Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
J. Sexton · · 5 min read

Let’s face it, Japan doesn’t really care about consoles anymore.

With the release of the Xbox One’s first week of sales in Japan, I was quick to reach for sales numbers for the Playstation 4, Wii U, 3DS, and even Playstation Vita to put those numbers into context. Knowing that Japan wasn’t necessarily the Xbox capital, I still considered the country synonymous with console gaming at large. A quick glance at the numbers betrays the outdatedness of that notion.

Console(r)s of the lonely

No one really expected Microsoft’s Xbox One to sell like crazy in Japan. When I saw the paltry 23,562 units Famitsu reported after its first week, I was actually a bit surprised the number was that high. Were there that many expats wanting to play Titanfall?

It's not exactly Black Friday.

It’s not exactly Black Friday.

Five-digit sales were probably welcome news for the Xbox Japan brand manager, who saw just 146 units the Xbox 360 moved during a week last month. That number isn’t a typo. You could literally count them yourself and not feel the least bit overwhelmed. The crazy thing is the Xbox 360 fared much better during its own launch than the Xbox One has. So the only explanation is that Japanese developers have run American hardware out of the country once and for all, right?

While as a percentage, the Xbox 360-Xbox One transition looks ugliest, it’s actually Nintendo and Sony that have failed to, as the suits might say, convert “next-gen” users in Japan in absolute numbers—by a huge margin.

Playstation for…?

Sony’s run worldwide with the Playstation 4 is impressive. Moving over 10 million units in less than a year, with all these newfangled smartphones supposedly eating into its user base is amazing. I still have trouble believing that actually happened. But equally surprising is how sobering the decreased sales in Sony’s home country have become.

PS4-japan-700x329

To date, the Playstation 4 has sold 670,000 units in Japan. When compared to the Playstation 2’s launch weekend sales of 630,552 , you can surmise Japanese people are no longer living in their console heyday. The 3DS and even struggling Wii U have outpaced the PS4 in Japan, as has the Playstation Vita, which is well behind its predecessor the Playstation Portable (PSP).

But Sony at least can be thankful it’s doing something right in other territories, and hope that sales pick up in the same way they did for the Playstation 3 over its lifetime. Nintendo hasn’t been so lucky.

Wii used to be fans

No rational person expected the Wii U to be as successful as the Wii. My mom, for example, is never going to be into another gaming console in her life. And that’s okay. The moment I saw that well-meaning Nintendo consumers half her age couldn’t even discern that the Wii U was a new console, however, I knew that the Nintendo’s system was in trouble.


appflood rtb

Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

Community Writer

J. Sexton