I found a brief video that explains why the Chinese and Japanese don't like each other
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[kane_1371]

yeah, since SONY is totally making its products in Japan and not actually China, and since no other Sony product sells in China, grow up, the youth wants to party and play games and have fun they don't care about these kind of crap.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Or the people who disagree realize that China makes its own much-cheaper knock-offs that sell a lot better.

The chinese equivalent of our "middle class" (you know, the people who would have both the time and money to play videogames) is incredibly small compared to what we have in the West. Just because the market is open does not mean that suddenly there's a mad-grab between PS3 and 360 (and Wii) for that market.

[trenso1]

thats funny since i live in a international dorm on campus at my college and the Chinese and Japanese students all get along just fine. They said it doesn't matter to them or to people from back in their respective countries. It is obviously a generation gap for why this is, and I'm sure neither of you (icicletrepan and whoyouwit04) live these respective countries to speak on whether or not they still feel animosity towards each other. To say if they will be purchasing one console or the other based on the maiden country of that console.

[UltimateMaster]

The Asian culture of Japan might give Nintendo and Sony the edge in China. Just saying.
Xbox doesn't sell well in Japan. Ok, sorry, it doesn't sell at all.
Knowing that their language isn't based off Latin but Mandarin instead, their translation in the final version of their games might be superior and culturally more interesting.
But hey, who really knows, right?
I'm just speculating.

[tiffac008]

You guys are only speculating but never been to China, especially in Shanghai where the free zone is established.

They have been selling consoles there even with the ban and have been sold in legal tech stores nationwide. As much as all the propaganda about China being over the top strict when it comes to "special interest", they are never been good at implementing it on the ground.

And the Chinese middle class isn't small. They are too busy going abroad and spending their money there than staying at home and playing video games.

Moreover, China is a PC market like South Korea. Penetrating that demographic alone will be a tall order.

@trenso1

Thank the heavens, that someone has actually been to China and knows what he is talking about.

[Gorilla_Killa_X]

This is ridiculous. This is like saying Japan bombed Pearl Harbor so Americans don't buy Japanese products Or with Hiroshima and Japan doesnt buy American. Or the world wars involving Germany, so Americans, even American Jewish people don't buy Volkswagons or Porsche or Audis or other German products. The list can go on and on. Chinese gamers will buy whatever console that interest them the most regardless of the company's place of origin.

[jjb1981]

Yeah generations following WWII teach the following generations to not like the Japanese. Puhleeeease! cut it out

[bad naruto]

on what bases???

[turgore]

Also the Chinese love american products (even tho they would manufacture them themselves)

[whoyouwit04]

I'm guessing that the people who are disagreeing with me are either blindly loyal Sony fan boys, or are just people who really need do do some research.

[tiffac008]

No, you just have no idea what you're talking about. Go to China first and see what's really going on. You would be surprise on how opposite everything is from the claims and speculations that you hear and see on TV and in the internet.

Now to be fair, MS did make a joint venture in China to promote the X1

http://www.scmp.com/busines...

[T2]

Sony electronics sales in China equals hundreds of millions of dollars , thanks for coming out

[Killzoner99]

Whatever dude. The PS4 is going to be huge in China. Why do you think they lifted the console ban? For the Xbone? ROFL

[Killzoner99]

It doesn't matter anyway because the majority of the Chinese are poor because of Communism and would never be able to buy a console anyway. China is pretty much a wash .

[Thehyph]

"Poor" is indicative of class, and China is *supposed* to be classless.

Semantics, mostly. It would be better to say that China has "poor" because of misconstrued Communism.

[MizTv]

True

[MethCupcakes]

Are you high or just ill-informed? Stop making general assumptions... I swear news comes and so do the idiots. Do you watch Fox News by any chance? I've met hundreds of Chinese on PSN.

[GinkgoID]

You have clearly never been there. That is nonsense.

The buying power of people in Chinese cites is imminence, and growing rapidly all the time.

They have over 160 cities with populations over 1 million. China lifting the ban (if and when) will turn gaming on its head.

[maddskull]

you know that that most people that will buy consoles are gamers not people that care about politics

[1lawrence]

Yea cause china loves the U.S.

[Fireseed]

You have NO idea how much the Chinese despise the Japanese.

[tiffac008]

In a sense that is true but that only goes as far as Government propaganda and hard liners. Same thing in any country.

In reality the Chinese does not give a d@mn. They are happy with their economic prosperity. Go to China and you would be surprise how the Japanese and Chinese get along.

[T2]

Show some proof that the Chinese actually avoid hondas , Sony tvs, cameras , bluray players , etc or stop posting this nonsense . Ps3 will be huge in China and even though their middle class is smaller percentage wide , it is growing fast and as the article point out 5 percent of a billion is alot

[AbortMission]

Uh, is the author aware that PS3s, 360s and Wiis have been selling in mainstream Chinese markets for years?

This ban was non enforced. Meaning it won't make much of a difference getting rid of a ban that no one took seriously in the first place

[krontaar]

gg sony, you had a good run.

[gaelic_laoch]

China could save the XBONE they love Big Brash American Lumps of Hardware!

[Ripsta7th]

If this ban lift because MS is working w the chinesse on a game console? Or was that MS's strategy? To gain the chinesse market

[SmokingMonkey]

Wow, PS3 is going to sell mad amounts in china. At least over the Wii and 360.

look out Wii, the PS3 is gunning for 1st place in "sales war". With China opening up and

Brasil fabricating PS3's I think it will over take the Wii in time.

[Pogmathoin]

Nah.... Its like jews buying mein kampf.... Not going to happen....

Wow monkey, fanboy panicking.... Chinese have hated Japan.... Its deep rooted... Your freaking out because this might be a positive thing for Xbox.... And we know how you PS fanboys freak out on this site when something like that happens.... Ffs.... I do not know what they will buy, clone, but I know this is a tough sell for Sony... Regardless, the moment you said xpox, you outed yourself as a lil juvenile wet fanboy....

[SmokingMonkey]

well which console will they buy then?

Wii - japan

Sony - japan (Europe now)

Xpox - USA

SteamMachines?

[SmokingMonkey]

Lol screen name PS4 beaver, and i'm the butt hurt one?

[Pogmathoin]

Hehehe, you might have me, but there is logic behind that name... If I used xbox lover or psheatbetweenmylegs, i would be slaughtered...

[SmokingMonkey]

Just as lame as my xpox joke,

but you're right the chinese might not buy Sony and stick with PC.

Xbox is popular in Brasil because pirating games is crazy popular, so go figure.

Edit: also I LOL 'ed at Ps heatbetweenmylegs you should have gone with that one...maybe.

[MethCupcakes]

Dude.. Wtf? "Its like Jews buying Mein Kampf " What the hell is your problem? That's on a whole different scale. 0_O

[TheEvilWithin]

I think this is good for gaming period!

[xKugo]

Yea China embracing consoles is great news for MS. However, it should be taken into account that well over half of their native population is embarrassingly destitute, which would mean they would not have the money to purchase a console.

[FlameHawk]

They only uplifted the ban so more people can buy the consoles and more people rip them off lol, joke.

[dmeador]

Did anyone notice the numbers? China has 1.351 billion people, and at 5% thats 67 million, not 80. Article fails before it begins

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Is that what you took away from it?

[CarlosX360]

I love it when people try to make the authors look bad by correcting them. Mostly because they miss the entire point. Even though he was off by 10-25 million, his point is valid: China currently make up 5% of the industry. Thus, giving Microsoft and Sony an opporrtunity - to enlarge that. @Alethian (#13) supports this notion. Sony has always been a casual video game company, so this ban [lifting] will bode well for them... But Microsoft will have to pay more for advertising over there if they want a bulk of that 1.351 billion.

[Aleithian]

This is insanely huge news.

1. Greater sales for both companies (regardless of who gains the most sales in the Chinese market).
2. Emergence of new game companies based in China = amazing new IPs eventually.
3. No doubt we can expect a gaming culture boom in the big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
4. The continued spread of new ideas into China to challenge the Communist elite and, hopefully, encourage further freedom there (trade always brings a spread of ideas).

[pyramidshead]

The Chinese will buy a few of each and then continue to make cheap knock offs of both of them.

[stage88]

Another Sony territory.

[Vip3r]

What's to say they'll all want an American console? Aside for the clone jokes that china has a negative stigma on, they could easily make their own console and have a more than ample user base in china alone.

[TechnoSphere]

I think the market for consoles in china is even smaller than 80mil.At most the potential is as big as the uk.

[bigboss1990]

I didn't know China band video game consoles they've missed out on a lot lol

[mydyingparadiselost]

Where is Nintendo in this article? The low price point on their systems and their handheld could hold alot of appeal in China. The Vita Tv would probably do REALLY well patrly because of it's low price point and from being a portable console.

[InTheLab]

All this means is that the PS2/3 will sell even more. Let's not pretend like 80m Chinese are going out to buy the pS4 and x1

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Apple wins. Surprise upset.

Microsoft also has a huge showing because of co-developed "Xbox-C" console and lingering resentment towards Japan.

[LoveSpuds]

A quick bit of searching on google and I notice that Forbes seems to hold a different opinion to the armchair global economists here.

http://www.forbes.com/sites...

By the logic of some here, American products shouldn't sell in South America or the Middle East as they the US are far from popular in these regions.

The fact is, while governments/regimes may not like each other, the average Joe on the street just wants to enjoy the latest TV, the latest phone or the latest games console and they don't care where the products originate.

America's (and Britain to a lesser extent) foreign policies over the last 25 years has made it very unpopular the world over, but Coca Cola still sells everywhere, Apple still sells everywhere and Boeing sells everywhere.

[jjb1981]

China doesn't care about patents and will copy the technology and sell their own versions of the exact same hardware and nobody will stop them.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/b...

[Godlovesgamers]

"How the PS4 and Xbox One console war will be won: China lifts 13-year ban on consoles"

LOL! You're joking, right? It's a war fueled by ignorance and a pathetic sense of self worth being tied into which console you purchase. Sales aren't going to end it, good parenting would though.

[Magicite]

console ban is one thing, theres also a software ban which is a different thing.