PS4 Sales A Failure In Japan, Could 3D Blu-Ray Update Bring It Back?
PS4 sales are slipping almost to the graveyard in the land of the rising sun, a definite reversal of what’s happening in North America. Being based in Japan, this means Sony’s new console is a failure on their home turf.
If it’s any consolation, the Xbone doesn’t even rank in the top nine on Japan’s console sales chart, so if the PlayStation 4 is almost dead there, the Xbox One is history not even a year after its release. This may simply be a factor of cultural differences, as Microsoft is based in the U.S.
The sale fail this week in Japan could be blamed on the dominance of portable gaming over there. The top three consoles right now are the 3DS LL, the PlayStation Vita, and the Wii U, with other portable consoles also dominating the sales chart.
PS4 sales in Japan trail right behind those of its predecessor, according to Japan’s 4Gamer stats:
3DS LL – over 32,000 units
PS Vita – over 27,000 units
Wii U – over 8,000 units
PlayStation 3 – over 7,000 units
Playstation 4 – over 6,000 units
3DS – just over 6,000 units
PS Vita TV – over 2,000 units
PSP – 556 units
Xbox 360 – 129 units
The chart above seems to show a trend of older consoles and portables, which might support previous claims that the PlayStation 4 simply doesn’t have enough games, and it’s not marketed enough toward Eastern audiences. So how does that explain it being beaten by the Wii U at nearly 33 percent? The Wii U is notorious for not having enough games, but perhaps Mario Kart 8 is raising interest in Nintendo’s hardware?
PS4 Sales Continue to Disappoint in Japan, Outsold by Wii U and PS3 http://t.co/rxW606mWV9 Published July 23, 2014 at 06:39PM
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It was recently announced that the Xbox One would be getting a 3D Blu-Ray update, but as Sony has seen from the beginning with this generation, the PlayStation 4 is getting it first. The update is coming next week and could boost PS4 sales everywhere once again.
It is unknown if the addition of 3D Blu-Ray technology will make any major difference in Japan, since they seem to prefer the portable consoles. They aren’t impressed with the new consoles yet, at least not as much as North American audiences are, so the PlayStation 4 might simply need more Eastern style games to compete in the PS4 vs Xbox One console war overseas. Sony has taken yet another win in the land of the rising sun, mostly because it appears the Xbox One is dead.
What do you think might boost PS4 sales in Japan?
[image via leetenigmablog, wallpaperfo]
