PS4 sells out almost instantly in Japan

[Church185]

So despite the incredible popularity of handheld gaming in Japan, and the slow decline of console gaming, the PS4 sold out in minutes on Amazon JP once preorders were opened up [http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/10/07/the-ps4-was-sold-out-almost-instantly-on-amazon-japan-but-its-games-arent-too-popular-yet/].

From the Article:

When Sony opened the floodgates of preorders for the PS4 in Japan three days ago, the console sold out almost instantly anywhere, including the local branch of Amazon, that pushed out a second batch after a couple hours and ran out of stock in minutes again.

It looks like the PS4 is poised to make a boat load of money during the launch rush. Gamers all over are excited for it, and Sony themselves are impressed by the preorder numbers.

Discussion: Will a really successful launch will cause a shift in the games industry? Hypothetically we could see a significant rise in Vita sales due to its position as a PS4 companion, or maybe we'll see rival's exclusive games *cough* Titanfall *cough* going multiplatform to increase sales. Either way I'm really excited to see what happens during this next generation of gaming.

 

[Foolery]

Cool, certainly gives developers a reason to get on board with it. Knowing you have an install base makes a big difference.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

 

[Church185]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

I understand that the choice was almost PS4 or nothing, but the PS3 wasn't incredibly popular either over there. The fact that preorders are already sold out, with next to no games announced that appeal to a Japanese audience is incredible. The enthusiasm for the system is infectious it seems.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

I understand that the choice was almost PS4 or nothing, but the PS3 wasn't incredibly popular either over there. The fact that preorders are already sold out, with next to no games announced that appeal to a Japanese audience is incredible. The enthusiasm for the system is infectious it seems.

Maybe it's because the PS3 wasn't that popular that they want the PS4: because they've been starved for a proper console since the PS2 (I'd also say the PS4 at launch seems much better than the PS3 was). I wonder if this also relates to the decline of console gaming over there I heard about.

 

[Tayh]

I always though Japan was a fairly console/handheld-happy country. As such, I'm not particularly surprised by a Japanese-made console selling out in... Japan.

 

[Dragonbums]

For Japan it's literally three systems right now.

A 3DS, PS3/4, and Wii U.

That's it.

They never gave a shit about Xbox in general, and the Xbox One solidified that even more.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Oh come on ... "selling out" means nothing, seeing as it's based entirely on the market expectations of a STORE.
It could simply mean that Amazon expected the PS4 to sell poorly, and only made a handful of units available for preorder, that's all.

Unless there's real numbers, news like this isn't just meaningless, it's misleading.

 

[krazykidd]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

Or , you know , buy a WiiU , it's not like Nintendo is japanese or anything .

OT: Nice , now if only they would show off some games that were to come with concrete dates , i might buy one.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

okay, though wasn't that expected anyway? Console pre-orders in general tend to sell out quick.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I can't say I'm surprised by this...I really can't wait to see what kind of Japanese "exclusive" games are going to be released for the console though.

 

[Roxas1359]

I can't say I'm surprised by this...I really can't wait to see what kind of Japanese "exclusive" games are going to be released for the console though.

At least the PS4 isn't region locked though, so you have the chance of playing them, just not understanding them. XD

OT: Honestly not surprised at this at all, especially when considering how fast the Vita TV sold out for preorders as well.

 

[DanteLives]

How PS4 isn't out first in JP is mind boggling. They should've had it by now.

 

[scorptatious]

Still, it's good news at least.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

Or , you know , buy a WiiU , it's not like Nintendo is japanese or anything .

Is the WiiU selling well over there, though? Because last I heard, it wasn't.

 

[Church185]

Oh come on ... "selling out" means nothing, seeing as it's based entirely on the market expectations of a STORE.
It could simply mean that Amazon expected the PS4 to sell poorly, and only made a handful of units available for preorder, that's all.

Unless there's real numbers, news like this isn't just meaningless, it's misleading.

It's hardly misleading. It was reported that preorders were selling out fast, which they did. I'm not sure what angle people could take to mislead.

And it wasn't just Amazon. [http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/10/04/the-ps4-sells-out-faster-than-hotcakes-at-all-major-japanese-retailers-in-most-cases-within-minutes/]

 

[BernardoOne]

Is it really such a big surprise, though? The Xbone was never going to work well over there (I don't think any Xbox has) so they had to go with the PS4. Still, it should convince some developers to make more stuff for it, and hopefully Sony will have learnt from their mistakes with the PS3.

Or , you know , buy a WiiU , it's not like Nintendo is japanese or anything .

Is the WiiU selling well over there, though? Because last I heard, it wasn't.

Its selling horribly, worse than PSVita.

 

[Roxas1359]

How PS4 isn't out first in JP is mind boggling. They should've had it by now.

Sony said that they wanted to give developers more time I guess. I think they're a but paranoid about how the Wii U launch was and they wanna make sure there are some games for it.
Plus, I think they're trying to avoid the mistake they made when the PS3 was limited at launch so they wanna get the rest of the world done first. It's an interesting strategy to say the least, and we'll see how it plays out I guess.

 

[Atmos Duality]

No surprise there. It's the third console generation Sony has ended in strong standing in their domestic market.

The Wii may have sold more, but its successor has shown to offer virtually nothing. Probably because Japan, like the rest of the world realized how fucking stupid it was to build entire game systems around gimmick controllers (Sony may have given us that dreadful "Move" thing, but at least they had the good sense to stop forcing it on us, unlike Nintendo and Microsoft).

So in short: the PS3's superior longevity, variety, and lack of forced gimmickry likely translated into stronger consumer confidence in the PS4.

(Whaddya mean I missed one? Xbox? In Japan? "LOL". Xbone in Japan? "LOL 3X")