Sony Japan gave consumers a treat recently. It was announced that from October 1st the company’s flagship games console, the PS4, will retail for only 34,980 yen. This is a reduction of 5,000 yen on the current retail price and places the price point well below that of the US and Europe in particular where in some countries a PS4 will still sell for around 400 Euros (54,000 yen).
Of course Sony’s detractors, of which there seem to be quite a lot these days, say it is an act of desperation, because Japanese consumers aren’t taking to the PS4 in the quite the droves that had been forecast.
Let’s get something straight here, the PS4 is an international hit. It has sold great numbers across most markets since its launch almost 2 years ago. But it is fair to say that it hasn’t quite hit the expected highs in Japan, yet.
Now, from my own point of view, I remain a proud PS3 owner, who isn’t really in a hurry to upgrade. However, I thought I was the exception rather than the norm. But, amongst my Japanese gamer friends, it seems this is a common thread. They all acknowledge that the PS4 is a mightily impressive piece of hardware, and yet the prevailing attitude seems to be: “Erm, maybe I’ll get one next year”.
So why is this? Why is it that Japan seems to be the only market that thus far hasn’t leapt at the opportunity to upgrade to a PS4. As is often the case in Japan, there are a number of cultural reasons for this. To understand fully, one must appreciate the intricacies of the Japanese gamer mindset.
So, Sony, if you read this blog, (and hopefully you do because I’d love a free PS4 to review!) here are some thoughts on why Japanese consumers have yet to fully embrace the PS4:
Lack of Backwards compatibility
Ok, to many in Europe and the US this may seem a moot point. I’ve read many columns by western journalists saying “Get with the times! If you like old games, then you can always keep your PS3.” In Japan, it’s not that simple. Over here, retro gaming is big business. Anybody who has ever been to one of the many video game stores in areas like Tokyo’s Akihabara or Osaka’s Nipponbashi districts will notice the trend.
In these stores the number of Playstation 2 games is equal to or in some cases even outnumbers the number of Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 games. Not bad when you consider that the console has largely been considered obsolete since about 2009. Going back further, a number of stores have an extensive range of PS1 games and even going right back to the early 90s and the likes of the Super Famicom (Super NES in the west) and the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis to my American friends).
Lack of an Extensive back catalogue of games
The PS4 has an ever expanding library of games, however, the fact remains, it has been on the market for less than 2 years. Thus far, there aren’t anywhere near as many games available as there are for its predecessors. From my own point of view, this is the main reason why I too am reluctant to upgrade.
From my first gaming console in 1992, the aforementioned Sega Mega Drive, I have always waited until a console has been out for at least a year or two before buying. This allows the game catalogue to expand sufficiently and also allows the price of the console itself to drop to a more realistic level. For comparison purposes, I purchased a Sony PS1 in 1998, about 2 and a half years after its launch.
I got my PS2 in early 2002 again a little over 2 years after launch, and finally I got my current console, my PS3 in 2009, 3 years after it was released in Japan. By that reckoning, I should be ready to buy a PS4 sometime in the spring of next year. Many of my Japanese friends seem to share this line of thought.
The PS4 has seen some big hits on the game front this year. Batman Arkham Knight, the final installment in a series of games that runs back to 2009, was a massive hit not only in Japan but also worldwide. Likewise the soon to be released Star Wars: Battlefront also looks certain to be a huge success here in Japan when it comes out in November.
However, this being Japan, naturally one should expect that Japanese games are the ones that will really draw new customers in.
Looking back, the original Playstation had a slew of Japan-made titles upon its release in 1995. The likes of Tekken, Ridge Racer and one of my all-time favourite sports games: International Superstar Soccer Pro (Or Winning Eleven as it is known in Japan) were followed a year or two later by all-time classics like Biohazard and Metal Gear Solid.
Likewise the PS2 had titles such as Onimusha and Metal Gear Solid 2 to ship shortly after launch, which helped propel the fledgling system into the minds of Japanese gamers. This time around, the launch titles for PS4 had a distinctly more international flavour and perhaps that’s one reason for the slow uptake amongst gamers in Japan.
Not everybody wants to play online multiplayer games
One of the things that bugged me and some of my Japanese friends too in the run-up to the launch of the PS4 was the over-emphasis on online playability. Personally, besides buying occasional downloadable content for some of my PS3 games, I never go online. What started as a good idea really seems to have been derailed in the last couple of years.
Going online with playstation is a nightmare! The games themselves play well, and given Japan’s superior broadband speeds connection is seldom, if ever an issue. But the other players are such simpering crybabies, so obsessed with achievements, ranking tables and trolling each other that they seem to have forgotten just how to enjoy a game.
Sony’s business model doesn’t exactly do them any favours here either. Previously, on the PS3, Sony’s online servers were provided for free, with customers having the option of upgrading to “Playstation Plus” a premium service for a nominal annual fee.
However, with the PS4 this subscription service is now mandatory to enjoy online game content. With games like the aforementioned Star Wars: Battlefront almost completely doing away with single player game modes, in favour of online battles of up to 40 individual players, options for the solitary players like me are getting increasingly limited.
Therefore, a number of older Japanese gamers are sticking with their older consoles in order to get a more fulfilling single player experience. Sony has already proven down the years that when things get tough, they know how to innovate and advance. I am sure this time around will prove no different. That being said, it’ll be a while before I get a PS4.
Maybe next year…..
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Being honest, I don’t think you had any right to write this story without owning a ps4 first.
I will probably buy the PS4 in the next couple of weeks. It has not been the must have console like the Wii or the PS3 (both of which I got on release day). I guess it has been the lack of interesting games made specifically for it. A lot of the games have veriosns for the PS3 which is still a formidable machine. But with battlefront coming out and the sony virtual headset, I am finally interested.
I also agree that the multiplayer experience is taking over and the focus is not not single player stuff. Which is sad because when I play video games it is basically because I am in an anti-social mood and do not want to “share” the experience. For me it is like reading a book.
My husband and I bought the PS4 this year on march. We had an xbox360 before but it broke, so we took the big step and bought the PS4. We never regretted it! Of course, where we live, Argentina, the console and the games are expensive but we manage to buy buy them nevertheless.
We are, however, considering to buy the PS3 for our bedroom. Why? Because there are great games we never played like the two first Dragon Age, Dark Souls or Tales of and games we already played but want to do it again like Final Fantasy that are unavailable for the next gen consoles.
I got my ps4 earlier this year and must say it’s more than a gaming console. I’m from Morocco so basically we belong to sony france’s territory since there is no sony morocco, it is true as you said that the console’s price is high (I bought it as a pack with gta5 for 490 euros) and when it comes to buying games it’s pricy too but I do manage to get them anyway. For the games catalogues I disagree with you knowing the fact that for example on the PlayStation plus they offer you more than 40 free downloadable games for free per year and that’s without talking about the payable contents which makes the games catalogue pretty much larger than what you think.
I need to comeback on the point of online gaming. I share the same way of thinking with you because the PlayStation plus has ruined pretty much the whole idea of online gaming, it’s worth 50 euros for a one year subscription which is hard to get knowing you’ll start thinking: should I buy a gamw or buy that subscription?
All in all I enjoyed reading this article and I hope to see more from you.
Hamza Laaqira
I live in Canada, and have also been reluctant to take the plunge, mostly due to the last point; I enjoy a great single player experience. The previous generation has many outstanding games I have yet to play: Mass Effect 3, Portal 2, The Last of Us, Halo 4 (I’m multiplatform, obviously).
These days, my gaming takes up a lot less time, so at this rate, I’ll enter this generation in a few years, if at all.
Same with me. I hate this trend of games going towards always online multi-player crap. Most of the time I just want to play by myself.
Fallout is single player and if you were really quick to order there was a bunch of collectable items for it.