PS4 Will Pull Further Ahead Of Xbox One With Japanese Launch

The Xbox brand has struggled in Japan since day one, and it doesn’t appear that Xbox One will do much to reverse that trend. The very basic idea of “the living room,” central to Xbox One’s design philosophy, doesn’t really hold up in Japan. Its biggest games are all geared towards the Western market, and Microsoft seems to have wisely decided to largely cede the island to its rival.

[Abriael]

And the sky is blue. Just in more words.

[GribbleGrunger]

I'm going to approve it anyway :)

you'd be surprised how many people can't grasp the obvious.

@Abash: I 'know' it would continue to pull ahead of the X1 regardless of whether it launched there or not. With a 5:1 ratio for Europe in favour of the PS4, and a 2:1 ratio in America, the X1 would have to see a world wide ratio in it's favour 'EXCEEDING' 7:1 just to catch up over the next few years. In other words, it isn't going to happen.

[Abash]

I think the PlayStation 4 would continue to pull further ahead of the Xbox One even without the Japanese launch

[ICECREAM]

If the trend will continue, it will be very difficult for the Microsoft to buy exclusive content for xbox like previous generation.

[GribbleGrunger]

@ICECREAM: The European ratio has risen from 2:1 to 5:1 in a very short time and with titles coming soon in March it's likely to push that ration even higher. The X1 is creeping dangerously close to Wiiu numbers and look at the support THEY get. MS are in trouble (at the moment).

[SIGNALS]

Microsoft has to come up with some effective planning right now and should not rely on Titanfall only.

[Muerte2494]

@ICECREAM,

This would be a great thing for every platform owner. We're seeing signs of this Respawn's decision to go exclusive. I don't think Microsoft's check covered the potential sales they would have received on Sony's platforms.

@GribblGrunger,

All eyes are going to be on Media Create in the coming days to see what kind of reception PS4 has in Japan. Seeing the rest of the world play PS4, is sure to increase to pint-up enthusiasm to jump into next gen. With the extremely high adoption rate of PS4 in the west, hopefully Japanese publishers will start localizing more of their games.

@SIGNALS,

My thoughts exactly. I always thought MSFT's money would have been better spent acquiring independent studio and making them exclusive, rather then "literally" buying/contracting exclusives. Titanfall looks fun but not fun enough to warrant a $499.99 purchase + $50 for XBL. Not when you can buy GTX 750Ti(149.99) if you already have a decent gaming PC. The difference between the Xbox360 and Xbox One version isn't compelling enough either.

[GribbleGrunger]

@ICECREAM: I think we've already seen a little 'tester' from MS. Don't you think it's odd that a Kinect based console, supposedly designed for 'slick' TV integration, has now received a TV remote? They're testing the water to see if a Kinectless X1 is a viable proposition, baring in mind that the ONLY advantage MS were pushing IS Kinect+TV.

@Muerte2494: Sony have actually got people specifically put together to help bring Japanese games more quickly to the West, rather like their Indie team. It's all looking pretty damned rosy at the moment.

[ICECREAM]

I agree with you, price drop or a new SKU is incoming from Microsoft but eventually this move will be fatal for the xbox brand imo.

[u got owned]

obviously !

[FamilyGuy]

Can you imagine if devs hadn't outright expected the next xbox to be better than the next PS4 where we would be right now?

The assumption alone is what allowed MS to get the few titles that it has secured. The PS4 already has way more games, more games coming and more developer support but a few contracts were signed prematurely that tied a few devs in with MS. I bet a lot of them regret those hasty decisions now.

Japan will bump the PS4 sales up more but the actual amount is still a mystery.
We don't know how interested they are in consoles. We don't know how many PS4s Sony set aside for the Japanese launch. In other words we don't know the supply or demand, we just know that it's got a positive reception.

[ShwankyShpanky]

"We're seeing signs of this Respawn's decision to go exclusive. I don't think Microsoft's check covered the potential sales they would have received on Sony's platforms."

To Respawn's credit, it wasn't their decision to go full exclusive, it was EA's.

[Army_of_Darkness]

PS4 was bitch smacking the xbone a while ago and with the Japanese release it's just giving unnecessary kicks to a knocked out opponent... oh you dirty little Sony you...

[ICECREAM]

Disappointingly Microsoft has abandoned the ship.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Duh!..lol

[AceBlazer13]

haven't you guys heard titanfall is gonna push like 5mil xbones first week.that gap is gonna get obliterated.

sarcasm btw

[Pogmathoin]

But the fanboy will argue back that the sky is black, its the appearance from the atmosphere and daytime sun that makes it appear blue..... Something similar to resogate.....

[3-4-5]

Higher Ups within Microsoft is what is killing the XB1's potential.

* These money guys get into these positions and start making ego and money decisions because they think they have all the right answers.

* If they would just listen to Dev's and gamers, they would have a system that was made for gamers, and by gamers for the purpose of enjoying games and nothing else.

* Those in charge at Microsoft want what they want.

They are rich, wealthy, "elite" and used to getting their way and whatever they want.

If they want XB1 to be a media tv box machine, then dammit that is what it's going to be, even if 99% other gamers/fans don't want that.

People that high up, ARE NOT CREATIVE !

They rely on our creative ideas for them to make money.

It's not just Microsoft, but all companies this big.

They start stop taking risks and just try to manage wealth.

[BlakHavoc]

I agree with MS beginning to manage the wealth instead of trying new creative ideas to try and advance in the gaming industry. The players are no longer their concern, but instead they're only putting out a good enough product to hopefully garnish enough income. Online gaming is what IMO made the Xbox what it is, without games like Halo, Gears, and CoD around what does the Xbox have? I honestly don't know where they're getting the idea that the consumer wants their gaming console to become a media device as well. Nearly every household already has the necessary equipment to watch TV or whatever. I think the failure that is the kinect has also caught them off guard, they tried to force feed it to the public by bundling it with the X1 and pricing it at 500 a unit, clearly a mistake and one big advantage for Sony IMO.

[Magicite]

to be honest, I dont know what it takes for x1 to get ahead of ps4 at this point, seems quite impossible even if sony keeps the regular pace or slows down.

[CrazedFiend]

Well, if Sony learned THIS much from their mistakes from the PS3, then I can't wait 'til next generation when hopefully both MS and Nintendo have learned from their mistakes too.

Maybe we'll finally have the perfect storm generation! Buwahaha!!!!

Seriously though, it seems like all three companies are stuck in the exact same generational pattern, it's just that Sony is one generation ahead.

[lyvon]

Failure to plan is planning to fail. MS failed to plan. Or at least whatever plans were made were malicious to the brand.

I think Hubris got involved. I think they view gamers utterly in contempt. I think decisions were made which has simply cost MS this generation whether they like it or not.

Of course, the domination will continue. There's really no choice in the matter, there's no other way this could have panned out, unfortunately for MS.

This was obvious from the unveiling of both consoles.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Let's be real about something. PS4 is deservedly in the limelight, but Microsoft didn't fail to plan. It's just their plan was vetoed by the people. They tried to do something and force it on us like a drunk prom date, but it wasn't accepted. The only thing they failed at was a contingency plan, because they didn't think there was any way their initial product wouldn't work, and they had the backing of EA (big surprise there), who are pretty big themselves. In many ways, it was the shortcomings of PS3 that built the PS4, and I have no problems with that.

[lyvon]

You make an excellent point. It's more of a rejection of what was coming down the pipe, rather than a failure of planning.

[user7402931]

ps4 is top dog.

[SynestheticRoar]

Tell us about kinect. lol I'm kidding.

[S2Killinit]

I hopesony dominates , but i dont think MS's big pockets will give up that easy either. I really think MS putting all its eggs in one basket isnt gonna help them in the long run. Ona different note, im super stocked for SONY and Japanese joining their fellow gamers, finaly.

[WeAreLegion]

That's what's weird. Microsoft's cup runneth over, yet Sony is still outselling them in every region. Sony... The company with massive financial problems. Kaz has done a great job of turning the company around, but the gap between the two companies is staggering. You'd think Microsoft could afford to be in first place.

[BlakHavoc]

Good logic, that point has been made a million times already but seems to fall on deaf ears lol. MS will undoubtedly pull out plan desperation if they continue to lose the consumer battle and the PS4 continues to have the bigger install base. But as you mentioned they can't continue to put all their eggs in one basket aka Titanfall, and with the ps4 clearly winning and earning the larger install base, EA would be stupid to ditch the chance to go multiplat with Titanfall. So you can pretty much put all your eggs in that basket cause Titanfall 2 will without a doubt go multiplat, and if your an Xbox fan you shouldn't want it any other way, cause if they fork up too much money just to keep it exclusive you can bet any chance at new original IP's continuing to come out for the X1 will surely die. And to anyone thinking that because it's MS they can afford to put unlimited amounts of cash up really should educate themselves.

[DanDan7]

You Don't Say.

[Max-Zorin]

And people burning in Hell miss ice water. We knew that already.

[T-Dawg6]

But the Xbox one still has a lot of countries to release in where as the PS4 launched almost everywhere, if not all. Just keep that in mind.

[WeAreLegion]

It's beating the Xbox One in every region they're both released in. That gap will widen.

[IRapeLolis]

You mean the XBox still has to launch in all the places that don't care about the XBox? Those countries care so less about the Xbox even MS knows it.

[chrisarsenalsavart]

Most territories in which x1 didn,t launch are pro playstation(Asia, Africa, eastern Europe...)
So I do not think it s gonna make a huge difference sales wise for them.just think about if Microsoft had split their stock In 43 countries at launch, sales figures would have been worst,because N.A. Would not have had received enough stock to compete with ps4 while during that time the stock sent into the other 30 territories would have remained largely unsold.
And that s exactly why Microsoft is not in any rush to spread their stock so thinly for the time being

[BlakHavoc]

It's released in every country where it has any relevancy, the remaining territories will total an astounding number of about what, 200,000 units sold by 2015?

[lyvon]

Nonsense. those regions will account for hardly any sales for MS, relatively speaking. MS has launched in all primary regions.

[Gore-Content]

You're god damn right.

[assdan]

This is a very bold prediction.

[GW212]

No shit.

[BlakHavoc]

In other news...But seriously, we all know the PS4 is dominating right now, no need for countless articles claiming its going to pull ahead tremendously when it's quite frankly a no brainer. Just post an article of the sales figures once the Japan launch settles so we can see how far ahead it's pulled.

[Tatsuya]

Payback's a bitch :)

Last Gen, the PS3 was pushed and hated for being weaker than Xbox 360 and N4G was dominated & Invested by all these Xbots vermins!

The time has come for all of us, PS Nation, to take back what is rightfully ours!
N4G belongs to us now and so does all the great devs and the great games because you know why? We are hardcore gamers, PS4 was made perfectly for us :)

Greatness Awaits!

[DelsinRowe]

When was the PS3 ever "weaker" than the 360? Hint: Never.

[TheTowelBoy]

No. Duh.

[Bdub2000]

Well that was a waste of an article... Ummm, the gap wasn't gonna getter smaller because of japan's launch.

[SpinalRemains138]

Better yet cheaper is showing to be wildly popular is every country. That's a shocker.

[NeloAnjelo]

Ummm... Duh