There will always be a certain subset of people who believe their platform of choice will "take over". Hell, Sega could announce a new console tomorrow and some people would herald it as the saviour of the industry.
3DS has surpassed PS3 lifetime sales in Japan
- Thread starter dmr87
- Start date
There will always be a certain subset of people who believe their platform of choice will "take over". Hell, Sega could announce a new console tomorrow and some people would herald it as the saviour of the industry.
People who believed the Vita would take over were (are) delusional.
I'm not shocked at all. The PS3 has always been a slow mover. Lack of interesting titles for the Japanese audience is probably the primary problem.
3DS, just like the DS, was expected to boom in a matter of time.
I'm not shocked at all. The PS3 has always been a slow mover. Lack of interesting titles for the Japanese audience is probably the primary problem.
3DS, just like the DS, was expected to boom in a matter of time.
Father_Brain
Banned
So, it's baffling that you're not a microcosm of the Japanese handheld market? Okay.
It is absolutely important, I agree, and my explanation certainly does not capture the entirety of the discussion -- what explanation ever does? I absolutely agree that the situation is more complex than my explanation provides for. I was providing deliberately simple examples to explain my general argument.
I would answer with this, however: good hardware facilitates good software. If companies (including Sony itself) are struggling to create compelling content that sells, that is an indictment of the hardware itself.
Almost as funny as those on gaf saying WiiU would be inbetween ps3/360 and orbis/durango in terms of power.
True but how anyone can predict nintendo would lose handheld war amazes me. They have taken on all challengers before and came out on top. People saw the spec and price of the vita and come to such conclusions even though as history as showed time and time again specs alone do not sell hardware.
Not the same at all. Only a madman bets against nintendo in handheld wars.
Xenon
Member
You must not have children. As long as it has a new Mario game on it, the system will sell.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Opiate said:
I'm genuinely surprised at that, given its basically a SoC design I really can't see them losing much per unit, if at all. Its fundamentally a very nice smartphone with a custom body, so I highly doubt manufacturing cost is that high.
Actually referencing back to the original Reuters article, at no point is it confirmed that its selling at a loss, just that they (Probably dodgy Google translation verbatim): "aims to make a profit within three years in the body of the Vita sales."
Which suggests to me that the profit is for the Vita business overall, not purely the manufacturing aspect.
Randolph Freelander
Member
Wow, that's actually a quite amazing statistic.
This is basically it (for the west). And Monster Hunter for Japan (although I don't really know).
Shame Japanese sales don't translate into western support though, otherwise I might have bothered to pick one up despite the hardware.
Crash Station
Member
Yay, that means more games I can't play because NOA is a butt.
DR2K
Banned
Well when you only get positive sales news from one region of the world, anything is worth gloating about.
Then again Japan actually gets a stream of new 3DS content, whereas the rest of the world gets the occasional release folowed by tumbleweed.
i always read this and wonder if people have forgotten the gamecube and n64.
with that said, nintendo has always dominated handhelds, so i suppose there is truth to that comment lol.
Absolutely. And as Ksamedi just pointed out, one could indict the software lineup as a failing complimentary good.
I would again point out that software and hardware are not independent entities; software is designed to function on specific hardware, so if none of the games are compelling that is of course an indictment of the software designers, but also of the hardware manufacturers.
Regardless, we agree: I am not pointing out what, precisely, is the problem with Vita's design. I am just saying there clearly is a problem, because the thing isn't selling.
In your opinion. Others might disagree. Let's not get in to a baffle-off, where you are baffled by his inability to appreciate the 3DS, while he is baffled by your affection for it.
My main complaint is that the eShop has so few NES games and no SNES games. I need Super Metroid, like yesterday. And the original Castlevania would be nice, too.
TheDrowningMan
Member
By and large, it is. It's just not very far beyond the older two, and has design choices which makes porting a bit trickier than it could be. PS2 received plenty of Dreamcasf ports far less flattering than most Wii U offerings, but few now would try to suggest that it wasn't more capable hardware overall just because it didn't handle Grandia II or Code Veronica as well as Sega's console.
I need to use this term more often.
That seems to be correct (I made the same inference in the portion of my post you did not quote).
But that of course logically implies that the system was sold at a loss initially. If the hardware were profitable, then something else must be losing money. What is it? Where are the losses coming from?
It makes much more sense to assume it's the hardware being sold at a loss, based on precedent, than to assume they're going to lose tons of money on software that the hardware will recoup over several years.
plagiarize
Banned
It is. I mean, it's much closer to the PS3/360 side of the scale, but it is more powerful overall. A bit. Stop thinking that because a few launch ports don't outperform the 360 version that the system isn't more powerful than it overall. The memory and GPU more than make up for the deficiencies of the CPU, just not when we're talking about games designed around the more powerful CPU of the 360.
go figure. I bet you overall system FLOPS are higher on Wii U than 360 and PS3.
edit: but yeah, what about those 3DS sales? pretty much proof that the systems only problems early on were the price and lack of appealing software (at the time). if the Wii U starts off slowly too there is plenty that can be done to fix things, so long as that change happens sooner rather than later. Nintendo were able to act before the damage was done to the 3DS. hopefully they are prepared to do the same for the Wii U if needed. Sony really need to move quicker to fix their issues than they do.
I thought the Wii U had a more powerful CPU, but was underclocked so much that it could not make up the deficiency in raw frequency.
Bruno MB
Member
That's a really great achievement for Nintendo.
Almost 9 million units sold in just a period of 21 months is a very huge amount, especially after a terrible start. The same way I find fair that 3DS is struggling hard in the West, I also find the huge success it is having in Japan very deserving.
Almost 9 million units sold in just a period of 21 months is a very huge amount, especially after a terrible start. The same way I find fair that 3DS is struggling hard in the West, I also find the huge success it is having in Japan very deserving.
Looks like they all are trending asymptotically,This other chart caught my eye in the MC thread.
Which 3DS title will hit 2 million first?
olimpia84
Member
I wasn't trying to portray my affection for the system (which I do have for the 3DS, I really like it despite it being region locked) but instead trying to laid out the facts.
For example, I don't own and probably never will own a 360 system because its library of exclusive games don't really appeal to me to the point of spending hundreds of dollars for the system (3rd party games are good but I can get them for my PS3). Also I despise the idea of paying to play games online. Its two biggest franchises, Halo and Gears of War, have zero appeal to me. However, I reckon that they are quality games because I played them both and I can definitely see the value of the games and why they are so popular...it's just that they are not my cup tea. With that being said, it will be just trollish of me (or anybody else) to call those games and the 360 'mediocre' because its exclusive franchises and games are not of my liking.
thomasmahler
Moon Studios
Sweet, now it only needs games!
Xenon
Member
Back then Nintendo had competition for the younger children's market. Other than a few popular mobile games Nintendo has locked an uncontested demographic of gamers.
Version 3.0
Member
Because I don't want to confine myself to a tiny screen? Because I don't like my screen moving around? Because I like comfortable controllers? Because I like horsepower?
And to top it all off, I can move a console to another room just fine. I take mine to my friend's house all the time.
Handhelds are for people who aren't allowed to use the TV, like kids and husbands.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Portables are popular, but it's not like the console scene is gone. It's just that more people flocked to the Wii than the PS3. Combine Wii and PS3 and you have PS2-level numbers.
lol no there not. My 3DS gets more gametime than my 360 and it has nothing to do with having no access to a tv.
TheDrowningMan
Member
Even then, the CPU isn't outright slaughtered, and if it were as bad as a superficial glance might suggest, well, good luck getting these games running with only a moderate FPS loss!
It does need to be approached differently due to the considerably lower clock speed though, and with that in mind, I actually find optimism in the fact that games like ACIII and Mass Effect 3 are fairly close to parity despite being developed under a different set of rules. Even Black Ops II's more noticeable hiccups are uncommon insomuch as gameplay is rock solid 99% of the time. In spite of the issues, most games run close to and look better than the PS3 versions, and I think everyone can agree that Cell is, taken in isolation, beyond Xenon. Less friendly though.
When you've got consoles that are in the same ballpark as each other, the lead platform is usually going to be the best whether it's the most powerful or not. If we were to judge the hardware purely on the basis of multi-format software from 2006 onwards, PS3 would appear to be quite the runt.
what
Let's not get in to a platform war here (and that includes the person you're responding to, although his post was less acerbic than yours).
I could easily turn around and say that consoles are for manchildren who don't have busy lives. My best friend, who just had his first child, plays exclusively on the iPad and 3DS now because those platforms allow him to get up suddenly whenever needed. Sure, when we were kids we could sit in the same place all day, but now we have responsibilities and consoles don't make sense any more.
But I won't actually suggest that's fair, because I know circumstances can vary. Portables have their strengths, and so do consoles. So too does the PC, which happens to be my platform of choice.
It is absolutely not as simple as "portables = kiddy, consoles = for true gamers, PC = let's pretend it doesn't exist because it ruins our argument." I would much prefer we not go down that road, but if you insist on it, I am quite confident I could type cast your console bretheren in an extremely unflattering light.
I'm really curious why you specifically said husbands.
Karsticles
Member
Don't forget Dragon Quest VII!Cool.
Can I have Soul Hackers and Bravely Default in English now?
Oh yeah and 6th gen Pokemon or RSE remakes please.
ExitPlanetDust
Member
LOL, truth.
Good luck carrying your console and tv to your room and back downstairs at a whim
Forget the train/bus/airplane/most places.Kids, husbands but also lazies, busy folk as well as impatient people (standby) and those who don't like being tied to a bunch of devices to play a game. Which is why people who vaguely say that the console experience on a handheld isn't something "people" want are undoubtedly wrong.
Handhelds (some more than others) have also improved significantly in recent years and it has reached the point for me where I'd sacrafice some horse power for the convienience.
I just want Nintendo to allow VC stuff to be played whether on 3DS or Wii U. If I buy SMB on Wii U VC I'd also like to take it with me on the road with 3DS without buying a separate copy on the 3DS side.
I'm sure Nintendo likes the money train for that so it won't happen. But it'd be nice to dream. Hopefully something Iwata is seriously thinking about.
But I love the handheld for the most part. Its only going to get better in regards to its game library in 2013 and beyond.
I'm sure Nintendo likes the money train for that so it won't happen. But it'd be nice to dream. Hopefully something Iwata is seriously thinking about.
But I love the handheld for the most part. Its only going to get better in regards to its game library in 2013 and beyond.
Jaded Alyx
Member
..and yet you come up with Halo?
MikeE21286
Member
The pacman graph of 3DS sales in Japan continue
walking fiend
Member
I don't have a 3DS, but I immensely enjoy being able to play in my bed, and both DS and PSP have been one my most favorite platforms ever;
How about I play wherever the games I want are, and where I feel like I enjoy them most?
Though to be honest until the end the points were all matters of preference I can respect or at least understand, even if I think things like "screen moving around" are very nitpicky unless we're talking about 3D effects, and the 3DS XL and Vita certainly do their best to marginalize the tiny screen point.
Ironic how this can actually work out at least for Wii U... In Japan. Where most people are playing handhelds for their portable serious gaming fix anyway.
Worth mentioning, the DS demographic was older than the PSP demographic in Japan. Not only that, Iwata has mentioned that 2D Mario is more popular with adults in Japan (that's why 3D Land tried to be a bit more "2D Mario" and appeal to both). No other way around it, affordable systems with appealing libraries are usually successful.
He's only barely wrong, but only because he's threading a needle. His criteria are:
1) Releases primarily on consoles
2) Must release an iteration every year
3) Focus exclusively on the US
That's actually a fairly restrictive set of criteria. Halo is beaten by CoD and Madden, surely. But not many games other than that. Of course, you could make a huge number of games seem good this way: Dragon Quest is the second best selling JRPG franchise in Europe. Medal of Honor is the most successful biennial FPS franchise in the US.
Supermanisdead
Member
But are you really? Did you honestly expect Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter not to cause huge sales?
Where does gamer fall in there?
Diddy Kong
Banned
Yay for Ninty!
Honestly? Yes. You know how people say "when will Angry Birds stop selling?", or "when will CoD stop selling?", well that's how I feel about the franchises you just listed.
I'm happy to concede that I'm way out of whack with the desires of the Japanese handheld market. Personally, I want a handheld console for home (the Vita), and a device that can play shorter games quickly on the go (my phone). The 3DS falls between these two stools for me, offering the advantages of neither. I'm in a tiny niche though, evidently.