Support NeoGAF

[AlexxKidd]

And? Passing the PS3 and PS4 launch alligned isn't something to be that proud about(just 3 million while your competition was around 10 - 12 million in the same timeframe), on top of simply having Abysmal software sales, which puts into question how many PS5 are staying on Japan.

Plus, the recent well performance is exactly because of the reason of the stuff you implied: Repressed demand. Once that demand is satisfied, it begs the question: What is the PS5's true demand? I guess only time will tell.

 

[lh032]

all these organic growth without a showcase.

Jimbo you are king.

 

[blackjon24]

this is great news, it has been sad to see what has become of the console market in japan. With a true current gen monster hunter world follow up, ff16 and hopefully dragon quest 12 on ps5, things are looking good for consoles in japan again.

 

[Beechos]

Where was this info when people were making it seem like sony was struggling in japan.

 

[DenchDeckard]

That is absolutely nuts when you think about it.

I didn't know ps4 sold faster than ps3 either. Wowza. Keep it up Sony.

What was the LTDs for ps3 and ps4?

Maybe this could put the idea to bed that the Japanese wouldn't buy a large console?

 

[Gambit2483]

And this is with Sony increasing the price? Wow, that's pretty impressive. I wonder how long until Nintendo really gets worried about weekly sales....

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Wonder if they’ll keep the same energy

You're expecting north american media having headlines like "Playstation outsells Xbox by 24 to 1 in Japan"? Good luck with that.

 

[fran.fernandez]

i always heard the Japanese aren't buying consoles because they are too big and couldn't fit in their apartments.

I live in Japan for 10 years . That’s how is all together

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Seriously impressive. They still have a lot of work to do to catch PS2's numbers (23.18 million), but they can actually get within Super Famicom's 16.4 million, I feel. They should have no problem outdoing PS4 or even PS3 Japan lifetime sales.

A particular boon for PS5 would be if the Switch 2 doesn't light the Japanese market up quite as much as the first one did. Which I wouldn't say has a good probability of happening, but there is a non-zero chance that could end up being the case. If so, that gives quite a lot of breathing room for PS5 to expand in the market, especially if Sony were to somehow find a way to make a portable or slim laptop-sized PS5 later in the generation specifically for markets like Japan.

I think them doing that would be a neat idea anyway, if it's technically possible, but at least given the trajectory right now they should be able to get between PS3 and Super Famicom Japan #s, leaning closer to the latter (something around 12 - 14 million lifetime).

 

[Nautilus]

Supply constrained for 2 years and 2 months

The Switch still managed to do much better when it was also supply constrained in its early years.

 

[Nautilus]

And the PS5 started off hot out the gate and got immediately kneecapped by supply shortages. They're finally over those shortages and have begun to make up ground by catching up to and passing their last 2 home consoles in the region. That's a noteworthy data point and that's what's being discussed here. It's especially noteworthy given the narrative that's been spread over the last while that PlayStation is no longer relevant in Japan. They don't need to surpass the Switch to be relevant. By selling faster than the PS4 and PS3 it shows us that they're trending upwards versus their last 2 models. We'll have to wait and see how they do against the PS1 and PS2.

Indeed, time will tell how things go as we're still at the very beginning of their renewed push and we can only guess how far they'll go.

Sony is becoming less and less relevant in Japan.That has not changed.Software sales shows that, and the devs own statement and actions shows that. Devs that were exclusive to Sony went, at the very least, multiplatform(if not Nintendo exclusive), and that's not changing. Not in the foreseeable future anyway.

But like I said, these lasts few good weeks are simply the repressed demand catching up. Its not gonna keep having 90k weeks forever. Let's see how long it lasts(Its possible it will last a few more months until FF XVI drops, we'll see.)

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

all these organic growth without a showcase.

Jimbo you are king.

They did have a gaming showcase, it was for Xperia. lol

 

[Nautilus]

Where was this info when people were making it seem like sony was struggling in japan.

They are, and have been the last 10-15 years. Its just the worst it has been. Having a few good weeks doesn't change that.

And their software sales are still abysmal.They are somehow worse than Wii U's software.

 

[kazuyamishima]

The Switch still managed to do much better when it was also supply constrained in its early years.

You're joking, right?

PS5 shortages were worst compared to the Wii, and that console faced supply constraints for about a year and a half.

 

[Azelover]

Where was this info when people were making it seem like sony was struggling in japan.

I think it probably was a matter of priority for Sony. Granted, they are not Nintendo, and likely won't be. But there was always a decent market for them in Japan. It simply needed tapping into it.

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

Well (x3) even Sony's vague censorship policy didn't stop Japanese gamers from buying the PS5. Those poor weebs on Twitter and around the net told me otherwise.

 

[nial]

nvm

 

[Portugeezer]

Damn, they must really be excited for Suicide Squad Kill The Hype.

 

[Mr Moose]

Z zedinen Where did you get this info, anyway? I don't think Media Create has released the weekly software/hardware data yet.

This is Jan/Feb.

 

[Robb]

Very good to hear tbh, hopefully it’ll manage to do some decent numbers over there. Nintendo need some competition.

 

[Crayon]

That's reassuring. I too believed that consoles are doing bad in japan. That's what you get for buying for them here say.

 

[TLZ]

The Switch still managed to do much better when it was also supply constrained in its early years.

Not remotely close to COVID supply constraints and you know that.

I understand you're an extreme Nintendo fan, but at least be fair.

 

[nial]

This is Jan/Feb.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

 

[Fake]

And they say physical media is dying... lol

 

[Nautilus]

You're joking, right?

PS5 shortages were worst compared to the Wii, and that console faced supply constraints for about a year and a half.

Why would I be? Switch had loterrys, both physically and online, until up to its third year if I'm not mistaken.

The difference here being that Nintendo actually sent stock, alot of stock, to Japan, and yet it still sold out.While Sony ignored Japan for two years and just now decided to send some their way. The proof is in the sales. Just compare launch alligned.

 

[Nautilus]

Not remotely close to COVID supply constraints and you know that.

I understand you're an extreme Nintendo fan, but at least be fair.

Japan barely had a PS5 to sell because Sony wasn't even properly sending stock there. Yes, everyone was having trouble manufacturing.But I'm sorry, the PS5 had some weeks that it barely sold 2k, and considering the sales trajectory the PS5 had worldwide, it was not because they couldn't produce 10k more for Japan, and more because Sony ignored Japan until they couldn't sell *instantly* the stock they sent elsewhere(mostly US and Europe).

And while I do favor Nintendo, I'm also a Sony fan, thank you very much.

 

[YukiOnna]

this is great news, it has been sad to see what has become of the console market in japan. With a true current gen monster hunter world follow up, ff16 and hopefully dragon quest 12 on ps5, things are looking good for consoles in japan again.

SE has a bunch of system sellers for the next few years at least: XVI, FFVIIR-2, KH4, DQXII, and FFVIIR-3.

all these organic growth without a showcase.

Jimbo you are king.

Do you ever make posts that don't mention Jim Ryan

 

[Porcile]

I feel like culturally it has no resonance. There isn't a piece of software that defines it yet.

 

[damidu]

man don’t envy sony doomposters, such a thankless job.
you do all the acrobatics into finding increasingly stupid narratives.
only to be laughed out of the room each time.

 

[onQ123]

I feel like culturally it has no resonance. There isn't a piece of software that's defines it yet.

That's actually the advantage that PlayStation has always had .

While Nintendo made you think Mario , Sega made you think Sonic & Xbox made you think Halo PlayStation never made people feel like it was attached to 1 game & people choose their reason for liking PlayStation.

 

[Heisenberg007]

429k as of Feb 20-26 week, so basically 2x higher

100% overestimation of X|S is just way too much. PS5 numbers are much, much closer by both companies.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Famitsu heavily undertracking PS5

Not as much as they are (possibly) overtracking Xbox Series X|S. Xbox S|X is 225K (Media Create) vs. 429K (Famitsu)

 

[remember_spinal]

Sony has been going all out with adverts in japan this year

 

[Baki]

The Switch still managed to do much better when it was also supply constrained in its early years.

So the switch had more supply? I don’t get your point. I didn’t even mention the Switch.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Sony has hit it out of the park 2 generations in a row.

 

[Airbus Jr]

Now wheres those people who said ps5 wont sell in japan

 

[remember_spinal]

Now wheres those people who said ps5 wont sell in japan

Now its about software lol

I assume once the top ten starts looking more diverse in a few months it will be psvr2 or something

 

[Porcile]

That's actually the advantage that PlayStation has always had .

While Nintendo made you think Mario , Sega made you think Sonic & Xbox made you think Halo PlayStation never made people feel like it was attached to 1 game & people choose their reason for liking PlayStation.

In Japan Metal Gear Solid, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Winning Eleven, Gran Turismo? Just to name a few..

So far (emphasising so far) nothing that culturally relevent on PS5. It's just a hot gadget right now. Nintendo have left Sony in the dust when it comes to that.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Imagine if there was no stock issues…
Or are we still pretending PS5 didnt have global stock issues?

 

[UnNamed]

1. Media Create: YTD, LTD

2. LTD: Launch Aligned

What GAF read: "Sony redeemed"
What I read: "slightly ahead from two console which sold poorly in Japan"

 

[Team Andromeda]

So sad what happened to Japan gaming market.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

What GAF read: "Sony redeemed"
What I read: "slightly ahead from two console which sold poorly in Japan"

Console gaming is now in a worse position than it ever was.in Japan . PS5 outselling a 2006 console is great. There’s nothing wrong admitting that.

 

[remember_spinal]

 

[Mibu no ookami]

For those wondering, it took PS2 only 33-34 weeks to hit that number.

I think FF16 and a cheaper slimmer model would do wonders in Japan while Nintendo lets the Switch kind of fade out, but I do find it hilarious that some people think that there was always this slew of high selling console games. It was almost always limited to heavy hitters.

in 2002, only 2 PS2 games sold over a million copies in Japan Winning Eleven 6 and Onimsuha with Kingdom Hearts just short.

So this shift in narrative to oh but the software isn't selling well.. is a hilarious but predictable one.

 

[vivftp]

I expect that surpassing the milestones of those older consoles will occur at an accelerated rate now that stock issues are a thing of the past. I dunno if the PS5 is gonna get anywhere near the PS2 lifetime sales, but I think it'll handily crush the PS3 and PS4. A quick check on Wiki shows the following lifetime sales in Japan for the PS consoles:

PS4 - 9,431,894
PS3 - 10,469,971
PS1 - 19,411,000
PS2 - 24,420,000

If I had to take a random guess, the PS5 will land somewhere in the region of 15 million lifetime sales. Indications are that Sony's planning to move an absolutely ludicrous amount of consoles next FY and I think a good many will be sold in Japan.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Sony has to be aiming at 10-15 million units in Japan over the course of the PS5's life.

15 million would mark quite a return for console gaming in Japan. We'll see if they can get to 5 million by the end of the year.

 

[vivftp]

Sony has to be aiming at 10-15 million units in Japan over the course of the PS5's life.

15 million would mark quite a return for console gaming in Japan. We'll see if they can get to 5 million by the end of the year.

You mean 5 million LTD by the end of this year, or 5 million only for this year? It may sound crazy, but if Sony are really planning to flood the market with 30 million PS5's in the upcoming FY then it's not so crazy to think a few million could find their way specifically to Japan

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I expect that surpassing the milestones of those older consoles will occur at an accelerated rate now that stock issues are a thing of the past. I dunno if the PS5 is gonna get anywhere near the PS2 lifetime sales, but I think it'll handily crush the PS3 and PS4. A quick check on Wiki shows the following lifetime sales in Japan for the PS consoles:

PS4 - 9,431,894
PS3 - 10,469,971
PS1 - 19,411,000
PS2 - 24,420,000

If I had to take a random guess, the PS5 will land somewhere in the region of 15 million lifetime sales. Indications are that Sony's planning to move an absolutely ludicrous amount of consoles next FY and I think a good many will be sold in Japan.

We're on the exact same page here. I think 15 million is probably a lofty goal, but possible with the right investments in local software. The timing with the Switch is probably going to be helpful as well as any lag in people getting a Switch 2.

The PS4 selling less than the PS3 is what convinced people that console gaming was dead in Japan, but these things can be cyclical with every generation of gamer in Japan.

One area where they've really struggled is getting female gamers in Japan on console, so we'll see what if any inroads they can make there.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

You mean 5 million LTD by the end of this year, or 5 million only for this year? It may sound crazy, but if Sony are really planning to flood the market with 30 million PS5's in the upcoming FY then it's not so crazy to think a few million could find their way specifically to Japan

5 million LTD. I don't see it doing 5 million this year alone.

I think that 30 million might be a bit lofty, but regardless it'll be mostly driven by north america and europe. I expect this will be the hottest attraction at christmas and that we're going to see Spider-Man and Hogwarts really selling big numbers for PS5.

 

[vivftp]

We're on the exact same page here. I think 15 million is probably a lofty goal, but possible with the right investments in local software. The timing with the Switch is probably going to be helpful as well as any lag in people getting a Switch 2.

The PS4 selling less than the PS3 is what convinced people that console gaming was dead in Japan, but these things can be cyclical with every generation of gamer in Japan.

One area where they've really struggled is getting female gamers in Japan on console, so we'll see what if any inroads they can make there.

I think 15 million is the good "middle of the road" prediction. There're so many factors and unknowns that trying to predict any higher would be relying on a lot of "what if's". Still, if some of those "what if's" start paying off then we could see the PS5 challenge the PS1 or PS2. It'll be fun to see how things play out.

5 million LTD. I don't see it doing 5 million this year alone.

I think that 30 million might be a bit lofty, but regardless it'll be mostly driven by north america and europe. I expect this will be the hottest attraction at christmas and that we're going to see Spider-Man and Hogwarts really selling big numbers for PS5.

Yeah, I figured you meant LTD but wanted to double check. Another 2 million for the entire remaining 10 months when they already did 600k in the first 2 months seems like a very safe estimate to me. Especially since we're looking forward to things like...

- FF16 (which I think will be heavily bundled)
- Spider-Man 2
- The console revision
- The metric fuckton of games that'll no doubt be announced at Sonys showcase to build hype and desire to get a PS5
- If TLOU MP does indeed drop this year it's got a LOT of potential to be massive.
- FF7 Rebirth is likely coming early next year, so there'll no doubt be a bunch of marketing to get folks hyped

I think Sony's gonna be diverting a lot of consoles to regions that were starved for units during the supply shortages, which is why I think they may over compensate in Japan and just give them a truly massive number of units.