DS isn't just a success in Japan, its a phenomenon.

[Cmtz]

I'm putting this here. I don't want to start another thread.


The DS has been in the number one spot on the Media Create Japanese sales charts throughout the better part of 2005, beating all other hardware, including the PSP and the PS2. There was no doubt that Nintendo's third pillar was a success across the Pacific, but today Nintendo made it clear: the DS isn't just a success in Japan, its a phenomenon.

[Griking]

Fuckem.

I'm sure the rest of the world will appreciate it and won't avoid buying it just because it's not made by a Japanese company.

[Johnny_Rock]

This is hardly a surprise MS needs to do alot more to get sales up in Japan. Maybe if they put dating sims on the xbox live arcade?

[Cmtz]

Taken a better look at the numbers I just noticed the Gamecube is outselling it. That's fucked up. I mean I love the Gamecube, but shit.

[icbrkr]

Read it again, the 360 is outselling the GBA *original*. The SP is outselling it.

[Cmtz]

Read it again, the 360 is outselling the GBA *original*. The SP is outselling it.

That's what I said the GBA, not the GBSP.

[Richter Belmount]

Sure Sure the xbox360 is taking a beating from the japanese market , but who cares? I mean the japanese companies are just going to make games for 360 anyhow I think they will be more concerned with other markets cause they seem to be making more profits from there anyhow , so it depends on wheres the money really going. I dont think 360 will suffer completely since most americans buy that and sonys systems.

[GameNinja]

I am actually rather surprised by the DS's 65%...wow...I knew it was popular but I would have thought PS2 would at least be closer to it...guess not..

[boozi2]

I am actually rather surprised by the DS's 65%...wow...I knew it was popular but I would have thought PS2 would at least be closer to it...guess not..
My thoughts exactly. I was like @_@ when I saw that the DS had 65.89% of the share.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hot damn, the DS and the Micro are selling like hotcakes...mostly the DS though, wow! It's got nearly 2/3 of the market..!

[Cmtz]

Just realized Nintendo has 3/4 of the market.

[captain nintendo]

Who cares..... :roll:


Its not like it was years ago where if you didnt do well in Japan then you had no chance. I am sure the 360 will / is selling well in Europe. (they enjoy FPS games)

Would be nice if nobody in the States bought anymore PS2's or the PS3. I know it wont happen and it is kind of a rediculous statement. (and I think it is rediculous that Japan doesnt buy an Xbox or 360 because its American) :/

[boozi2]

(and I think it is rediculous that Japan doesnt buy an Xbox or 360 because its American) :/
100% correct. I mean, come on, you know how many European cars are selling well in Japan? Seems like a stupid "unseen" boycott of American products to me... :eek 2:

[dbiersdorf]

The DS broke 400,000 sales this week for all those who didn't know. The closest compeitor was PSP just a shy under 100,000.

These numbers just warm a Nintendo fanboys heart. 8-)

[Ed Oscuro]

I mean, come on, you know how many European cars are selling well in Japan? Seems like a stupid "unseen" boycott of American products to me... :eek 2:
Actually, have you any numbers on this? I'd love to see that... :o

[Griking]

Well, here's (http://www.jama.org/autoTrends/detail.cfm?id=265) the best selling autos in Japan for 2003. I couldn't find anything more recent but then again, I really didn't look that hard either. The Japanese sure seem opened minded to foreign products to me :roll:

[poloplayr]

Fuckem.

I'm sure the rest of the world will appreciate it and won't avoid buying it just because it's not made by a Japanese company.

With that sophisticated attitude, I assume you work for MS Japan's marketing efforts?

[boozi2]

Well, here's (http://www.jama.org/autoTrends/detail.cfm?id=265) the best selling autos in Japan for 2003. I couldn't find anything more recent but then again, I really didn't look that hard either. The Japanese sure seem opened minded to foreign products to me :roll:
Well, cars like Mercedes-Benz and BMW are pretty popular there. Many shows in Japan are showing those cars.... Well, I didn't expect those cars to be in the top 10. Maybe in the top 100, but in the top 10...

[petewhitley]

(and I think it is rediculous that Japan doesnt buy an Xbox or 360 because its American) :/
100% correct. I mean, come on, you know how many European cars are selling well in Japan? Seems like a stupid "unseen" boycott of American products to me... :eek 2:

There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular. There may be a few vocal nationalists, but Japanese consumer culture as a whole welcomes American products of all kinds.

[ubersaurus]

It could be, you know, because the 360 launched with no games that appeal to the japanese audience at large.

Personally, I think MS would have been better off selling the japanese consoles over here, and pushing back the 360 launch until like, February, or March. When there's something out for the Japanese, at any rate.

[captain nintendo]

Who knows, maybe its just a thing against MS.
Sure they love our baseball and music, but you sure dont see a ton of our cars over there. (probably a size thing)


And I thought the 360 had some japanese released games that would have interesed them? (maybe they are coming later?)

[WanganRunner]

The DS broke 400,000 sales this week for all those who didn't know. The closest compeitor was PSP just a shy under 100,000.

These numbers just warm a Nintendo fanboys heart. 8-)

It sold 400,000 units in a week that wasn't a launch?

That's insane.

I just got my DS yesterday, and 5 minutes with "Feel the Magic" and I was totally sold on the concept.

Viva la DS, may it conquer the world.

[Cmtz]

Domestic sales of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s DS portable game machine reached 5 million units in less than 13 months after its launch in early December 2004, the fastest-ever pace in Japan's video game market, Nintendo said on Monday.

Nintendo's Game Boy Advance took 14 months to hit the 5 million mark in Japan, and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 took 17 months, the Kyoto-based company said.

"Selling 5 million units in less than 14 months means DS is the fastest among any game machines ever launched in Japan to hit that level," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a news conference.

"To achieve this rapid growth, we were required not only to go after frequent game players, but to reel back people who had left games and to make video games enjoyable for those who had not played games at all."

Besides advanced video games with sophisticated graphics and realistic actions, Nintendo focuses on games for women, adults and seniors -- traditionally non-core segments for game makers -- in a bid to expand the overall game-playing population.

Domestic shipments of one such game, nintendogs, which lets players interact with virtual pets in the console, have so far totalled 1.08 million units, clearing the 1 million benchmark for a hit game.

Shares in Nintendo, known for software titles featuring characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong and Pokemon, rose 0.9 percent to close at 13,890 yen on Monday, while the Nikkei average gained 1.0 percent.

[goatdan]

Just realized Nintendo has 3/4 of the market.

Don't worry all you Nintendo haterz, if Nintendo doesn't have a successful product launch with the Revolution, they will totally still have to call it a day and will go out of business!

Or not.


There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular. There may be a few vocal nationalists, but Japanese consumer culture as a whole welcomes American products of all kinds.

Agreed. The reason why the Xbox 360 isn't selling well is for the same reason that certain products don't catch on in the US. It isn't targeting the right consumers. Japanese gamers have different tastes than US gamers, and while Microsoft seems to have now totally figured out the US market, they haven't a clue what they are doing in the Japanese market yet. They need some hit games catered toward Japanese consumers -- A Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior installment would be a great start -- and then they would start to catch on.

Until they figure out something like that though, don't expect Japanese gamer's tastes to change about it.

[Cmtz]

Just realized Nintendo has 3/4 of the market.

Don't worry all you Nintendo haterz, if Nintendo doesn't have a successful product launch with the Revolution, they will totally still have to call it a day and will go out of business!

Or not.


There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular. There may be a few vocal nationalists, but Japanese consumer culture as a whole welcomes American products of all kinds.

Agreed. The reason why the Xbox 360 isn't selling well is for the same reason that certain products don't catch on in the US. It isn't targeting the right consumers. Japanese gamers have different tastes than US gamers, and while Microsoft seems to have now totally figured out the US market, they haven't a clue what they are doing in the Japanese market yet. They need some hit games catered toward Japanese consumers -- A Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior installment would be a great start -- and then they would start to catch on.

Until they figure out something like that though, don't expect Japanese gamer's tastes to change about it.


WTF? Me a Nintendo hater? Why the hell does a person have to be either a Nintendo Fanboy or a Nintendo Hater. I tired of everyone trying to make me one or the other. For the last time stop this shit. First I hate the PSP then I have Nintendo. What the hell?

[hezeuschrist]

Just realized Nintendo has 3/4 of the market.

Don't worry all you Nintendo haterz, if Nintendo doesn't have a successful product launch with the Revolution, they will totally still have to call it a day and will go out of business!

Or not.


There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular. There may be a few vocal nationalists, but Japanese consumer culture as a whole welcomes American products of all kinds.

Agreed. The reason why the Xbox 360 isn't selling well is for the same reason that certain products don't catch on in the US. It isn't targeting the right consumers. Japanese gamers have different tastes than US gamers, and while Microsoft seems to have now totally figured out the US market, they haven't a clue what they are doing in the Japanese market yet. They need some hit games catered toward Japanese consumers -- A Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior installment would be a great start -- and then they would start to catch on.

Until they figure out something like that though, don't expect Japanese gamer's tastes to change about it.


WTF? Me a Nintendo hater? Why the hell does a person have to be either a Nintendo Fanboy or a Nintendo Hater. I tired of everyone trying to make me one or the other. For the last time stop this shit. First I hate the PSP then I have Nintendo. What the hell?

He was just using your comment as a line towards the haters, or more importantly the uninformed who believe if Nintendo doesn't sell the Revolution to everyone and their dog that they'll be out of business.

[Cmtz]

oh :embarrassed: sorry.

[petewhitley]

Agreed. The reason why the Xbox 360 isn't selling well is for the same reason that certain products don't catch on in the US. It isn't targeting the right consumers. Japanese gamers have different tastes than US gamers, and while Microsoft seems to have now totally figured out the US market, they haven't a clue what they are doing in the Japanese market yet. They need some hit games catered toward Japanese consumers -- A Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior installment would be a great start -- and then they would start to catch on.

Until they figure out something like that though, don't expect Japanese gamer's tastes to change about it.

Yeah. I understand that they have alot of competition for the hot Japanese properties (i.e. Final Fantasy/Dragon Warrior/etc.), but if you ask me Microsoft should have literally thrown money out in an attempt to land an exclusive property, or at least individual game of a hot series. They snagged a few creators, but from what I've seen they're all developing new properties, and not really building off their past successes. Hell, an exclusive Dynasty Warriors would probably help out. Sony's nabbing of Final Fantasy was a huge step in their dominance with the PS1.

[Zadoc]

I am actually rather surprised by the DS's 65%...wow...I knew it was popular but I would have thought PS2 would at least be closer to it...guess not..
My thoughts exactly. I was like @_@ when I saw that the DS had 65.89% of the share.


Fools, that chart isn't market share, it's the sales % for that particular month.

[boozi2]

I am actually rather surprised by the DS's 65%...wow...I knew it was popular but I would have thought PS2 would at least be closer to it...guess not..
My thoughts exactly. I was like @_@ when I saw that the DS had 65.89% of the share.


Fools, that chart isn't market share, it's the sales % for that particular month.
Which is pretty damn high as well LOL

[WanganRunner]

The X360 still doesn't have any killer apps that make it "must-own" hardware in Japan.

Firstly, Microsoft needs to abandon any ideas they have about the Japanese ever giving a shit about Halo, they shouldn't even release them there.

And contrary to what M$ believes, DOA is *not* their killer app. I mean, the Japanese like DOA just fine, but it has proven to be insufficient as a system-seller in that country.

The Japanese liked Tekki, but there's only so much market for a $200 game with a controller the size of an electronic keyboard.

They need a lot of RPG's, and I don't mean Elder Scrolls (which I happen to love). They also need some simulations, and they need to "japanify" the Forza franchise.

I know Americans think that it's strange that the Japanese are so on about driving 1970's Skylines and Z's in Gran Turismo and not fucking Plymouth Superbirds or whatever, but that's what they want (and I would agree). Forza needs to have that sort of stuff, it NEEDS like eighty GT-R's like GT4 has. Those cars are there because of Japanese popular demand.

[ianoid]

They do need to make games in the genres that have been popular there. The Japanese aren't prone to being Americanized as gamers any more than Americans will be Japanified.

I think their greatest missed mark in the Japan launch is Xbox live, which they should have had more ready for in Japan. Not FPS's, but traditional Japanese parlor games, classic arcade games, and classic RPGs. Even in 2D! Still, it's alot of cash to spend to play those, but they need to find cultural cachet somehow. Just get the schoolgirls playing and the rest will follow.

[GaijinPunch]

if Nintendo doesn't have a successful product launch with the Revolution, they will totally still have to call it a day and will go out of business!

C'mon man... do you really believe that? We've been hearing that (from admitedly people that know jack shit about business) for years, and they don't seem to be going anywhere.


Or not.

Oh, I guess you were joking. O_o


The X360 still doesn't have any killer apps that make it "must-own" hardware in Japan.

THIS is the reason it's sold like shit. The lineup is absolutely horrible. There's not one fantastic game in the lineup. There's a handful of games that will help along the way, some mainstream (Tengai Makyou), some nitch (Senko no Ronde) but it's looking very bleak for the 360 in Japan.


There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular.

Electronics and cars are traditionally very UNpopular in Japan though. They're easy markets for American companies to get into b/c their not seen as a competitive threat. The Xbox and 360 have emphasized this. The last really huge electronics product that has smoked the Japanese products is the iPod, but then again, Apple is very popular in Japan for their computers.

I don't think this is the case for the Xbox and 360. Crappy design, and very, very few games that truly appeal to Japaense... way fewer than the Dreamcast, and look what happened to it. Couple this with the fact that Japanese are intense label whores, and you have a recipe for disaster.

[Cmtz]

DS 597,628
PSP 161,332
PS2 97,475
GC 36,646
GBASP 35,764
GBM 19,261
Xbox360 5,674
GBA 906
Xbox 141

That's 65% of the market for this past week!

1 PS2 Tales of the Abyss RPG Namco 2005.12.15 727,591
2 DS Animal Crossing: Wild World ETC Nintendo 2005.11.23 416,132
3 DS Mario Kart DS RCE Nintendo 2005.12.08 302,742
4 GBA Final Fantasy IV Advance RPG Square Enix 2005.12.15 216,966
5 DS Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop! ETC Bandai 2005.09.15 157,786
6 GBA Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Red Rescue Force RPG Pokemon 2005.11.17 156,430
7 DS Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Blue Rescue Force RPG Pokemon 2005.11.17 156,181
8 DS DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain ETC Nintendo 2005.05.19 103,894
9 PS2 Rogue Galaxy RPG SCE 2005.12.08 100,130
10 DS Gentle Brain Exercises ETC Nintendo 2005.06.30 93,240

[ubersaurus]

They do need to make games in the genres that have been popular there. The Japanese aren't prone to being Americanized as gamers any more than Americans will be Japanified.

I think their greatest missed mark in the Japan launch is Xbox live, which they should have had more ready for in Japan. Not FPS's, but traditional Japanese parlor games, classic arcade games, and classic RPGs. Even in 2D! Still, it's alot of cash to spend to play those, but they need to find cultural cachet somehow. Just get the schoolgirls playing and the rest will follow.

The main issue with Live in Japan is that broadband internet didn't even start up until a few years ago-it's not widespread enough for Live to take the place of the 56k gaming that is available on a number of japanese PS2 games.

My friends over there had a bitch of a time getting Yahoo BB, as they weren't yet equipped in that region for a large amount of people, and the demand was far exceeding what they could output at the moment.

[Cmtz]

On the other end of the spectrum, the Xbox 360 is off to a much more sluggish start in Japan than it was in the U.S. Analysts estimate that as many as 800,000 360s have been sold in the U.S., while Media Create indicates that since the console's December 10 launch in Japan, the next-gen system has moved only 58,000 systems, 5,600 of which were sold in the week ending December 25.

Compare that with the 97k PS2 (17x), 598k NDS (107x) and 161k for the PSP (28x) the same week.
The previous week (12-18 Dec.) the 360 still sold 8623 units. With only 58000 sold since launch there must still be plenty of stock in stores as the original allocation for Japan was around 159k. Will the release of DOA4 help?

[diskoboy]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again....

Wait until Blue Dragon is released.... That game will probably sell a few consoles over there. It's like a who's who of RPG makers.

[dbiersdorf]

Just like how Dead or Alive 3 was supposed to move units of the original Xbox?


Oh wait it never did.

The Xbox has no chance in Japan, regardless of software, Sony and Nintendo will always have more to cater their crowd.

[Aussie2B]

Fuckem.

I'm sure the rest of the world will appreciate it and won't avoid buying it just because it's not made by a Japanese company.

Yeah, that must be the reason. :roll:

Nevermind the fact that every other shirt they wear has English on it, or how they constantly throw English into their entertainment, or how they're on a whole obsessed with American things.

Sheesh, you could give them a little more credit, and a little more credit to anyone who happens to choose not to buy and worship a 360.

Face it, the 360 line-up is NOT varied. There are what, 2 or 3 games so far made by Japanese developers? You got American sports, first-person shooters, American racing games, American, American, American. Where exactly do the Japanese fit in? In general, those games don't suit their tastes, and they don't suit the tastes of everybody elsewhere in the world either. I don't have a drop of Japanese blood in me, but my tastes are very Japanese-centric and I can say that their isn't ONE game on 360 that REMOTELY interests me. If Microsoft is happy with their share of the market, fine, but if they really hope to convince the Japanese or gamers like myself to buy a 360, they really need to understand what made Nintendo and Sega so big in the 90s and work on getting games similar in style to those.

The Japanese don't need to be insulted by suggesting the 360 should have a dating sim or such. Sounds like Johnny_Rock is trying to suggest all the Japanese want is anime girl hentai or some such BS. :/ While there's a small market for dating sims, they're not going to be system sellers. All the Japanese want is a really good platformer (no, Kameo doesn't cut it), a good adventure game a la Zelda, or most important of all, a big, epic RPG (and not an American MMORPG-style RPG; they may be popular in Korea but Japan wants traditional console RPGs).

[GaijinPunch]

The main issue with Live in Japan is that broadband internet didn't even start up until a few years ago-it's not widespread enough for Live to take the place of the 56k gaming that is available on a number of japanese PS2 games.

Actually, it started in 1997, but that was cable only. DSL came around in 2000. It was a big deal, b/c one of NTT's executives quit NTT and sued them to get them to open up their lines for DSL (they weren't going to until that). In the big cities though (Tokyo, Osaka, etc.), broadband is commonplace. Commonplace enough for game developers to make their games broadband only (see PSO Blue Burst).


My friends over there had a bitch of a time getting Yahoo BB, as they weren't yet equipped in that region for a large amount of people, and the demand was far exceeding what they could output at the moment.

That was a while ago -- took months of waiting if you wren't on the waiting list before they actually started. Now though, it can still take time to get ADSL b/c you have to go through NTT lines to get it, so you've got processes at two companies, which can take forever. Depending on what kind of phone line you have (physically) it might require NTT to come and do construction. THEN, the DSL provider to come and do their setup. Both will generally have a couple of weeks backlog. It's pure shit. Cable or Fiber is a much better solution in terms of lack of headaches in the setup processes.

Coincidentally, I had all three of the above at one time. I think I was in the first 10,000 people to get DSL in Japan, and it fucking rocked. It's a far cheaper solution than ISDN, which is why it took off so quickly. The fiber is a good idea, but overkill (5 WAN IP's 100Mb down, 10Mb up). My cable was the easiest to setup b/c the husband of a girl I worked with worked for the cable company. In three days, I had a 30/10 conection. :)


Wait until Blue Dragon is released.... That game will probably sell a few consoles

They need to sell like... a few million though.

[roushimsx]

on a tangent, i'm irked that they included region coding on the japanese launch software but not the US launch software. I was really looking forward to importing Tetris Grand Master Ace (the TGM series kicks much ass), but now it looks like I have to twiddle my thumbs while waiting for a US release.

Joy.

I'll probably be forced to import a japanese 360 anyway for stuff like Senko no Ronde. Gotta support G-Rev :(

[djbeatmongrel]

Fuckem.

I'm sure the rest of the world will appreciate it and won't avoid buying it just because it's not made by a Japanese company.

Yeah, that must be the reason. :roll:

Nevermind the fact that every other shirt they wear has English on it, or how they constantly throw English into their entertainment, or how they're on a whole obsessed with American things.

Sheesh, you could give them a little more credit, and a little more credit to anyone who happens to choose not to buy and worship a 360.

Face it, the 360 line-up is NOT varied. There are what, 2 or 3 games so far made by Japanese developers? You got American sports, first-person shooters, American racing games, American, American, American. Where exactly do the Japanese fit in? In general, those games don't suit their tastes, and they don't suit the tastes of everybody elsewhere in the world either. I don't have a drop of Japanese blood in me, but my tastes are very Japanese-centric and I can say that their isn't ONE game on 360 that REMOTELY interests me. If Microsoft is happy with their share of the market, fine, but if they really hope to convince the Japanese or gamers like myself to buy a 360, they really need to understand what made Nintendo and Sega so big in the 90s and work on getting games similar in style to those.

The Japanese don't need to be insulted by suggesting the 360 should have a dating sim or such. Sounds like Johnny_Rock is trying to suggest all the Japanese want is anime girl hentai or some such BS. :/ While there's a small market for dating sims, they're not going to be system sellers. All the Japanese want is a really good platformer (no, Kameo doesn't cut it), a good adventure game a la Zelda, or most important of all, a big, epic RPG (and not an American MMORPG-style RPG; they may be popular in Korea but Japan wants traditional console RPGs).

out of all posts you've said this the best and saved me from typing a lot. Microsoft really just needs to reevaluate their efforts when it comes to the japanese market. compared to the American and european market (where it appears to be similar, at leat from my understanding) Japanese market is a whole other story and needs a different approach and it mainly has to do with software.

If the console is going to be similar to the last one when it comes to features (mainly within interaction) the console needs intriguing software that is unique to the console and have some sort of innovation. With the american launch i was really unimpressed myself. All of the games were more of the same, even Kameo, a promising platformer was just decent. in todays market when the graphical limits are really starting to hit a wall, a system really needs more to it for people to make another major purpose.

[Cmtz]

The DS has been in the number one spot on the Media Create Japanese sales charts throughout the better part of 2005, beating all other hardware, including the PSP and the PS2. There was no doubt that Nintendo's third pillar was a success across the Pacific, but today Nintendo made it clear: the DS isn't just a success in Japan, its a phenomenon.


Is it a phenomenon? Just like Pokemon was?

[dbiersdorf]

What? DS compared to Pokemon? You can't really compare hardware to software, as software sells a system. Nintendo just had a huge winter line up and it boosted sales well beyond even Nintendo expected.

Pokemon has been chugging since 1996, you think the DS can survive for 10 years? ;)

[hydr0x]

http://www.schmalenstroer.net/pic/JapanHandHeldWarFinal.png

[boozi2]

if Nintendo doesn't have a successful product launch with the Revolution, they will totally still have to call it a day and will go out of business!

C'mon man... do you really believe that? We've been hearing that (from admitedly people that know jack shit about business) for years, and they don't seem to be going anywhere.


Or not.

Oh, I guess you were joking. O_o


The X360 still doesn't have any killer apps that make it "must-own" hardware in Japan.

THIS is the reason it's sold like shit. The lineup is absolutely horrible. There's not one fantastic game in the lineup. There's a handful of games that will help along the way, some mainstream (Tengai Makyou), some nitch (Senko no Ronde) but it's looking very bleak for the 360 in Japan.


There is absolutely, positively, no "unseen boycott" of American products in Japan. American goods and culture are as popular there as they ever have been, which is to say they are ungodly popular.

Electronics and cars are traditionally very UNpopular in Japan though. They're easy markets for American companies to get into b/c their not seen as a competitive threat. The Xbox and 360 have emphasized this. The last really huge electronics product that has smoked the Japanese products is the iPod, but then again, Apple is very popular in Japan for their computers.

I don't think this is the case for the Xbox and 360. Crappy design, and very, very few games that truly appeal to Japaense... way fewer than the Dreamcast, and look what happened to it. Couple this with the fact that Japanese are intense label whores, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Well said. I guess I had to "rephrase" my post as something more different.

Anyways, that's a nice chart hydr0x. I'm still amazed that the DS kicks the PSP's ass. I, personally, didn't see it coming, but with the crappy titles for the PSP and the awesome titles for the DS, it was possible :D.

[poloplayr]

Just FYI, Nintendo sold over 600,000 DS systems in the week leading up to Christmas. A 61% rise even over the insanely impressive week before that...

As for the incompetence of foreign firms in their entry into the Japanese market and the use of the same old tired excuses is immensely entertaining for anyone who's ever studied the market. "Why aren't they buying our good ol' american cars?!...I don't get it?!"....Exactly, you do not get it.

[zerohero]

Doesn't surprise me. The DS is a very cool peace of hardware, and is also very affordable to most people.

[Aussie2B]

That is a very cool chart. It's interesting to see how the key releases have impacted the sales of the DS and PSP. There's not much to explain the recent sharp rise, though, or even the small rise for PSP. Well, besides Christmas, that is.

[esquire]

Who cares..... :roll:


Its not like it was years ago where if you didnt do well in Japan then you had no chance. I am sure the 360 will / is selling well in Europe. (they enjoy FPS games)

You are missing a very important point. If the XBOX 360 does not do well in Japan, it likely will mean less development of games by Japanese software companies. Think about it, why develop a game when you can't even market it to your own economy? That's why we saw very little games (if not any) from companies like Nippon Ichi, Atlus, KOEI, etc. for the original XBOX. The PS2 has a market over here and in Japan so it makes more sense to develop games for that particular console than say the XBOX or XBOX 360. You double your market share. Why even produce a game that you can't even sell at home, and at a 50% drop in the overall market share. This only means less games for the console, and we as gamers suffer.

[Ed Oscuro]

Gosh, how did this turn into a 360 topic again? In any case, I'm still waiting to see how the 360 has done after the 29th...personally I would think that if people were really that excited about it they would have bought one in anticipation of DOA4.

[Aussie2B]

Because it originally was a 360 topic. o_O The title and first post have been edited.

[Hep038]

It warms my heart to see the usual fanboy and haters find this thread and post their charts and sales numbers, Got to keep 2006 on the same track as 2005. Console WARS!!

Happy New Year!!!! LOL